Episodios

  • Lunar Exploration and Solar System Missions Dominate Planetary Science Agenda for 2023

    Lunar Exploration and Solar System Missions Dominate Planetary Science Agenda for 2023
    Jan 10 2026
    Across the United States, planetary science is entering the new year with intense activity, shifting plans, and renewed political support. NASA reports that preparations for Artemis 2, the first crewed mission around the Moon in more than fifty years, are reaching their final phase at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the Space Launch System rocket scheduled to roll from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad thirty nine B as early as mid January, ahead of a planned early February launch window. According to NASA mission planners, this flight will test the Orion spacecraft in deep space and lay the groundwork for future lunar landings that will carry extensive geology and geophysics experiments on the Moon.

    In cislunar space, NASA announced from its Glenn Research Center in Ohio that engineers have powered up the electrical system for the Gateway lunar space station for the first time. This power and propulsion system, developed with international partners, will eventually support long duration planetary science at the Moon, including observations of the lunar surface, the solar wind, and possibly near Earth asteroids, all from a stable orbit around the Moon.

    Closer to Earth, Congress has just sent a strong signal about the future of planetary science funding. NASA Watch reports that the House of Representatives passed a major funding bill after intense debate over proposed cuts, and the bipartisan Planetary Science Caucus declared that the legislation keeps the United States on track to maintain leadership in space exploration. The caucus statement specifically highlights Mars Sample Return as the highest priority planetary science mission recommended by the 2023 Planetary Sciences Decadal Survey, and frames sustained support for Mars exploration as essential to retaining American expertise at institutions such as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

    At the same time, global planetary missions are aligning with this push. The Planetary Society notes that January launch opportunities are opening for Japan’s Martian Moons Exploration mission to Phobos and Deimos, Europe’s Juice spacecraft is preparing a gravity assist near Earth on its way to Jupiter, and NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is approaching its earliest possible launch date, promising powerful new studies of exoplanets around distant stars.

    Emerging patterns are clear. United States planetary science is pivoting toward a tightly integrated program, combining human missions around the Moon, a permanent presence in lunar orbit, and sophisticated robotic missions throughout the solar system, while Congress and advocacy groups work in parallel to shield this effort from disruptive budget cuts and preserve long term scientific momentum.

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  • Headline: NASA Pushes Boundaries: Habitable Worlds Observatory Advances Exoplanet Exploration and Solar System Observation

    Headline: NASA Pushes Boundaries: Habitable Worlds Observatory Advances Exoplanet Exploration and Solar System Observation
    Jan 7 2026
    NASA has selected industry proposals to advance technologies for the Habitable Worlds Observatory, a flagship space telescope concept designed to directly image Earth-like planets around Sun-like stars and analyze their atmospheres for signs of life. According to NASA, this mission, announced on January 5, 2026, from headquarters in Washington, will also support studies of our universe and human exploration of Mars and the solar system. Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of the Astrophysics Division, stated that these awards combine government leadership with commercial innovation to make future missions possible. The proposals build on work from the Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope, and upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, set for launch no earlier than September 2026.

    In Phoenix, Arizona, the 247th meeting of the American Astronomical Society, running from January 4 to 8 at the Phoenix Convention Center, is highlighting exoplanet research and the Habitable Worlds Observatory. Sessions organized by NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program are debating priorities for detecting biosignatures on distant worlds, while discussions cover galaxy evolution using data from James Webb, Hubble, and Chile's Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array.

    Skywatchers in the United States can observe Jupiter at opposition on January 10, when it appears biggest and brightest all year in the constellation Gemini, as noted by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. On January 23, Saturn and the Moon will conjoin in the western sky, with Saturn sparkling below the Moon. The Beehive Cluster, or Messier 44, buzzes into view throughout January evenings.

    Emerging patterns show accelerating U.S. focus on habitable exoplanets and solar system observation, with the Habitable Worlds Observatory poised to answer if we are alone. Meanwhile, NASA's Psyche mission plans a gravity assist at Mars this month, flying within 4,400 kilometers, and Astrobotic's Griffin Mission One eyes a lunar landing under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services. These efforts reveal a strategic push toward life-detection technologies and deep-space readiness, blending public and private innovation.

