Firefly Aerospace hopes to kick off 2025 by sticking a lunar landing. Science from the mission’s 10 NASA payloads could help guide future Moon missions.
Space & Planets
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Mars and Earth: A Tale of Two Energy Budgets
The first view of Mars’ latitudinal radiant energy budget reveals stark contrast with Earth’s energy distribution, offering new insights into each planet’s unique energy dynamics.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
New Empirical Model of the Flux in the Magnetosheath
A new study presents a model that reconstructs the plasma flux in the Earth’s magnetosheath.
Posted inNews
Watching a Solar Event from All Angles
A fleet of spacecraft captured unprecedented details of the major solar outbursts in May and June 2024.
Posted inNews
Telescopes Catch the Aftermath of an Energetic Planetary Collision
A planetary collision 1,800 light-years away birthed a body that has cooled in unexpected ways.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Radar Reveals Electrical Activity in the Ionosphere
A new method could improve understanding of communication disruptions.
Posted inNews
Arctic Hydrothermal Vents May Resemble Those on Enceladus
By studying hydrogen-rich vent sites on Earth, scientists could learn more about the hidden ocean of Saturn’s icy moon—one of our solar system’s likeliest candidates for harboring life beyond Earth.
Posted inNews
Io Probably Doesn’t Have a Global Magma Ocean After All
Data from the Juno spacecraft may have answered a decades-old question about Jupiter’s moon.
Posted inNews
Magnetic Meteorites May Explain How the Solar System Assembled
Faint magnetic properties in primitive asteroid fragments suggest an early magnetic field strong enough to shepherd the growth of the outer planets.
Posted inNews
Human Activities Might Create Temporary Atmospheres on the Moon
Outgassing could pose problems for long-term habitation of the Moon, including health hazards for astronauts, hindrances for electronics, and hampered scientific study.