https://phys.org/space-news/space-exploration/ en-us Space exploration news and updates. Space missions and science news. Planet exploration and more. NASA is planning to send three small rovers to the moon with a single instruction: Work out among yourselves how to explore a patch of ground. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-exploring-moon-require-rovers.html Space Exploration Sat, 15 Aug 2026 14:00:01 EDT news705830940 From launchpads to low Earth orbit and beyond, space companies and their affiliates are deploying a familiar marketing tactic—with a new twist. In a space economy projected to reach US$1.8 trillion by 2035, they sell space exploration narratives by appealing to a desire to expand humankind beyond Earth—while downplaying or omitting the negative repercussions for Earth and the space environment. Welcome to the age of starwashing. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-starwashing-space-companies-greenwashing-playbook.html Space Exploration Fri, 14 Aug 2026 21:00:01 EDT news705765127 Using unique equipment installed on NASA's WB-57 aircraft flying above heavy clouds off the coast of Iceland, a Southwest Research Institute-led team successfully observed a total solar eclipse on Wednesday. The high-altitude jet followed the moon's shadow at 50,000 feet (15,000 meters) to take measurements of the solar corona in nine different wavelengths, ranging from visible to infrared light. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-airborne-observatory-views-solar-corona.html Space Exploration Fri, 14 Aug 2026 18:40:03 EDT news705938400 For astronauts in space, constipation is a well-known problem. But why this happens has long been unclear. Now, a new study from the University of Copenhagen in collaboration with NASA provides an idea of what happens in the stomach without the influence of gravity. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-constipation-common-astronauts-blood.html Space Exploration Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:20:03 EDT news705932401 A tiny UK-developed satellite, roughly the size of a small carry-on suitcase, could help answer one of the biggest questions in cosmology: What happened during the roughly 150 million years of the cosmic dark ages, before the universe's first stars appeared? https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tiny-satellite-dark-side-moon.html Astronomy Fri, 14 Aug 2026 11:00:01 EDT news705749643 It's common to see images of astronauts on the International Space Station exercising, running on special treadmills and pedaling cycles designed for tight quarters. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-space-doesnt-affect-strength-heart.html Space Exploration Wed, 12 Aug 2026 18:20:03 EDT news705759301 To date, close to 30,000 satellites have been launched into Earth's orbit, leading to mounting concerns over the debris created when they collide. In a new analysis posted to the preprint server arXiv, Hugh Lewis of the University of Birmingham shows that satellite constellations can grow so large that they cross a critical size beyond which they generate unstable, runaway amounts of debris. The findings point to an urgent need for tougher rules on which satellites are allowed into orbit in the first place. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-satellite-constellations-spiraling-space-debris.html Space Exploration Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:00:08 EDT news705747610 One of nature's greatest spectacles—a rare total solar eclipse—cast its shadow on Wednesday, briefly turning day into night in Russia's remote Arctic north and western Iceland before heading toward mainland Europe. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-skies-darken-solar-eclipse-south.html Space Exploration Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:55:47 EDT news705765321 A new study suggests a protective vest tested on a manikin during NASA's first Artemis moonshot could drastically cut the radiation exposure of lunar astronauts during severe solar storms. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-vest-nasa-moonshot-astronauts-exposure.html Space Exploration Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:35:26 EDT news705764085 Most people underestimate how much light a pair of sunglasses blocks out. A typical dark pair removes around 80% to 90% of the visible light reaching the eye. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-enjoy-solar-eclipse-safely.html Space Exploration Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:41:08 EDT news705753619 An international team of astronomers led by the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics has identified three actively accreting supermassive black holes in the galaxy J0148-4214. Matter is falling into the black holes from accretion disks surrounding them. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-supermassive-black-holes-galaxy.html Astronomy Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:40:14 EDT news705743283 The surface of the moon is a bleak and forbidding place that could be hiding a lot of water ice within its dusty landscape. However, most possible ice deposits don't just stand out in an image. Scientists need specialized mapping to find those deposits, so they have devised another way to find the moon's frosty hidden reserves. They use seismic waves from moonquakes as locator beacons. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-moonquakes-reveal-lunar-ice-future.html Space Exploration Wed, 12 Aug 2026 08:40:05 EDT news705735495 In extreme environments, habitats are built for survival. Submarines, Antarctic bases and post-disaster dwellings are designed to prioritize health and safety. This is especially the case for habitats in space, where room is limited, contact with Earth is remote and hazards are numerous. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-space-habitat-residents-mental-health.html Space Exploration Wed, 12 Aug 2026 05:00:04 EDT news705673502 Millions of Europeans will contemplate the sky in awe on Wednesday as a rare total solar eclipse crosses part of the continent and plunges a swath of Spain into eerie daytime darkness. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-total-solar-eclipse-spellbind-europe.html Space Exploration Wed, 12 Aug 2026 04:40:01 EDT news705724806 Sorry, North America. After winning the cosmic lottery with a pair of coast-to-coast total solar eclipses, now it's Europe's turn. