Isar Aerospace Achieves First Launch to Orbit from Continental Europe | ESA

Isar Aerospace Achieves First Launch to Orbit from Continental Europe | ESA

German company ‪Isar Aerospace ‬successfully reached orbit with their Spectrum launcher, lifting off from Andøya Spaceport in Norway at 21:12 BST/22:12 Central European Summer Time (CEST) on September 5, 2026. It became the first commercial space company from Europe to successfully deliver satellites into orbit, on what was only its second flight.

Spectrum is a two-stage, 28 meter tall launch vehicle and, with its ten engines, is targeting to launch payloads of up to 1000 kg to low Earth orbit. 

The mission ‘Onward and Upward’ is supported by the European Space Agency’s Boost! program. Isar Aerospace also won the first Microlauncher Competition awarded by the German Space Agency (DLR). This resulted in the selection of the payloads on this flight. 

Initially supported by ESA’s Business Incubation Centrer, Isar Aerospace has received several rounds of co-funding as part of the European Space Agency’s Boost! program that helps commercial initiatives offering space transportation services. Under Boost! contract, ESA supported the development of the Spectrum launch service, including this second Spectrum flight . 

In 2025, Isar Aerospace was one of the launch service operators selected for the European Launcher Challenge. As a first important milestone, the European Launcher Challenge requires launch service providers to achieve an orbital launch no later than 2027. This flight has demonstrated the Spectrum launch system successfully, making Isar Aerospace the first provider to reach this milestone for the European Launcher Challenge. 

Learn more about Isar Aerospace:
https://isaraerospace.com

Credits: Isar Aerospace
Duration: 1 minute, 37 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 7, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Space #Satellites #‪IsarAerospace #Germany #Deutschland #SpectrumLaunchVehicle #RocketLaunch #AndøyaSpaceport #Norway #Norge #CommercialSpace #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Milky Way's Core: View from Outer Banks, North Carolina

The Milky Way's Core: View from The Outer Banks, North Carolina

Astrophotographer Jonathan Harmon: A "shot of Bodie Island light with Milky Way core."

"If you have been wanting to see the Milky Way at a civilized hour, now is the time to look. Right after sunset, the backbone of our galaxy materializes in the south and reaches straight up into the sky."

"In early September, the core of the Milky Way is visible after dusk and peaks between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m., letting you view it without staying up past midnight. The early evening sky will remain essentially moonless for the next week, setting the stage for long exposures of the galaxy's dust lanes and star clouds."

Learn about Bodie Island Light Station:
https://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/bils.htm

North Carolina is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia to the southwest, and Tennessee to the west.

Image Credit: Jonathan Harmon

Text Credit: Spaceweather[dot]com
Location: The Outer Banks, Nags Head, North Carolina, United States
Date: Sept. 1, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #SolarSystem #Stars #SagittariusConstellation  #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #JonathanHarmon #Astrophotographers #TheOuterBanks #NagsHead #NorthCarolina  #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Journey to Galaxy Cluster Abell 370 in Cetus | Hubble Space Telescope

Journey to Galaxy Cluster Abell 370 in Cetus | Hubble Space Telescope

The final image shows the massive galaxy cluster Abell 370 embedded in the middle of a field of nearly 8,000 galaxies scattered across space and time. Located approximately 4 billion light-years away in the constellation Cetus, the Sea Monster, this immense cluster is a rich mix of a variety of galaxy shapes. This "galaxies galore" snapshot is from a Hubble Space Telescope survey to enlarge the area around huge galaxy clusters previously photographed by Hubble.

Galaxy clusters like Abell 370 are mainly composed of dark matter. Their large masses distort space, turning them into gravitational lenses that magnify and distort the light coming from distant background galaxies. This allows the discovery of background galaxies and supernovas that are so distant and faint that they could not have been photographed by Hubble without the aid of this additional gravitational amplification.

This image is part of the Beyond Ultra-deep Frontier Fields And Legacy Observations (BUFFALO) survey.

Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Koekemoer (STScI), M. Jauzac (Durham University), C. Steinhardt (Niels Bohr Institute), and the BUFFALO team, Digitized Sky Survey 2, Nick Risinger

Duration: 50 seconds
Released Date: Sept. 13, 2018

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #GalaxyClusters #Abell370 #CetusConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #NASAGoddard #GSFC #DSS2 #STScI #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up: Galaxy Cluster Abell 370 in Cetus | Hubble Space Telescope

Close-up: Galaxy Cluster Abell 370 in Cetus | Hubble Space Telescope

This beautiful image shows the massive galaxy cluster Abell 370 embedded in the middle of a field of nearly 8,000 galaxies scattered across space and time. Located approximately 4 billion light-years away in the constellation Cetus, the Sea Monster, this immense cluster is a rich mix of a variety of galaxy shapes. This "galaxies galore" snapshot is from a Hubble Space Telescope survey to enlarge the area around huge galaxy clusters previously photographed by Hubble.

