Mars Atmosphere

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  NASA Loses Contact With MAVEN Mars Orbiter After 11-Year Mission: "Loss Of Signal"

  Maven, launched in 2013, entered Mars' orbit in September 2014 to study the upper atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind.

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  NASA Shares Details About Electric Sparks Detected In Mars Storms, Dust Devils

  The discovery has significant implications for understanding Martian atmospheric chemistry and climate.

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  NASA’s Perseverance Records First-Ever Mini-Lightning on Mars

  NASA’s Perseverance rover has captured the first confirmed mini-lightning sparks in Mars’ dusty atmosphere. Using its sensitive microphone, the rover recorded 55 tiny electrical discharges during dust storms over two Martian years. These sparks generate reactive chemicals that can break down organic molecules, affecting future life-detection ef...

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  'Mini-Lightning': NASA Rover Detects Electrical Discharges On Mars

  NASA's Perseverance rover has obtained evidence that the atmosphere of Mars is electrically active, detecting electrical discharges - what one scientist called "mini-lightning" - often associated with whirlwinds called dust devils

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  Blue Origin Joins SpaceX in Orbital Booster Reuse Era With New Glenn’s Successful Launch and Landing

  Blue Origin’s New Glenn successfully launched NASA’s ESCAPADE mission to Mars on November 13, 2025, marking its second flight and its first ocean booster landing on the ship Jacklyn. The mission deploys twin satellites built by Rocket Lab to study how the solar wind strips Mars’ atmosphere during a 22-month journey to the Red Planet.

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  Mars Once Had Changing Lakes: NASA Reveals Signs Of Life-Friendly Water Phases In Jezero Crater

  As Mars's atmosphere changed, Jezero's water gradually became less acidic and more balanced.

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  NASA’s ESCAPADE Mission Will Send Twin Probes to Uncover Mars’s Atmospheric Secrets

  NASA’s ESCAPADE mission will launch twin mini-satellites, Blue and Gold, to Mars aboard Blue Origin’s New Glenn. The probes will study how solar wind stripped away Mars’s atmosphere and water, helping scientists understand the Red Planet’s lost climate and its transformation into the dry world we see today.

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  ESCAPADE Mission: NASA To Send Twin Orbiters To Decode Mars' Magnetic Mysteries

  The mission is scheduled to launch on November 9, aboard Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

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  Not Like Venus Or Mars, Distant Exoplanet May Have Atmosphere Like Earth's

  A distant exoplanet might have an atmosphere similar to Earth's, early observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) suggest. It is part of a group of planets orbiting a star called TRAPPIST-1, about 40 light-years away from Earth.

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  Researchers Develop Method to Predict Rare Green Auroral Events on Mars

  In 2024, NASA’s Perseverance rover captured the first green aurora on Mars. Now scientists can forecast these rare events by tracking powerful solar storms. Beyond their glow, auroras signal radiation that could endanger astronauts. This breakthrough forecasting method is crucial for protecting future human explorers on the Red Planet.

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  NASA’s Perseverance Rover Spots Megaripples, Proof Mars' Soil Is Still Shifting

  NASA’s Perseverance rover has discovered striking megaripples — giant Martian sand waves — at a site called Kerrlaguna in Jezero Crater. These formations, about a meter tall, are larger than Earth’s beach ripples but smaller than the biggest dunes. Scientists say they formed when Mars had a thicker atmosphere and stronger winds, and many no...

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  SpaceX Starship Aces 10th Flight, Takes Major Step Toward Reusability

  SpaceX’s Starship rocket has scored a landmark success on its 10th test flight. On Aug. 26, 2025, the 400-foot booster launched flawlessly, completed hot-stage separation, and deployed eight dummy Starlink satellites — its first-ever payload. The upper stage then re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, surviving long enough to reignite an engine and s...

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  Algae-Grown Bioplastic Passes Mars Pressure Test, Boosting Hopes for Red Planet Habitats

  Scientists have successfully grown algae in bioplastic chambers under Mars-like conditions, marking a step toward sustainable habitats for astronauts. The chambers, made from polylactic acid, supported photosynthesis and stabilized liquid water. This breakthrough suggests self-replicating biomaterials could reduce Earth-based resupply, advancing lo...

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  Mars Dust Devils May Spark Lightning, Might Pose Risks to Rovers: Study

  A new computer-modeling study reveals that dust devils on Mars—swirling columns of dust and air—may become electrically charged enough to spark lightning-like discharges. Led by researcher Varun Sheel, the study simulates how dry Martian conditions and frictional collisions between dust grains can generate strong electric fields inside these vo...

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  Is Mars Really Red? A Physicist Explains the Science Behind Its Colour and More

  A physicist explains the science behind Mars’s red appearance, linking its hue to iron oxide or rust. While known as the Red Planet, rover images and telescope data show varied colors, from tan to white ice caps. Observations in ultraviolet and infrared light reveal deeper insights into Mars’s atmosphere, surface, and seasonal changes, enrichin...