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  • Soaring U.S. Planetary Exploration: NASA's Artemis, Mars Missions, and Commercial Partnerships Propel Scientific Breakthroughs

    Soaring U.S. Planetary Exploration: NASA's Artemis, Mars Missions, and Commercial Partnerships Propel Scientific Breakthroughs
    Dec 31 2025
    NASA marked significant strides in planetary science throughout 2025, with key developments centered in the United States advancing lunar and Mars exploration. NASA's Artemis program progressed toward the Artemis II test flight, scheduled for early 2026, which will send astronauts on the first crewed mission under the campaign to confirm systems for future lunar landings, including Artemis III. According to NASA, experiments on recent Commercial Lunar Payload Services flights captured over nine thousand first-of-a-kind images of a lunar lander's engine plumes and tested technologies like an electrodynamic dust shield and lunar navigation systems at sites near the Moon's South Pole.

    A major announcement awarded Blue Origin a task order to deliver NASA's VIPER rover, the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, to the lunar South Pole in late 2027, aiming to map water ice resources crucial for sustained human presence. Firefly Aerospace secured another flight for 2030, highlighting growing commercial partnerships from U.S. firms. At NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, Steve Sinacore was named to lead fission surface power efforts, developing nuclear systems for powering Moon and Mars bases.

    Mars exploration gained momentum with the National Academies releasing a science strategy for human missions, identifying opportunities to search for signs of life, study planetary evolution, and test in-situ resource utilization. NASA selected participants for a second yearlong ground-based Mars simulation starting in October at facilities in the U.S., alongside tests of deep space inflatable habitats. The agency's fourth Entry Descent and Landing test in three months advanced precision landing capabilities for Mars' thin atmosphere and rugged terrain, conducted at U.S. test ranges.

    Emerging patterns show accelerated U.S.-led innovation through public-private collaborations, with seven new nations joining the Artemis Accords, now nearing sixty signatories, promoting safe exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond. NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars faces upcoming tests of its endurance, as reported by Purdue University researchers, while skywatchers note the interstellar comet three-I-ATLAS reaching closest approach to Earth on December nineteenth, observed from dark U.S. skies. These efforts position the United States at the forefront of planetary science, blending robotic precursors with crewed ambitions for multiplanetary expansion.

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  • NASA Planetary Science Division Showcases Resilience: Achievements, Mission Updates, and Advocacy Successes

    NASA Planetary Science Division Showcases Resilience: Achievements, Mission Updates, and Advocacy Successes
    Dec 27 2025
    NASA's Planetary Science Division hosted a webinar on December 10 at 1 PM Eastern time to review accomplishments from the past year, update Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science programs, discuss progress on decadal survey recommendations, and field questions from the planetary science community. According to Astrobiology.com, the event featured Dr. Kathleen Vander Kaaden, Director of Planetary Research Programs, and slides became publicly available afterward, though no recording was made.

    Meanwhile, NASA teams are working to recover the MAVEN spacecraft, which studies Mars atmosphere and volatile evolution and went silent on December 6. Science.nasa.gov reports that commands for recovery have been sent via the Deep Space Network, with analysis of December 6 tracking data underway to pinpoint the issue. NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars attempted to image MAVEN's orbit using its Mastcam on December 16 and 20 but detected nothing. Efforts pause during Mars solar conjunction starting December 29, when Mars and Earth align on opposite Sun sides, blocking contact until January 16.

    The Planetary Society's December newsletter highlights advocacy successes amid proposed budget cuts, noting Congress appears ready to reject most reductions to NASA science, including planetary programs. Jared Isaacman was confirmed as NASA administrator, and no active missions have ended, with some approved through 2026. The Society's efforts, including Capitol Hill events and data shared in Congress, earned a SpaceNews ICON Award, while the bipartisan Planetary Science Caucus pushes for strong funding.

    Skywatchers note interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS reaching closest Earth approach on December 19 at 170 million miles, observed by NASA's Parker Solar Probe from October 18 to November 5 using its Wide-Field Imager for Solar Probe. NASA's December skywatching tips also spotlight the Geminid meteor shower peaking December 13-14 from asteroid 3200 Phaethon, and a Moon-Jupiter conjunction on December 7.

    These developments reveal patterns of resilience in US planetary science, from mission recoveries and policy wins to interstellar observations, underscoring ongoing exploration despite challenges. NASA's monthly near-Earth asteroids update on December 3 tracks planetary defense efforts, with no immediate threats noted.

