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SpaceX Starship Flight 7 Test Gets FAA Launch Licence, Preparing for 2025
SpaceX has received the FAA’s launch licence for Starship Flight 7, marking another milestone in their quest for a fully reusable rocket system. After extensive engine tests, SpaceX is preparing for the test in early 2025. The flight will aim to improve key systems such as booster recovery and ocean splashdown. Designed for lunar and Martian miss...
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New Study Suggests the Moon Is 100 Million Years Older Than Previously Thought
Recent findings indicate the Moon might be over 100 million years older than prior estimates. A new study proposes that tidal forces caused intense heating and surface remelting around 4.35 billion years ago, resetting the apparent age of lunar rocks. These insights support the idea that massive collisions formed the Moon much earlier than previous...
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Scientists Puzzled by a Strange Dark Spot Fading on Saturn’s Moon Enceladus
A mysterious dark spot on Saturn's moon Enceladus has baffled scientists after it faded over several years. Discovered through NASA’s Cassini mission, the spot's sudden disappearance raises questions about the moon's geology. Experts have ruled out shadows and image artefacts, suggesting that the feature could be the result of an impact or a depo...
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Jupiter’s Moon Io Shows No Magma Ocean as New Findings Explain Volcanic Eruptions
NASA's latest findings indicate that Jupiter's volcanic moon Io does not have a global magma ocean beneath its surface, debunking previous theories. This conclusion comes from analysis of data from NASA's Juno spacecraft and archival observations from the Galileo mission. The study suggests that Io's interior is more solid than expected, with volca...
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ispace and Magna Petra Collaborate for Sustainable Helium-3 Extraction from Moon
ispace and Magna Petra have joined forces to pioneer sustainable helium-3 extraction from the moon's regolith. Helium-3, a rare isotope critical for energy and technology applications, could be a game-changer for Earth. Magna Petra plans to use environmentally conscious methods to extract and transport the isotope. The initiative aligns with ispace...
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Space Exploration Highlights 2024: Lunar Missions, Mars Discoveries, and More
2024 saw significant space exploration advancements. Japan's SLIM mission exceeded expectations, while NASA’s Perseverance found evidence of ancient life on Mars. The Europa Clipper launched to investigate subsurface oceans on Jupiter's moon Europa, promising new discoveries by 2030.
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NASA Delays Artemis 2 Mission to 2026, Artemis 3 Crewed Moon Landing For Mid-2027
NASA has announced delays in the Artemis missions, citing the need for additional technical preparations. Artemis 2, the first crewed Moon mission since the Apollo era, will now launch in 2026. Artemis 3, the programme's lunar landing mission, has been moved to mid-2027 due to Orion spacecraft readiness and other challenges. Adjustments to the spac...
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NASA Delays Crewed Lunar Landing Until 2027 As Trump Prepares For Office
The United States is pushing back its planned return to the Moon from 2026 to "mid-2027" as it deals with heat shield issues and other troubles plaguing its Orion crew capsule, NASA officials said Thursday.
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Time Moves Faster on The Moon Than on Earth, Claims New Study
A 56-microsecond daily time drift between Earth and the Moon, caused by relativity, presents unique challenges for future lunar missions. Scientists are devising a standard lunar time system to ensure navigation accuracy and mission safety, particularly as NASA’s Artemis programme expands human and robotic activity on the Moon. This groundwork is...
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Elon Musk's SpaceX To Launch NASA's 'Dragonfly' To Saturn's Moon In 2028: What We Know
Elon Musk's SpaceX will launch NASA's groundbreaking Dragonfly mission to Saturn's largest moon, Titan, using a Falcon Heavy rocket.
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Mars' Moons Might Have Been Created From Asteroids Coming Too Close to the Red Planet
A study published in Icarus explores the possibility that Mars’ moons, Phobos and Deimos, formed from asteroid debris torn apart by the planet’s gravitational forces. Researchers ran advanced simulations to propose this scenario, which fits the moons’ circular orbits better than previous theories. Japan’s upcoming MMX mission is expected to...
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New Chemical Models Might Reveal Whether Icy Moons of Saturn and Jupiter Contain Life
Recent studies aim to determine the habitability of Saturn's moon Enceladus using improved chemical models. These tools simulate how organic compounds interact with icy environments under extreme conditions. The research, led by Charity Phillips-Lander and Florent Bocher, focuses on phenomena such as organic-doped ice pores, replicating conditions ...
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NASA Europa Clipper Advances Toward Jupiter’s Moon, Instruments Successfully Deployed
NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft, launched in October 2024, is journeying toward Jupiter’s moon Europa to study its icy surface and hidden ocean. Currently over 13 million miles from Earth, the spacecraft has successfully deployed its solar arrays, magnetometer boom, and radar antennas. It will use a gravity assist from Mars in March 2025 to ad...
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NASA SWIM Robots Tested for Future Missions to Explore Oceans on Europa
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is testing SWIM robots to potentially explore the subsurface oceans of Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, believed to contain conditions suitable for life. The robots are designed to navigate autonomously and gather data through temperature, pH, and chemical sensors, helping scientists identify potential life...
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New Lunar Map Attempts to Identify the Origin Impact Craters of Rock Samples
A new map of the moon’s Mare Orientale basin highlights areas containing original impact melt. These findings could help date the basin’s formation, which is estimated to be 3.8 billion years old. Scientists believe this research may reveal Earth’s early impact history while guiding future lunar sample-return missions. The map also distinguis...
