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China Conducts First Test Of Manned Lunar Lander 'Lanyue'
China conducted its first test on Wednesday of a lunar lander that it hopes will put the first Chinese on the moon before 2030, the country's manned space program said.
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NASA's TRACERS Satellites Begin Solar Wind Study Despite SV1 Glitch
NASA launched its twin TRACERS satellites on July 23, 2025, to study how solar wind causes magnetic reconnection in Earth's magnetosphere. However, a power issue on one spacecraft, SV1, has caused intermittent communication. Engineers believe the issue relates to sunlight availability on its solar panels and plan recovery efforts in August. Meanwhi...
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ESA JUICE Mission Scans Jupiter's Lunar Crater in Test Run for Alien Life
ESA’s JUICE spacecraft scanned the famous Earthrise crater on the Moon to test radar for future exploration of Jupiter’s icy moons. The data confirmed JUICE’s radar accuracy, setting the stage for a search for life beneath Europa and Ganymede. The crater, immortalised in a 1968 Apollo 8 photo, now plays a role in extraterrestrial science.
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NASA Tests Modular Satellite Tech to Cut Launch Costs and Speed Missions
NASA is developing scalable, modular satellite platforms to reduce cost and accelerate science missions. The Athena EPIC spacecraft, built from eight “Satlet” modules, shares control systems among instruments, simplifying integration. Slated to launch in 2025 on a SpaceX rideshare, Athena aims to cut costs from billions to millions per mission....
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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 to Gather Reentry Imagery of European Commercial Capsule Using High-Altitude Aircraft
NASA’s SCIFLI team will track the reentry of a European test capsule named Mission Possible using a spectrometer and high-definition telescope from a Gulfstream III aircraft. The mission aims to gather thermal and parachute deployment data, aiding spacecraft design. Backed by a Space Act Agreement, it highlights international collaboration and en...
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NASA’s Europa Clipper Captures Stunning Infrared Image of Mars
During a Mars flyby on March 1, 2025, NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft captured thermal images with its E-THEMIS infrared imager. The mission team used this opportunity to test key instruments ahead of Clipper’s arrival at Jupiter’s moon Europa in 2030.
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NASA Plans Another Starliner Test Flight Amid Propulsion System Challenges
NASA is considering another test flight for Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner before it is used for crew rotations to the International Space Station. Reports suggest that propulsion system issues, including helium leaks and thruster failures, are still being investigated. NASA’s Steve Stich has stated that Boeing is testing new seals and propulsion c...
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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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Pulsar Fusion’s Nuclear Fusion Rockets May Revolutionise Space Travel
UK-based Pulsar Fusion has revealed plans for Sunbird, a nuclear fusion-powered rocket that could change space exploration. The company says this technology could reduce travel time to Mars and beyond by half. Sunbirds will act as space tugs, attaching to spacecraft in orbit and propelling them further. Initial tests will be conducted in vacuum cha...
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NASA Reviews Boeing Starliner’s Future Amid Technical Challenges
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft remains under evaluation following its troubled Crew Flight Test mission. NASA is investigating propulsion issues, including helium leaks and overheating thrusters, with testing set to take place at White Sands. Whether the next flight will carry astronauts is still undecided. NASA aims to certify Starliner for long-...
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28,000 Kmph, 1,600 Degrees: Fireball Test Before Sunita Williams Landed
A Dragon spacecraft bringing astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore home after nine months in space splashed down off the coast of Florida at 3.30 am IST.
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X-37B Space Plane Returns After 434-Day Mission, Advancing Space Tech
The U.S. military’s X-37B space plane has landed after a 434-day classified mission. Launched on December 29, 2023, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, the mission focused on testing orbital maneuvering, aerobraking, and space radiation experiments. The autonomous spacecraft successfully demonstrated reusable space technology, marking another st...
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Firefly Blue Ghost Moon Lander Successfully Lands on Moon for NASA Mission
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander has successfully landed on the Moon, marking a major milestone in private space exploration. Part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, the mission aims to study radiation levels, test lunar sample collection, and capture a total solar eclipse. The spacecraft, which landed in Mare Cris...
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NASA Partners With SpaceX To Launch NEO Surveyor, a Mission To Detect Asteroid Threats
NASA has selected SpaceX for the launch of its NEO Surveyor spacecraft in 2027. The mission, valued at $100 million, will use a Falcon 9 rocket to deploy the spacecraft to the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1. The infrared telescope will help detect and track hazardous near-Earth objects, including difficult-to-spot dark asteroids. This mission builds on...