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  • Cosmic Vigilance: NASA Tracks Near-Earth Asteroids and Interstellar Comets

    Cosmic Vigilance: NASA Tracks Near-Earth Asteroids and Interstellar Comets
    Dec 24 2025
    NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office released its December 2025 update on near-Earth asteroids, highlighting the latest close approaches and impact risk assessments from observatories across the United States. This monthly report from the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, tracks objects like potentially hazardous asteroids passing within millions of miles of Earth, underscoring ongoing vigilance against cosmic threats.

    Trouble struck the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft, known as MAVEN, orbiting Mars since 2014. Last contacted on December 6 from NASA's Deep Space Network antennas in California, the probe went silent ahead of Mars solar conjunction starting December 29, when the Sun blocks communications between Earth and Mars until January 16. Engineers in Maryland and California analyzed radio data fragments and commanded recovery attempts, even enlisting the Curiosity rover on Mars to image MAVEN's orbit on December 16 and 20, but no signal appeared. This glitch highlights vulnerabilities in long-duration missions as conjunctions recur every two years.

    Interstellar comet 3I slash ATLAS dominated recent observations. Discovered in summer 2025, it made its closest Earth approach this month, tracked by NASA's Psyche spacecraft en route to asteroid Psyche and a fleet of other missions. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory detailed its hyperbolic orbit confirming interstellar origin, with renewed imaging after perihelion in early December. YouTube skywatching updates from NASA noted its visibility alongside Geminid meteors and planets Jupiter and Saturn.

    On the Moon front, the Artemis 2 rocket at Kennedy Space Center in Florida received an America 250 paint job on December 23, celebrating the nation's 250th anniversary ahead of its crewed lunar flyby in early 2026. This mission from NASA's Johnson Space Center will test systems for future landings, building on Commercial Lunar Payload Services awards to Blue Origin for the VIPER rover to the lunar south pole by late 2027.

    These events reveal patterns of intensified comet tracking with interstellar visitors and robust planetary defense, while spacecraft glitches remind us of deep space challenges. NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland leads fission power for lunar bases, signaling a push toward sustainable exploration amid Artemis progress. Worldwide, concepts like using the Sun's gravitational lens beyond Pluto's orbit for exoplanet imaging emerge, but United States efforts drive the core advancements.

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  • Interstellar Comet's Close Encounter: A Rare Opportunity for Planetary Science Exploration

    Interstellar Comet's Close Encounter: A Rare Opportunity for Planetary Science Exploration
    Dec 20 2025
    Across the United States, planetary science this week is dominated by a rare visitor from beyond our solar system. According to NASA, the interstellar comet called Three I Atlas is making its closest approach to Earth, passing about one hundred seventy million miles away while remaining visible only through moderate sized telescopes before it heads back into deep space. NASA reports that multiple American missions, including the Psyche spacecraft in deep space and the Parker Solar Probe near the Sun, have coordinated observations to study the comet’s dust, gas, and trajectory, turning the inner solar system into a distributed observatory spanning millions of miles. Scientists at NASA’s Goddard and Jet Propulsion Laboratory say these data are revealing how material from another stellar system behaves when it passes through our own, offering a rare comparison point for the building blocks of planets elsewhere.

    Back on and near Earth, planetary defense efforts are also in the spotlight. NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office released its December update on near Earth asteroids, noting continued growth in the catalog of discovered objects and refined orbits for those that pass close to our planet. The update emphasizes that no known near term threats have emerged, but improved surveys and tracking are steadily increasing confidence in our ability to detect hazardous objects years to decades in advance. This reflects a broader pattern in United States planetary science, where investment is shifting toward both understanding how planets form and evolve and ensuring Earth is protected from asteroid and comet impacts.

    Beyond the United States, major developments also inform this week’s planetary story. The European Space Agency announced that its Gaia mission has found hints of planets forming in very young star systems in our galaxy, by detecting subtle motions and light variations that point to newborn worlds embedded in disks of gas and dust. In parallel, researchers writing in the American Geophysical Union’s Eos magazine report new evidence that Sun like stars can eventually engulf their closest planets as they age and expand, offering a possible preview of Earth’s far future. Together, these findings frame our own solar system as one example in a galaxy rich with evolving planetary systems, while United States missions and observatories continue to probe both our neighborhood and the wider cosmos for clues about how planets are born, live, and ultimately die.