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-solar-eclipse-north-america-sliver.html Space Exploration Wed, 12 Aug 2026 03:37:15 EDT news705724600 The scramble for protective glasses has reached fever pitch across Europe ahead of Wednesday's rare total solar eclipse, as pharmacies, opticians and other shops struggled to keep them in stock. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-solar-eclipse-scramble-glasses-europe.html Space Exploration Tue, 11 Aug 2026 13:00:04 EDT news705664107 Using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, an international team of astronomers has discovered that dust and water can form and survive surprisingly close to the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. The observations reveal that the evolved star IRS 3 continues to enrich its surroundings with newly formed material despite the intense radiation environment around Sagittarius A*. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-webb-reveals-oxygen-rich-surviving.html Astronomy Tue, 11 Aug 2026 13:00:02 EDT news705665284 Most current space activities operate close to Earth in what is called near–Earth orbit. However, as more satellites and other infrastructure begin to extend beyond that region, maintaining situational awareness of those objects will be crucial. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-smarter-track-satellites-earth-orbit.html Space Exploration Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:00:05 EDT news705657422 In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Aug. 5, the upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket crashed into the moon in an uncontrolled collision. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-rocket-debris-moon-threaten-future.html Space Exploration Mon, 10 Aug 2026 17:20:09 EDT news705594061 The Perseid summer light show is back—and viewing conditions are especially promising for the Northern Hemisphere. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-perseid-meteor-shower-summer-dazzle.html Space Exploration Sun, 09 Aug 2026 14:52:39 EDT news705505929 What shape is an asteroid? For (44) Nysa, the honest answer until now has been that nobody knew. It is one of the brightest and largest E-type asteroids in the main belt, a class with a surface rich in enstatite, and its oddness has made it a favorite target for well over a hundred years. Successive observations hinted that it was elongated, perhaps even two lumps stuck together, but the picture stayed frustratingly blurred. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-asteroid-worlds.html Space Exploration Sun, 09 Aug 2026 06:40:01 EDT news704978242 From reaching for a cup of coffee to tying your shoelaces, gravity shapes nearly all human movement. So how do our bodies react when that familiar force begins to change? Texas A&M University researchers are exploring the answer through a multiphase project supported by NASA. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-gravity-people-simpler-movement-patterns.html Space Exploration Sat, 08 Aug 2026 09:20:01 EDT news705377293 Researchers at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), part of The University of Alabama System, are developing plasma-based technology to help astronauts stay healthier during missions to the moon and Mars by sanitizing clothing, bedding and other fabrics without water or traditional cleaning chemicals. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-plasma-gun-technology-space-laundry.html Space Exploration Fri, 07 Aug 2026 11:20:03 EDT news705320164 In the sweeping shadow of a satellite dish, staff at the Chilbolton Observatory in southern England track a growing number of objects in Earth's orbit, providing data that underpins Britain's space monitoring efforts. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-uk-observatory-nervously-space-junk.html Space Exploration Fri, 07 Aug 2026 04:40:02 EDT news705288801 A South Korean satellite has captured the first pictures of the moon's fresh crash scene caused by a stray SpaceX rocket. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-south-korean-satellite-captures-views.html Space Exploration Fri, 07 Aug 2026 02:31:07 EDT news705288638 The recent confirmation of an atmosphere around a rocky exoplanet called LHS 1140b has created a wave of interest within the astronomy community. The planet orbits within the habitable zone around its parent star—a red dwarf located some 48 light-years from Earth. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-technology-star.html Space Exploration Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:20:01 EDT news705237481 Researchers from the University of Leicester and the University of Aberdeen have carried out a series of field demonstrations in Portsoy to test cutting-edge handheld analytical instruments. Designed for use by astronauts on the moon and, eventually, Mars, these instruments would support astronauts working as field scientists while exploring these worlds. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-space-kit-future-missions-scotland.html Space Exploration Thu, 06 Aug 2026 09:40:01 EDT news705220021 A SpaceX rocket that launched a pair of lunar landers slammed into the moon as predicted on Wednesday after drifting off course for the past year, scientists reported. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-scientists-wayward-spacex-rocket-slammed.html Space Exploration Thu, 06 Aug 2026 03:04:29 EDT news705204228 You might think of rockets as powerful vehicles that blast astronaut crews and robotic missions into space. But what if they could be used to send cargo from one side of Earth to the other in a fraction of the time it would take a plane? The company SpaceX recently announced a project that aims to use its rockets to do just that. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-spacex-aims-rockets-quickly-cargo.html Space Exploration Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:00:01 EDT news705150364 In March 2026, the Einstein Probe detected a brief flash of soft X-rays emitted from a galaxy about 500 million light-years away. The flash, dubbed EP260321a, immediately triggered a worldwide observing campaign. Within an hour, ground-based telescopes began monitoring the source, revealing a rapidly brightening supernova, later designated SN 2026gzf. Two teams of scientists used several NSF NOIRLab facilities to observe the event and monitor its evolving light profile. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-astronomers-massive-star-death-explosive.html Astronomy Wed, 05 Aug 2026 11:40:01 EDT news705057700