Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 29, 2025
The moon's surface has long been a subject of study, offering clues about its geological and evolutionary history. Dark, flat regions known as lunar maria, which are filled with solidified lava, were thought to have formed through significant compression billions of years ago. Many researchers concluded that these regions have remained dormant ever since. However, a new study indicates that the

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 29, 2025
During NASA's Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight under the Artemis campaign, astronauts will manually operate the Orion spacecraft as part of their journey around the Moon and back. This mission is a critical test to validate the spacecraft's performance with a human crew onboard before future lunar landing missions. The first major test of manual control, called the proximity ope

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 29, 2025
GITAI USA Inc. (GITAI), a leader in space robotics, has announced the successful launch and mission completion of its in-house developed 16U satellite. The satellite was launched into low Earth orbit aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 on December 21, 2024, at 3:34 AM (PST). The mission met all three predefined success criteria, earning a "Full Success" designation for technical verification. GITAI a

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 29, 2025
The arid and cold landscape of modern Mars contrasts sharply with its past, when flowing rivers and lakes carved its surface billions of years ago. Researchers from Harvard have now proposed a compelling explanation for this ancient warmth and moisture, offering new insights into the planet's climate history. Scientists at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Scien

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 29, 2025
EdgeCortix Inc., a prominent fabless semiconductor company specializing in energy-efficient artificial intelligence (AI) processing at the edge, has announced that its SAKURA-I AI Accelerator has been proven suitable for space missions, including Earth orbit and lunar operations, due to its strong radiation resilience. The AI accelerator underwent rigorous testing by NASA's Electronic Part

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jan 29, 2025
Rootless cones, small volcanic landforms typically ranging from several meters to a few hundred meters in diameter, form through explosive interactions between surface lava and water bodies such as lakes and rivers. Unlike conventional volcanoes that arise from deep magma sources, rootless cones emerge when lava covers a water-containing layer, triggering bursts of steam and gas. These fea

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jan 29, 2025
Three decades after the first exoplanet was discovered, astronomers have identified over 7,000 exoplanets in our galaxy. Yet, countless more await discovery. Researchers are now delving into the characteristics of these planets to uncover the possibility of extraterrestrial life. This pursuit has led to the discovery of super-Earth HD 20794 d, thanks to a collaboration involving the University o

The second day of the European Space Conference saw European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano join ESA Directors and the Director General on a range of panels and interactions with media.  

The European Space Agency (ESA) Planetary Defence Office is closely monitoring the recently discovered asteroid 2024 YR4, which has a very small chance of impacting Earth in 2032.

 This page was last updated on 29 January 2025.

ESA, Eumetsat, the European Commission and Arianespace have announced an agreement to advance the launch of the first MetOp Second Generation weather satellite, which also carries the Copernicus Sentinel-5 mission, to August 2025 aboard an Ariane 6 rocket.