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The Curiosity Rover at 5,000 Sols
MarsCuriosityRover
Workhorse
Curiosity launched with what sounds like a simple question: was there enough water and other ingredients to keep life going on the Red Planet, once upon a time? Within weeks of landing in August 2012, hope of finding something interesting accelerated — the rover found an ancient streambed, which ran at least ankle-deep. Scientists were excited, but cautious.
Space Missions to Phobos Are Cursed. Will Japan Succeed?
JAXAPhobosMars
On October 20th, a rocket took off from the southern Japanese island of Tanegashima. On board was Japan’s Martian Moons eXploration spacecraft, the boldest solar system mission JAXA, Japan’s space agency, has ever undertaken. Its plan? Fly to Mars, land on Phobos – one of its two peculiar moons – and grab some of its rocks using a vacuum cleaner and a bolt gun-like drill. Then it’s got to bring them back to Earth in 2031. The ultimate goal is to find out where Phobos came from. Is it a shorn-off piece of Mars itself, or a captured asteroid or cometary interloper from far beyond?
Russia Positions Spy Satellite for Possible Orbital Attack
RussiaUkraineSatellites
Satellite War
During a two-week series of maneuvers that began on September 30th, Russian controllers steered the Kosmos 2612 spy satellite within a few hundred meters, or less, of the ICEYE X36 Earth-observation spacecraft. Experts think that Russia may have tried to intercept the satellite’s data transmissions, or worse, practice for its future destruction.
Latest Stories
The Curiosity Rover at 5,000 Sols
Curiosity launched with what sounds like a simple question: was there enough water and other ingredients to keep life going on the Red Planet, once upon a time? Within weeks of landing in August 2012, hope of finding something interesting accelerated — the rover found an ancient streambed, which ran at least ankle-deep. Scientists were excited, but cautious.
November 3, 2026
article
Space Missions to Phobos Are Cursed. Will Japan Succeed?
On October 20th, a rocket took off from the southern Japanese island of Tanegashima. On board was Japan’s Martian Moons eXploration spacecraft, the boldest solar system mission JAXA, Japan’s space agency, has ever undertaken. Its plan? Fly to Mars, land on Phobos – one of its two peculiar moons – and grab some of its rocks using a vacuum cleaner and a bolt gun-like drill. Then it’s got to bring them back to Earth in 2031. The ultimate goal is to find out where Phobos came from. Is it a shorn-off piece of Mars itself, or a captured asteroid or cometary interloper from far beyond?
October 27, 2026
article
Russia Positions Spy Satellite for Possible Orbital Attack
During a two-week series of maneuvers that began on September 30th, Russian controllers steered the Kosmos 2612 spy satellite within a few hundred meters, or less, of the ICEYE X36 Earth-observation spacecraft. Experts think that Russia may have tried to intercept the satellite’s data transmissions, or worse, practice for its future destruction.
October 20, 2026
article
Can the Embattled Habitable Worlds Observatory Find a Second Earth?
The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) could profoundly change our understanding of the Universe. It is our ticket to finding other Earths and to knowing whether these worlds harbor life.
October 13, 2026
article
What is China Doing With its Secret Spaceplane?
China's and the United States' mysterious spaceplanes are performing classified maneuvers in orbit right now. But despite the secrecy, observers on Earth are gleaning insights into each spaceplane’s capabilities through ground-based radars and telescopes. It’s a tight technology race without a clear winner that proves Washington and Beijing are the only peers in space right now.