-
SpaceX Starship Flight 7 Test Gets FAA Launch Licence, Preparing for 2025
SpaceX has received the FAA’s launch licence for Starship Flight 7, marking another milestone in their quest for a fully reusable rocket system. After extensive engine tests, SpaceX is preparing for the test in early 2025. The flight will aim to improve key systems such as booster recovery and ocean splashdown. Designed for lunar and Martian miss...
-
New Study Suggests the Moon Is 100 Million Years Older Than Previously Thought
Recent findings indicate the Moon might be over 100 million years older than prior estimates. A new study proposes that tidal forces caused intense heating and surface remelting around 4.35 billion years ago, resetting the apparent age of lunar rocks. These insights support the idea that massive collisions formed the Moon much earlier than previous...
-
Scientists Puzzled by a Strange Dark Spot Fading on Saturn’s Moon Enceladus
A mysterious dark spot on Saturn's moon Enceladus has baffled scientists after it faded over several years. Discovered through NASA’s Cassini mission, the spot's sudden disappearance raises questions about the moon's geology. Experts have ruled out shadows and image artefacts, suggesting that the feature could be the result of an impact or a depo...
-
Jupiter’s Moon Io Shows No Magma Ocean as New Findings Explain Volcanic Eruptions
NASA's latest findings indicate that Jupiter's volcanic moon Io does not have a global magma ocean beneath its surface, debunking previous theories. This conclusion comes from analysis of data from NASA's Juno spacecraft and archival observations from the Galileo mission. The study suggests that Io's interior is more solid than expected, with volca...
-
ispace and Magna Petra Collaborate for Sustainable Helium-3 Extraction from Moon
ispace and Magna Petra have joined forces to pioneer sustainable helium-3 extraction from the moon's regolith. Helium-3, a rare isotope critical for energy and technology applications, could be a game-changer for Earth. Magna Petra plans to use environmentally conscious methods to extract and transport the isotope. The initiative aligns with ispace...
-
Space Exploration Highlights 2024: Lunar Missions, Mars Discoveries, and More
2024 saw significant space exploration advancements. Japan's SLIM mission exceeded expectations, while NASA’s Perseverance found evidence of ancient life on Mars. The Europa Clipper launched to investigate subsurface oceans on Jupiter's moon Europa, promising new discoveries by 2030.
-
NASA Delays Artemis 2 Mission to 2026, Artemis 3 Crewed Moon Landing For Mid-2027
NASA has announced delays in the Artemis missions, citing the need for additional technical preparations. Artemis 2, the first crewed Moon mission since the Apollo era, will now launch in 2026. Artemis 3, the programme's lunar landing mission, has been moved to mid-2027 due to Orion spacecraft readiness and other challenges. Adjustments to the spac...
-
NASA Delays Crewed Lunar Landing Until 2027 As Trump Prepares For Office
The United States is pushing back its planned return to the Moon from 2026 to "mid-2027" as it deals with heat shield issues and other troubles plaguing its Orion crew capsule, NASA officials said Thursday.
-
Time Moves Faster on The Moon Than on Earth, Claims New Study
A 56-microsecond daily time drift between Earth and the Moon, caused by relativity, presents unique challenges for future lunar missions. Scientists are devising a standard lunar time system to ensure navigation accuracy and mission safety, particularly as NASA’s Artemis programme expands human and robotic activity on the Moon. This groundwork is...
-
Elon Musk's SpaceX To Launch NASA's 'Dragonfly' To Saturn's Moon In 2028: What We Know
Elon Musk's SpaceX will launch NASA's groundbreaking Dragonfly mission to Saturn's largest moon, Titan, using a Falcon Heavy rocket.
-
Mars' Moons Might Have Been Created From Asteroids Coming Too Close to the Red Planet
A study published in Icarus explores the possibility that Mars’ moons, Phobos and Deimos, formed from asteroid debris torn apart by the planet’s gravitational forces. Researchers ran advanced simulations to propose this scenario, which fits the moons’ circular orbits better than previous theories. Japan’s upcoming MMX mission is expected to...
-
New Chemical Models Might Reveal Whether Icy Moons of Saturn and Jupiter Contain Life
Recent studies aim to determine the habitability of Saturn's moon Enceladus using improved chemical models. These tools simulate how organic compounds interact with icy environments under extreme conditions. The research, led by Charity Phillips-Lander and Florent Bocher, focuses on phenomena such as organic-doped ice pores, replicating conditions ...
-
NASA Europa Clipper Advances Toward Jupiter’s Moon, Instruments Successfully Deployed
NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft, launched in October 2024, is journeying toward Jupiter’s moon Europa to study its icy surface and hidden ocean. Currently over 13 million miles from Earth, the spacecraft has successfully deployed its solar arrays, magnetometer boom, and radar antennas. It will use a gravity assist from Mars in March 2025 to ad...
-
NASA SWIM Robots Tested for Future Missions to Explore Oceans on Europa
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is testing SWIM robots to potentially explore the subsurface oceans of Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, believed to contain conditions suitable for life. The robots are designed to navigate autonomously and gather data through temperature, pH, and chemical sensors, helping scientists identify potential life...
-
New Lunar Map Attempts to Identify the Origin Impact Craters of Rock Samples
A new map of the moon’s Mare Orientale basin highlights areas containing original impact melt. These findings could help date the basin’s formation, which is estimated to be 3.8 billion years old. Scientists believe this research may reveal Earth’s early impact history while guiding future lunar sample-return missions. The map also distinguis...
