Planetary Science

Another company has been approved for a private mission to the space station, astronauts are bringing smartphones, and a rule-breaking planetary system is turning expectations upside down. This Week in Space.

A project led by Dr. Shay Monat at the International Space University has caught the attention of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk – and could mark an important step toward establishing a crewed base on the Moon.

Elon Musk is putting the Moon at the top of SpaceX’s priorities. China successfully tested its Moon-launch rocket, a new crew arrives at the ISS, and an especially far-southern solar eclipse. This Week in Space.

2025 was another record-breaking year, with more than 300 successful launches, breakthrough missions, and major advances in new rockets. A recap of 2025 in space.

A private astronaut has been appointed to lead the U.S. space agency, an interstellar comet is making a close pass, a Mars orbiter is in trouble, and astronomers may have spotted a new kind of cosmic event. This Week in Space

Blue Origin successfully launched a mission to Mars — despite solar storms that lit up the aurora as far south as the U.S. Deep South. China sets new launch records, and astronomers uncover unusual planets in a distant star system. This Week in Space

The United States has launched two satellites to study the atmosphere of our neighboring planet, in the first operational launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket — a mission that concluded with a successful landing of its first stage on a sea platform.

SpaceX has completed testing of Version 2 of its Starship launch system and is preparing for Version 3. Meanwhile a small asteroid was discovered just days before passing close to Earth, and scientists have identified unexpected complex molecules on Saturn’s moon Enceladus. This Week in Space

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have identified a previously unknown moon orbiting Uranus. With an estimated diameter of just ten kilometers, this small celestial body increases the known count of Uranian moons to 29.

The director of the Israel Space Agency concludes his tenure, a Chinese experiment successfully simulates a lunar landing, the upgraded configuration of the Vulcan rocket lifts off for the first time, and a promising exoplanet is revealed to be a cosmic disappointment.

A new Israeli Space Center initiative, policies shift around private space stations, discoveries of complex molecules in a planet-forming system, and a veteran astronaut retires.

Observations from the James Webb Space Telescope point to the existence of a Saturn-like planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A — a Sun-like star in the nearest stellar system to Earth.

Disappointment as the continuation of the Israeli experiment to photograph sprite lightning from space comes back empty-handed, another delay for Boeing’s spacecraft, a travel record on Mars, and the birth of new planets. This Week in Space

For the first time, researchers have documented the very beginning of planet formation around a young, distant star—a discovery that could shed new light on the early history of our own Solar System.

The U.S. Air Force has canceled an intriguing space experiment, while new research reveals surprising details about the ocean beneath Enceladus’s icy surface. This Week in Space

Researchers and engineers from Israel are advancing a mission to search for signs of life on Jupiter’s moon Europa

One of the primary obstacles on the path to settling Mars is its frigid climate. A new study proposes addressing this issue by triggering a greenhouse effect.

Molecules identified in a distant planet’s atmosphere form on Earth only through biological activity.

NASA is initiating layoffs as part of a cost-cutting plan. Meanwhile, a powerful new space telescope has launched, 128 new moons have been discovered orbiting Saturn, and the Voyager spacecraft are getting a life-extending strategy. This Week in Space.

The private lunar lander overturned upon landing, Starship exploded in space, spacecraft went missing, and a European launch was successful. This Week in Space.

Firefly’s uncrewed lander has completed a soft landing and will primarily investigate the Moon’s geology and surface composition.

Scientists analyzing samples from the asteroid Bennu have identified thousands of organic molecules, including the building blocks of proteins and genetic material. “This increases the likelihood of finding life elsewhere,” researchers say.

A spacecraft sets a new record for a Sun flyby, NASA privatizes space communication, a new study reveals the Moon’s age, educational astronomy, and a unique ring. This Week in Space

Marking 90 years since the birth of Carl Sagan, a trailblazer in planetary science and astrobiology, who became an iconic advocate for science in the media and the public sphere through popular books and a successful TV series.