September 5, 2025
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Breaking News
  • [ September 4, 2025 ] SpaceX aces 500th Falcon booster landing amid sunrise Starlink mission Falcon 9
  • [ September 2, 2025 ] SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites on Wednesday sunrise Falcon 9 flight Falcon 9
  • [ September 2, 2025 ] SpaceX’s Tuesday night Starlink features rare debut of a Falcon booster Falcon 9
  • [ August 30, 2025 ] SpaceX’s Sunday morning Falcon 9 launch sends 1,900th Starlink to orbit in 2025 Falcon 9
  • [ August 29, 2025 ] SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites into polar orbit Falcon 9

Planetary Science

Mission Reports

UAE’s Hope orbiter on course for arrival at Mars

February 8, 2021 Stephen Clark

The first interplanetary probe from the United Arab Emirates is set to enter orbit around Mars on Tuesday, the first of three robotic missions taking aim on the Red Planet this month.

Mission Reports

NASA gives up on salvaging InSight Mars lander’s ‘mole’

January 19, 2021 Stephen Clark

NASA managers tried for the last time earlier this month to coax the InSight lander’s long-stuck subsurface heat probe into the Martian soil, but after seeing no more progress, ground teams decided to end their efforts and focus on the mission’s other science objectives.

Mission Reports

NASA mission extension enables first flybys of Jupiter’s moons in 20 years

January 11, 2021 Stephen Clark

In a pair of mission extensions, NASA has cleared the way for more seismic observations on Mars with the robotic InSight lander and approved plans for the Juno spacecraft to alter its orbit and perform close flybys of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, Ganymede, and the volcanic moon Io.

Mission Reports

Chinese sample return capsule lands on Earth after round-trip flight to moon

December 16, 2020 Stephen Clark

A capsule containing moon rocks landed in a remote, snow-covered corner of China Wednesday, bringing home the first samples from the lunar surface in 44 years and completing the Chinese space program’s most challenging robotic mission to date.

Mission Reports

Chinese spacecraft heading back to Earth with lunar samples

December 15, 2020 Stephen Clark

A Chinese spacecraft ferrying rocks drilled from the moon’s surface is on course to land back on Earth Wednesday and deliver the first fresh lunar samples to scientists since the 1970s.

Mission Reports

Scientists thrilled with asteroid treasure returned by Japanese spacecraft

December 15, 2020 Stephen Clark

Japanese space agency officials said Tuesday they found a “large number” of pitch black rock and dust particles after opening a capsule returned to Earth earlier this month by the Hayabusa 2 mission, giving eager scientists their first significant specimens ever brought back from an asteroid.

Mission Reports

Chinese mission accomplishes first-ever robotic docking in lunar orbit

December 5, 2020 Stephen Clark

The Chinese Chang’e 5 mission accomplished the first robotic docking between two spacecraft orbiting the moon Saturday, when a lunar ascent spacecraft linked up with an Earth return vehicle and transferred a container of moon rocks to bring home in mid-December.

Mission Reports

Japanese capsule carrying asteroid rocks lands in Australia after six-year mission

December 5, 2020 Stephen Clark

An armored re-entry capsule carrying pristine specimens from an asteroid streaked into Earth’s atmosphere and parachuted to a landing in the Australian outback Saturday, bringing home extraterrestrial rocks that could hold clues to the origin of life on Earth.

Mission Reports

Live coverage: Hayabusa 2 asteroid sample return capsule lands in Australia

December 5, 2020 Stephen Clark

Japan’s Hayabusa 2 mission returned to Earth Saturday after a six-year mission to collect samples from asteroid Ryugu. The mission’s sample return capsule landed in in the Australian outback around shortly before 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT) Saturday.

Mission Reports

Japanese asteroid sampling mission on course for return to Earth

December 5, 2020 Stephen Clark

Six years after departing Earth, Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft released a spinning capsule Saturday containing pristine asteroid material for a scorching re-entry and landing in the remote Australian outback, where teams are standing by to retrieve the specimens for analysis.

Posts pagination

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News Headlines

  • SpaceX aces 500th Falcon booster landing amid sunrise Starlink mission
    September 4, 2025
  • SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites on Wednesday sunrise Falcon 9 flight
    September 2, 2025
  • SpaceX’s Tuesday night Starlink features rare debut of a Falcon booster
    September 2, 2025
  • SpaceX’s Sunday morning Falcon 9 launch sends 1,900th Starlink to orbit in 2025
    August 30, 2025
  • SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites into polar orbit
    August 29, 2025
  • NASA, NOAA prep spacecraft trio to study the Sun and its impacts
    August 29, 2025
  • SpaceX launches record-breaking 30th flight of a Falcon 9 booster
    August 27, 2025
  • SpaceX completes 400th Falcon booster landing on a drone ship
    August 27, 2025
  • SpaceX successfully launches Super Heavy-Starship on critical test flight
    August 27, 2025
  • SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
    August 27, 2025
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