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Khabre desk
Recent reporting, analysis and explainers from the Mars exploration desk.
technology
NASA says Sierra Lobo will provide the closed Brayton cycle system that converts heat from SR-1 Freedom’s fission reactor into electricity. The spacecraft is planned to carry a three-helicopter science mission to Mars, launching in late 2028.
technology
Anthropic says NASA JPL engineers used Claude to plan an approximately 400-metre route for the Perseverance rover. Engineers checked the proposed waypoints in simulation and reviewed them before sending the commands to Mars.
technology
ESA, Airbus and European partners will test the six-wheeled Charlie rover prototype in Spain on 1 October 2026. The campaign will assess remote operations, autonomous navigation and simulated scientific activities relevant to ESA’s Rosalind Franklin Mars mission.
science
NASA says its 10 astronaut candidates are approximately halfway through a nearly two-year training programme. Recent exercises included lunar geology fieldwork, aircraft flights, altitude-chamber runs and water-survival training.