Spacecraft Makers: SPHEREx and the Intense Tests That Prepared It for Space
SPHEREx is going to capture millions of stars and galaxies in 102 different colors. It will create a unique 3D map that will reveal clues to the origins of our universe. Today, we’re going to talk you through all of the tests that it has to go through before it’s ready.
SunRISE: Monitoring Solar Radiation Storms From Space (Mission Overview)
SunRISE is an array of six toaster-sized SmallSats that will work together to study solar activity. Currently, the scientific community doesn't have a strong understanding of these coronal mass ejections. SunRISE will image radio waves from frequencies of around 100 kilohertz to 20 megahertz.
New Year, New Mars: Red Planet Gets Active as Spring Begins (Mars Report)
The Martian new year starts in springtime in the northern hemisphere. Increased sunlight warms up that winter ice, causing large avalanches near the north pole. Springtime warming also awakens sleeping giants. High-pressured gas builds up until it’s able to explode out in a high-pressured geyser.
NASA’s Goldstone DSN Complex Welcomes New 34-Meter Antenna
The new antenna joins others at three Deep Space Network complexes around the world. The DSN allows missions to track, send commands to, and receive scientific data from faraway spacecraft. Once online in 2026, DSS-23 will be the fifth of six new beam waveguide antennas to be added to the network.
Perseverance Rover Panorama of Mars’ Jezero Crater
The rover used its Mastcam-Z camera system to capture this view on Dec. 5, 2024. At the time, the rover was about 1,150 feet (350 meters) from, and 250 feet (75 meters) below, the top of the crater rim. The rover reached Lookout Hill on Dec. 10 after a climb of 3½ months and 1,640 vertical feet (500 vertical meters)
Mars in 4K: Perseverance’s Rock Sample Collection
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover team has selected rock samples to be returned to Earth. Mars Sample Return (MSR) would be the first effort to bring back pieces of another planet. MSR provides the best opportunity to answer fundamental questions about Mars' early evolution, its potential for ancient life and its climate.
Voyagers’ Mission to the Outer Solar System (1977 Vintage Video)
Two 12 foot-high NASA spacecraft are being prepared for launch, one in late August, the other in early September. A dish antenna, 12 feet across, will send back scientific and engineering information and receive commands from Earth. The nuclear powered Voyagers will carry 11 scientific experiments, including television cameras and electron telescope systems.
China Roundup: Third successful EVA and deep-space ambitions as China’s space economy surges
Original Publication Date: 2025-03-29 23:01
Shenzhou-19 crew conducted their third spacewalk this month. China is open to including international scientific payloads aboard a forthcoming Mars mission. Bold plans for planetary exploration have been revealed and a design has emerged for a new space telescope with a familiar design. Commercial space sector continues to develop new technology including next-generation reusable vehicles.
SpaceX Continues Progress on Next Generation Facilities
Original Publication Date: 2025-03-28 17:59
SpaceX is continuing to build Orbital Launch Pad B and has started the demolition of High Bay. Pad B is SpaceX’s next-generation Orbital Launch Pad, while High Bay will make way for Gigabay. Gigabay will be the next-generation construction and servicing facility at Starbase. High Bay to Gigabay High Bay’s days are over after being constructed in late 2020.