August 15th, 2025
Author: 
Russia is preparing to loft a “miniature mouse hotel” into space. The Bion-M No. 2 biosatellite is being readied for liftoff on August 20, placed into a pole-to-pole orbit. Onboard are 75 mice and other specimens to be exposed to 30 days of radiation before a parachute return to Russia. Lobbed […]
Posted in 
On the NASA Curiosity rover team, scientists are continuing their exploration of the boxwork-forming region in Gale Crater, reports Lucy Lim, Planetary Scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “A successful 25-meter drive (about 82 feet) brought the rover from the “peace sign” ridge intersection to a new ridge site,” Lim adds. Several imaging investigations […]
Mars Guy explains that a forced retreat has led an interesting discovery by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover at Jezero Crater. In a new video episode, Mars Guy notes that every wheeled vehicle has its hill-climbing limit, even on the Red Planet with 38% the gravity of Earth. The Perseverance robot recently met its limit on […]
Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to streamline regulations and foster a competitive commercial space industry, ensuring the United States maintains its leading role in the commercial use of space. The Order directs the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, “to eliminate or expedite […]
GOLDEN, Colorado – The Colorado School of Mines has built a large simulated moonscape. The specialized facility is being used to test lunar rovers, evaluate lunar landing and launch pads, excavation gear and assess other hardware ideas. It’s all about getting a lunar leg up on how best to robotically work effectively on the Moon. […]
Virgin Galactic’s new Delta class space plane could fly as soon as fall 2026 The company is also looking at using its mothership aircraft that releases spacecraft at high altitude as a carrier platform for other customers. Go to my new Space.com story at: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/virgin-galactics-new-delta-class-space-plane-could-fly-as-soon-as-fall-2026
The Shenzhou-20 crew aboard China’s Tiangong space station has been occupied in the unpacking of new extravehicular spacesuits and carrying out multiple scientific experiments and tests. The astronaut trio — Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie — entered the Tiangong space station on April 25 this year. Last week, the crew unpacked the two […]
Findings from China’s Chang’e-6 lunar sample mission provide evidence of a “super-reduced” state in the Moon’s mantle. Published in the journal Nature Communications, the study shows the mantle material beneath Chang’e-6’s landing site is not only drier and more depleted than samples from the Moon’s near side, but also exists in a more chemically […]
China’s lunar lander aces touchdown and takeoff tests ahead of planned 2030 crewed moon mission. “For our manned space missions, we must ensure that astronauts land on the lunar surface very comfortably and smoothly.” Go to my new Space.com story at: https://www.space.com/astronomy/moon/chinas-lunar-lander-aces-touchdown-and-takeoff-tests-ahead-of-planned-2030-crewed-moon-mission-video
China’s crewed Moon lander completed a comprehensive landing and takeoff verification test. The “Lanyue” lunar lander is undergoing testing at the “extraterrestrial celestial landing test site” in Huailai County, north China’s Hebei Province, reports China Central Television (CCTV). Lanyue is a crew-carrying descent and ascent vehicle designed for China’s first human lunar exploration mission, set […]