-
China Conducts First Test Of Manned Lunar Lander 'Lanyue'
China conducted its first test on Wednesday of a lunar lander that it hopes will put the first Chinese on the moon before 2030, the country's manned space program said.
-
NASA's TRACERS Satellites Begin Solar Wind Study Despite SV1 Glitch
NASA launched its twin TRACERS satellites on July 23, 2025, to study how solar wind causes magnetic reconnection in Earth's magnetosphere. However, a power issue on one spacecraft, SV1, has caused intermittent communication. Engineers believe the issue relates to sunlight availability on its solar panels and plan recovery efforts in August. Meanwhi...
-
ESA JUICE Mission Scans Jupiter's Lunar Crater in Test Run for Alien Life
ESA’s JUICE spacecraft scanned the famous Earthrise crater on the Moon to test radar for future exploration of Jupiter’s icy moons. The data confirmed JUICE’s radar accuracy, setting the stage for a search for life beneath Europa and Ganymede. The crater, immortalised in a 1968 Apollo 8 photo, now plays a role in extraterrestrial science.
-
NASA Tests Modular Satellite Tech to Cut Launch Costs and Speed Missions
NASA is developing scalable, modular satellite platforms to reduce cost and accelerate science missions. The Athena EPIC spacecraft, built from eight “Satlet” modules, shares control systems among instruments, simplifying integration. Slated to launch in 2025 on a SpaceX rideshare, Athena aims to cut costs from billions to millions per mission....
-
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 to Gather Reentry Imagery of European Commercial Capsule Using High-Altitude Aircraft
NASA’s SCIFLI team will track the reentry of a European test capsule named Mission Possible using a spectrometer and high-definition telescope from a Gulfstream III aircraft. The mission aims to gather thermal and parachute deployment data, aiding spacecraft design. Backed by a Space Act Agreement, it highlights international collaboration and en...
-
NASA’s Europa Clipper Captures Stunning Infrared Image of Mars
During a Mars flyby on March 1, 2025, NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft captured thermal images with its E-THEMIS infrared imager. The mission team used this opportunity to test key instruments ahead of Clipper’s arrival at Jupiter’s moon Europa in 2030.
-
NASA Plans Another Starliner Test Flight Amid Propulsion System Challenges
NASA is considering another test flight for Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner before it is used for crew rotations to the International Space Station. Reports suggest that propulsion system issues, including helium leaks and thruster failures, are still being investigated. NASA’s Steve Stich has stated that Boeing is testing new seals and propulsion c...
-
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...
-
Pulsar Fusion’s Nuclear Fusion Rockets May Revolutionise Space Travel
UK-based Pulsar Fusion has revealed plans for Sunbird, a nuclear fusion-powered rocket that could change space exploration. The company says this technology could reduce travel time to Mars and beyond by half. Sunbirds will act as space tugs, attaching to spacecraft in orbit and propelling them further. Initial tests will be conducted in vacuum cha...
-
NASA Reviews Boeing Starliner’s Future Amid Technical Challenges
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft remains under evaluation following its troubled Crew Flight Test mission. NASA is investigating propulsion issues, including helium leaks and overheating thrusters, with testing set to take place at White Sands. Whether the next flight will carry astronauts is still undecided. NASA aims to certify Starliner for long-...
-
28,000 Kmph, 1,600 Degrees: Fireball Test Before Sunita Williams Landed
A Dragon spacecraft bringing astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore home after nine months in space splashed down off the coast of Florida at 3.30 am IST.
-
X-37B Space Plane Returns After 434-Day Mission, Advancing Space Tech
The U.S. military’s X-37B space plane has landed after a 434-day classified mission. Launched on December 29, 2023, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, the mission focused on testing orbital maneuvering, aerobraking, and space radiation experiments. The autonomous spacecraft successfully demonstrated reusable space technology, marking another st...
-
Firefly Blue Ghost Moon Lander Successfully Lands on Moon for NASA Mission
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander has successfully landed on the Moon, marking a major milestone in private space exploration. Part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, the mission aims to study radiation levels, test lunar sample collection, and capture a total solar eclipse. The spacecraft, which landed in Mare Cris...
-
NASA Partners With SpaceX To Launch NEO Surveyor, a Mission To Detect Asteroid Threats
NASA has selected SpaceX for the launch of its NEO Surveyor spacecraft in 2027. The mission, valued at $100 million, will use a Falcon 9 rocket to deploy the spacecraft to the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1. The infrared telescope will help detect and track hazardous near-Earth objects, including difficult-to-spot dark asteroids. This mission builds on...
