science
JAXA’s MMX Mission Launches to Study Phobos and Deimos
JAXA’s Martian Moons eXploration mission lifted off on an H3 rocket on 20 October 2026. It is planned to investigate Phobos and Deimos, collect a sample from Phobos and return to Earth.
Khabre desk
Space Science
Recent reporting, analysis and explainers from the Space Science desk.
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JAXA’s MMX Mission Targets a Phobos Sample Return With NASA Support
JAXA’s MMX mission is targeting an October 2026 launch to study Mars’ moons and return a sample from Phobos. NASA is contributing a composition-measuring instrument, sampler technology, communications support and scientific expertise.
science
NASA to Contribute Instruments and Sample Technology to Mars-Moon Mission
NASA is contributing a science instrument, sample-collection technology and communications support to JAXA’s MMX mission to study Mars’ moons and return a sample from Phobos. The spacecraft is targeting launch on Oct. 19, 2026, with sample return planned for 2031.
science
Sophie Adenot returns after a record 237-day ISS mission
ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot has returned to Europe after 237 days, 5 hours and 18 minutes in space. Her εpsilon mission set a European record for the longest single spaceflight and included three spacewalks.
science
Solar Orbiter traces a magnetic switchback to the Sun
Solar Orbiter traced a large magnetic switchback in the solar wind to hot magnetic loops at the Sun. The findings point to interchange reconnection at its origin, with waves and turbulence influencing its later movement through space.
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NASA’s SunRISE Mission Targets Launch No Earlier Than Mid-2027
NASA’s six-satellite SunRISE radio astronomy mission is targeting launch no earlier than mid-2027. Flying slightly above geosynchronous orbit, the satellites will work together to track radio bursts from the Sun’s corona.
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Curiosity Captures Dawn Panorama of Mars’ Yardang Cliffs
NASA’s Curiosity rover captured a six-image dawn panorama of wind-carved cliffs on Mount Sharp. Mission scientists hope to reach the yardangs in 2027 and investigate how the distinctive layer formed.
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NASA selects three lunar science payload suites for Moon Base planning
NASA selected three payload suites to investigate lunar hazards, possible underground lava tubes, ice and surface conditions. The planned investigations are intended to inform science and operational planning for a sustained presence on the Moon.
science
ESA’s Juice gains 3.5 km/s in Earth flyby on route to Jupiter
ESA says Juice’s 28 September 2026 Earth flyby bent its path by 20° and increased its velocity by 3.5 km/s. The encounter also gave the mission teams an opportunity to test and calibrate science instruments in space.
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NASA Advances PRIMA Far-Infrared Telescope to Phase B
NASA has selected PRIMA to enter Phase B, advancing plans for a far-infrared space telescope designed to survey the universe. The mission is targeted to launch in 2033, pending further development and review.
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Perseverance finds three episodes of water activity in Mars’ Margin Unit
NASA’s Perseverance rover found that the Margin Unit in Jezero Crater records at least three separate episodes of water-rock interaction, including a later episode involving heated underground water. The findings revise the picture of how water moved through early Mars.
science
Mercury shrank by about 23 kilometres as it cooled
An analysis of wrinkles across Mercury’s cratered surface suggests that the planet’s diameter has decreased by around 23 kilometres since it formed. The finding offers new constraints on how Mercury’s interior evolved over roughly 4.5 billion years.
science
NASA sets Sept. 19 date for International Observe the Moon Night
NASA will host a free International Observe the Moon Night event on Sept. 19 at its Goddard Space Flight Center Visitor Center in Maryland. People worldwide can also participate through local observations, virtual events and other activities.
science
Webb finds brown dwarfs as light as twice Jupiter’s mass
The James Webb Space Telescope has identified brown dwarfs in the star-forming region IC 348 with masses as low as twice that of Jupiter. The objects are the least massive brown dwarfs known and could challenge models of how stars form.
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FLEX and Sentinel-3C satellites launch together on Vega-C
ESA’s FLEX Earth Explorer satellite and the Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite have reached orbit after launching together on a Vega-C rocket from French Guiana. FLEX will measure plant fluorescence linked to photosynthesis, while Sentinel-3C will extend monitoring of oceans, land, ice and the atmosphere.
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Curiosity Finds Vast Field of Honeycomb-Like Textures on Mars
NASA’s Curiosity rover has discovered an unusually extensive field of polygonal fractures in a Martian valley. Scientists are studying whether the honeycomb-like patterns formed through drying, temperature changes or processes that compressed ancient sediments.
science
NASA Engineers Extend Voyager 2 Science Operations
NASA engineers have redesigned Voyager 2’s power use so that three science instruments can continue operating in interstellar space for at least one extra year. The change addresses the spacecraft’s steadily declining electrical supply after almost half a century in operation.
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NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Launches on Falcon Heavy
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy on Aug. 30, beginning its three-month journey to its final orbit. The mission will study dark matter, dark energy and exoplanets while testing a coronagraph designed for future direct imaging of Jupiter-like planets.
science
NASA workshops seek common open-data practices for Artemis lunar science
NASA held two virtual workshops with Artemis Accords signatories on making lunar science data more interoperable, reproducible and accessible. NASA presented its Planetary Data System and related tools as a working model, but no common framework or adoption target has yet been announced.
science
A preprint proposes that GRB 220101A was powered by two supernova-related events
A 2026 arXiv preprint proposes that the unusually energetic long gamma-ray burst GRB 220101A involved two supernova-related events separated by 3.5 seconds.
science
ESA schedules joint Vega-C launch for FLEX and Sentinel-3C
ESA expects to launch the FLEX photosynthesis mission and Copernicus Sentinel-3C together on Vega-C flight VV30 from French Guiana on 14 September 2026.
science
MTG-I2 launch completes the first three-satellite Meteosat Third Generation system
ESA says the MTG-I2 weather satellite launched on 27 August 2026 aboard Ariane 6, completing the initial three-satellite Meteosat Third Generation system and preparing the mission for faster weather and atmospheric observations after commissioning.
science
Euclid finds 31 ancient quasars, including two seen when the Universe was 670 million years old
ESA says Euclid has identified 31 quasars from the early Universe, including two at redshifts 7.77 and 7.69—the most ancient quasars yet observed.
science
Euclid identifies 31 ancient quasars, including two at record redshifts
ESA reports that Euclid has identified 31 quasars from the early Universe, including two with redshifts of 7.77 and 7.69 that were observed when the Universe was about 670 million years old.
science
NASA's Pandora begins studying exoplanet atmospheres and the stars that can confuse the signal
NASA's Pandora mission has begun science observations aimed at separating exoplanet atmospheric signatures from changes in their host stars, with at least 20 planets planned for detailed study.
science
ESA's first lunar rover MAGPIE will search the Moon's south pole for water and volatiles
ESA's MAGPIE rover is planned to fly to the lunar south pole in 2029 with a drill, analyser, radar and neutron detector to study water, volatiles and subsurface geology.
science
Isar Aerospace reaches orbit in the first orbital launch from continental Europe
Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket reached low Earth orbit from Norway on 5 September 2026, a milestone for Europe's emerging commercial launch sector.
science
BepiColombo begins its final arrival sequence at Mercury after eight years in space
ESA and JAXA's BepiColombo mission has separated its Mercury Transfer Module, beginning a staged arrival that is scheduled to place two science orbiters around Mercury later in 2026.