Deep-space Mission
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Russia Launches Bion-M No.2 with Mice, Flies, and Seeds to Study Space Biology
Russia’s latest resupply mission to low-Earth orbit has delivered a unique scientific cargo: 75 mice, 1,000 fruit flies, microbes, cell cultures, and plant seeds aboard the Bion-M No.2 biosatellite. Over the next month, these organisms will orbit Earth, helping scientists study how microgravity and cosmic radiation affect life. Some mice are gene...
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China’s Tianwen 2 Probe Snaps Striking Views of Earth and Moon While En Route to Asteroid
China’s Tianwen 2 spacecraft, now millions of kilometers from Earth, captured distant images of Earth and the moon as it journeys to asteroid Kamo'oalewa. Set to collect samples by 2026 and return them in 2027, the mission could reveal insights into the solar system’s formation—before continuing on to a second deep-space target, comet 311P/PA...
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NASA's New Horizons Proves Deep-Space Navigation via Stellar Parallax
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft accomplished a world-first by performing a deep-space stellar navigation test using stellar parallax. On April 23, 2020, while 438 million miles from Earth, it imaged nearby stars Proxima Centauri and Wolf 359. From the spacecraft’s distant viewpoint, the stars appeared slightly shifted compared to Earth-based obs...
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NASA’s Don Pettit Returns to Earth with Russian Crewmates After ISS Science Mission
Soyuz MS-26 safely landed in Kazakhstan on April 19, bringing NASA astronaut Don Pettit and two Russian cosmonauts back to Earth. The crew completed a months-long science mission aboard the ISS, conducting key experiments on 3D printing, water purification, fire behaviour, and plant biology, supporting future lunar and Mars exploration goals.
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Artemis II Orion Service Module Secured for Launch at Kennedy Space Center
NASA’s Artemis II Orion spacecraft is a step closer to its mission around the Moon. Three spacecraft adapter jettison fairings have been installed on its service module at Kennedy Space Center. These panels will protect the solar arrays from heat, wind, and acoustic forces during launch. Once in space, they will detach, allowing the arrays to dep...
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ISRO and IIT Madras Unveil Research Centre for Space Thermal Sciences
ISRO and IIT Madras have launched the S Ramakrishnan Centre of Excellence for Research in Fluid and Thermal Sciences. The facility, inaugurated on 17 March 2025, will focus on spacecraft cooling, fluid dynamics, and cryogenic engine advancements. Housed in IIT Madras’ Department of Mechanical Engineering, it will facilitate collaboration between ...
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NASA’s Space Station Research Aids Lunar Missions With Key Technologies
Research aboard the International Space Station is advancing lunar exploration. Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission-1, which landed on 2 March 2025, carries three experiments linked to space station studies. LEXI observes X-ray emissions to study space weather, RadPC tests radiation-tolerant computing, and LuGRE detects GNSS signals for lunar ...
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NASA Tracks GNSS Signals on Moon, Advancing Lunar Navigation Technology
NASA and the Italian Space Agency made history by successfully tracking GNSS signals on the Moon through the LuGRE experiment. The technology could revolutionise lunar navigation, aiding missions like Artemis. LuGRE had earlier set records for GNSS signal acquisition in deep space, reaching lunar orbit before its final touchdown. The data collected...
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Astronaut Vision Changes in Space, Pose Risks for Mars Exploration
Reports indicate that 70 percent of astronauts on extended ISS missions develop vision issues linked to spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS). The condition, caused by fluid shifts in microgravity, leads to optic nerve swelling, vision impairment, and structural eye changes. While symptoms often reverse upon return to Earth, the long-...
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China Conducts Five Rocket Engine Tests in a Day, Advancing Space Projects
On January 2, China tested five rocket engines in Beijing and Hebei Province. These tests included hydrogen-oxygen and methane-based engines for various applications, such as lunar missions and deep-space exploration. The trials mark a significant step in China’s efforts to enhance its space programmes. CASC’s engineers have highlighted the suc...
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Space Missions of 2025: Lunar Landings, Asteroid Sampling, and More
Space exploration in 2025 will see remarkable missions from global agencies like NASA, ESA, China, and Japan. Key initiatives include lunar landings through NASA’s CLPS and Japan’s M2/Resilience, which will test new technologies and study lunar resources. China’s Tianwen-2 mission aims to collect asteroid samples and explore a comet, advancin...
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SpaceX Plans To Develop 'Marslink' Network To Provide Internet On Mars
SpaceX has introduced a Marslink concept, a satellite-based communication network around Mars, to support interplanetary data exchange for future Mars missions. NASA reviewed this and other proposals, including Blue Origin's Blue Ring orbital tug and Lockheed Martin's MAVEN-based network. The Marslink network would build on SpaceX’s Starlink tech...
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NASA Astronaut Christina Koch Returning to Earth After Record Space Station Mission
US astronaut Christina Koch, who led the first all-female spacewalk in 2019, was due to return to Earth on Thursday after a record stay aboard the International Space Station, capping a busy mission that could yield key insights into deep-space travel.
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Mission To Discover Alien Life Given Green Light
A deep-space mission to discover habitable Earth-sized planets in other solar systems and detect extra-terrestrial life they may host has been given the go-ahead by the European Space Agency (ESA).
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Mars Spacecraft's First Missions Face Delays, NASA Says
NASA will probably delay the first two missions of its Orion deep-space capsule, being developed to send astronauts beyond earth's orbit and eventually to Mars, the US space agency said on Thursday.