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  • Interstellar Comet Three-Eye Slash Atlas Tracked by NASA's Psyche Mission Ahead of Closest Approach to Earth

    Interstellar Comet Three-Eye Slash Atlas Tracked by NASA's Psyche Mission Ahead of Closest Approach to Earth
    Dec 17 2025
    NASA's Psyche mission is actively tracking the interstellar comet three-eye slash atlas as it makes its closest approach to Earth on December nineteenth. NASA's science dot gov reports that this rare visitor from outside our solar system, the third such object discovered here, offers a prime chance for observation with dark skies, especially since it reappears after swinging around the sun in early December. Multiple NASA spacecraft, including Psyche, are coordinating data collection on its trajectory and composition before it departs.

    Meanwhile, skywatchers across the United States can catch the Geminid meteor shower peaking on December thirteenth and fourteenth, potentially delivering up to one hundred twenty meteors per hour under ideal conditions, according to NASA's December skywatching tips. On December seventh, a striking conjunction brings the Moon and Jupiter close in the eastern sky, appearing side by side despite their vast separation of hundreds of millions of miles.

    In New Orleans, the American Geophysical Union meeting from December fifteenth to nineteenth draws top planetary scientists, including teams from the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder. They are presenting breakthroughs like reanalyzed Voyager two plasma data from Uranus and Neptune, revealing magnetosphere details for future missions, and studies on Uranus's steadily collapsing exosphere since the Voyager era. Other highlights include dust analyzer designs for a proposed Uranus orbiter and probe, alongside research on cosmic dust from near the sun to Europa and the Kuiper Belt.

    On Mars, the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured its one hundred thousandth photo of the Red Planet on December seventeenth, as reported by space dot com, showcasing ongoing surface monitoring from orbit. The United States Geological Survey and NASA also announced a new Landsat Science Team on December seventeenth to guide the longest-running Earth observation program through two thousand thirty.

    These events signal robust United States leadership in planetary science, from interstellar tracking and outer planet reanalysis to relentless Mars imaging, amid preparations for missions like EscaPADE to Mars orbit. Emerging patterns highlight intensified focus on interstellar objects and ice giant atmospheres, building toward deeper solar system exploration.

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  • Planetary Exploration Thrives: NASA's Latest Missions, Asteroid Tracking, and Exoplanet Discoveries

    Planetary Exploration Thrives: NASA's Latest Missions, Asteroid Tracking, and Exoplanet Discoveries
    Dec 13 2025
    In the United States, planetary science news this week has centered on new missions, fresh observations, and evolving views of worlds near and far. At Mars, NASA reports that its Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft, known as Maven, recently experienced a loss of signal with ground stations while in orbit around the Red Planet. Engineers at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center and partners across the Deep Space Network are working to restore full communications, highlighting both the vulnerability and resilience of long duration planetary missions.

    Back on Earth, NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office has released its December update on near Earth asteroids. According to the agency, more than thirty two thousand near Earth asteroids are now cataloged, with several small objects making close, but safe, approaches this month. This growing census reflects an emerging pattern. The United States is steadily shifting from discovery only toward a fuller strategy of tracking, characterizing, and eventually testing techniques to deflect hazardous objects if ever needed.

    While not a traditional planet focused mission, a key development in space weather research will shape how planetary scientists understand the space environment around Earth. NASA announced that the Cross Scale Investigation of Earth’s Magnetotail and Aurora mission, called Cinema, led by Dartmouth College with management by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, has been selected to advance into its next development phase. The mission will fly nine small satellites in polar low Earth orbit to study how energy flows through Earth’s magnetosphere and drives auroras and magnetic storms. Dartmouth notes that Cinema could launch around the end of this decade, offering a new window into the dynamic plasma environment that also affects other planets with magnetic fields.

    Looking outward, planetary scientists are digesting new results about worlds beyond our solar system. Carnegie Science reports that observations with the James Webb Space Telescope reveal a thick atmosphere on the ultra hot lava world known as T O I five six one b, challenging theories that such close in rocky planets quickly lose their air. In parallel, researchers writing in Science Daily describe how faint methane signals from the nearby Earth size exoplanet Trappist one e may hint at a real atmosphere, though stellar activity could be mimicking that signal, underscoring how complex it is to read potential habitability from afar.

    Together, these stories trace a clear theme. United States led planetary science is simultaneously deepening our knowledge of the local space environment, safeguarding Earth, and probing the diversity of planets across the galaxy.

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