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Russia Launches Bion-M No.2 with Mice, Flies, and Seeds to Study Space Biology
Russia’s latest resupply mission to low-Earth orbit has delivered a unique scientific cargo: 75 mice, 1,000 fruit flies, microbes, cell cultures, and plant seeds aboard the Bion-M No.2 biosatellite. Over the next month, these organisms will orbit Earth, helping scientists study how microgravity and cosmic radiation affect life. Some mice are gene...
-
China’s Tianwen 2 Probe Snaps Striking Views of Earth and Moon While En Route to Asteroid
China’s Tianwen 2 spacecraft, now millions of kilometers from Earth, captured distant images of Earth and the moon as it journeys to asteroid Kamo'oalewa. Set to collect samples by 2026 and return them in 2027, the mission could reveal insights into the solar system’s formation—before continuing on to a second deep-space target, comet 311P/PA...
-
NASA's New Horizons Proves Deep-Space Navigation via Stellar Parallax
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft accomplished a world-first by performing a deep-space stellar navigation test using stellar parallax. On April 23, 2020, while 438 million miles from Earth, it imaged nearby stars Proxima Centauri and Wolf 359. From the spacecraft’s distant viewpoint, the stars appeared slightly shifted compared to Earth-based obs...
-
NASA’s Don Pettit Returns to Earth with Russian Crewmates After ISS Science Mission
Soyuz MS-26 safely landed in Kazakhstan on April 19, bringing NASA astronaut Don Pettit and two Russian cosmonauts back to Earth. The crew completed a months-long science mission aboard the ISS, conducting key experiments on 3D printing, water purification, fire behaviour, and plant biology, supporting future lunar and Mars exploration goals.
-
Artemis II Orion Service Module Secured for Launch at Kennedy Space Center
NASA’s Artemis II Orion spacecraft is a step closer to its mission around the Moon. Three spacecraft adapter jettison fairings have been installed on its service module at Kennedy Space Center. These panels will protect the solar arrays from heat, wind, and acoustic forces during launch. Once in space, they will detach, allowing the arrays to dep...
-
ISRO and IIT Madras Unveil Research Centre for Space Thermal Sciences
ISRO and IIT Madras have launched the S Ramakrishnan Centre of Excellence for Research in Fluid and Thermal Sciences. The facility, inaugurated on 17 March 2025, will focus on spacecraft cooling, fluid dynamics, and cryogenic engine advancements. Housed in IIT Madras’ Department of Mechanical Engineering, it will facilitate collaboration between ...
-
NASA’s Space Station Research Aids Lunar Missions With Key Technologies
Research aboard the International Space Station is advancing lunar exploration. Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission-1, which landed on 2 March 2025, carries three experiments linked to space station studies. LEXI observes X-ray emissions to study space weather, RadPC tests radiation-tolerant computing, and LuGRE detects GNSS signals for lunar ...
-
NASA Tracks GNSS Signals on Moon, Advancing Lunar Navigation Technology
NASA and the Italian Space Agency made history by successfully tracking GNSS signals on the Moon through the LuGRE experiment. The technology could revolutionise lunar navigation, aiding missions like Artemis. LuGRE had earlier set records for GNSS signal acquisition in deep space, reaching lunar orbit before its final touchdown. The data collected...
-
Astronaut Vision Changes in Space, Pose Risks for Mars Exploration
Reports indicate that 70 percent of astronauts on extended ISS missions develop vision issues linked to spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS). The condition, caused by fluid shifts in microgravity, leads to optic nerve swelling, vision impairment, and structural eye changes. While symptoms often reverse upon return to Earth, the long-...
-
China Conducts Five Rocket Engine Tests in a Day, Advancing Space Projects
On January 2, China tested five rocket engines in Beijing and Hebei Province. These tests included hydrogen-oxygen and methane-based engines for various applications, such as lunar missions and deep-space exploration. The trials mark a significant step in China’s efforts to enhance its space programmes. CASC’s engineers have highlighted the suc...
-
Space Missions of 2025: Lunar Landings, Asteroid Sampling, and More
Space exploration in 2025 will see remarkable missions from global agencies like NASA, ESA, China, and Japan. Key initiatives include lunar landings through NASA’s CLPS and Japan’s M2/Resilience, which will test new technologies and study lunar resources. China’s Tianwen-2 mission aims to collect asteroid samples and explore a comet, advancin...
-
SpaceX Plans To Develop 'Marslink' Network To Provide Internet On Mars
SpaceX has introduced a Marslink concept, a satellite-based communication network around Mars, to support interplanetary data exchange for future Mars missions. NASA reviewed this and other proposals, including Blue Origin's Blue Ring orbital tug and Lockheed Martin's MAVEN-based network. The Marslink network would build on SpaceX’s Starlink tech...
-
NASA Astronaut Christina Koch Returning to Earth After Record Space Station Mission
US astronaut Christina Koch, who led the first all-female spacewalk in 2019, was due to return to Earth on Thursday after a record stay aboard the International Space Station, capping a busy mission that could yield key insights into deep-space travel.
-
Mission To Discover Alien Life Given Green Light
A deep-space mission to discover habitable Earth-sized planets in other solar systems and detect extra-terrestrial life they may host has been given the go-ahead by the European Space Agency (ESA).
-
Mars Spacecraft's First Missions Face Delays, NASA Says
NASA will probably delay the first two missions of its Orion deep-space capsule, being developed to send astronauts beyond earth's orbit and eventually to Mars, the US space agency said on Thursday.