Galaxy clusters like Abell 370 are mainly composed of dark matter. Their large masses distort space, turning them into gravitational lenses that magnify and distort the light coming from distant background galaxies. This allows the discovery of background galaxies and supernovas that are so distant and faint that they could not have been photographed by Hubble without the aid of this additional gravitational amplification.

This image is part of the Beyond Ultra-deep Frontier Fields And Legacy Observations (BUFFALO) survey.

Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Koekemoer (STScI), M. Jauzac (Durham University), C. Steinhardt (Niels Bohr Institute), and the BUFFALO team

Duration: 50 seconds
Released Date: Sept. 13, 2018

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #GalaxyClusters #Abell370 #CetusConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #NASAGoddard #GSFC #STScI #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China's Commercial Space Firms Set Sights on The Moon

China's Commercial Space Firms Set Sights on The Moon

In China, private space companies are getting ready to go lunar. At the International Deep Space Exploration Conference this week in Hefei, capital of Anhui province, companies showcased plans for lunar exploration—from robots to rovers to new rockets built for deeper space missions.

Video Credit: CGTN
Duration: 2 minutes, 30 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 7, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #China #中国 #Moon #SouthPole #CLEP #SpaceRobotics #LunarRovers #SpaceTechnology #LunarExploration #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #CASSpace #中科宇航 #CommercialSpace #Anhui #安徽 #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Galaxy Cluster Abell 370 in Cetus | Hubble Space Telescope

Galaxy Cluster Abell 370 in Cetus | Hubble Space Telescope

This beautiful image shows the massive galaxy cluster Abell 370 embedded in the middle of a field of nearly 8,000 galaxies scattered across space and time. Located approximately 4 billion light-years away in the constellation Cetus, the Sea Monster, this immense cluster is a rich mix of a variety of galaxy shapes. This "galaxies galore" snapshot is from a Hubble Space Telescope survey to enlarge the area around huge galaxy clusters previously photographed by Hubble.

Galaxy clusters like Abell 370 are mainly composed of dark matter. Their large masses distort space, turning them into gravitational lenses that magnify and distort the light coming from distant background galaxies. This allows the discovery of background galaxies and supernovas that are so distant and faint that they could not have been photographed by Hubble without the aid of this additional gravitational amplification.

This image is part of the Beyond Ultra-deep Frontier Fields And Legacy Observations (BUFFALO) survey.

Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Koekemoer (STScI), M. Jauzac (Durham University), C. Steinhardt (Niels Bohr Institute), and the BUFFALO team
Released Date: Jan. 10, 2019

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #GalaxyClusters #Abell370 #CetusConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #NASAGoddard #GSFC #STScI #STEM #Education

NASA Artemis III RS-25 SLS Rocket Engine Install | Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis III RS-25 SLS Rocket Engine Install | Kennedy Space Center

Technicians prepare to transfer the #2 RS-25 Space Launch System (SLS) rocket engine (front) to the work stand with the #3 engine (back) for integration with the Artemis III core stage rocket on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The first of four RS-25 Space Launch System (SLS) rocket engines, is installed on the work stand and integrated with the Artemis III core stage rocket on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Technicians lift and transfer the #2 RS-25 Space Launch System (SLS) rocket engine (back) to the work stand. Visible in the foreground is the #3 engine already integrated with the Artemis III core stage rocket on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026.

Technicians prepare the #2 RS-25 Space Launch System (SLS) rocket engine for transfer onto a work stand ahead of integration with the Artemis III core stage rocket on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026.

Technicians lift and transfer the #2 RS-25 Space Launch System (SLS) rocket engine (back) to the work stand. Visible in the foreground is the #3 engine already integrated with the Artemis III core stage rocket on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026.

During late August 2026, technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida began the installation of the four RS-25 engines in the core stage of the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will launch the Artemis III crew next year. These engines will generate more than two million pounds of thrust at liftoff.

The milestone on Aug. 24 marked the next phase of core stage integration following the mating of the engine section to the top four-fifths of the stage earlier this summer. Inside High Bay 2 at the spaceport’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), teams will continue installing the remaining engines, as well as the propulsion and electrical systems throughout the stage.

Weighing in at approximately 7,700 pounds, each engine produces nearly 500,000 pounds of thrust. All four engines are located at the base of the SLS and are integrated inside the engine section. Built to withstand the extreme conditions during launch, this section protects the engines from severe temperatures. During ascent, the engines fire continuously for more than eight minutes, consuming propellant from the core stage’s two massive propellant tanks at a rate of approximately 1,500 gallons per second.

Each RS-25 engine carries a unique serial number that traces its detailed flight history. The four engines assigned to Artemis III, including E2054, E2057, E2048, and E2052, previously powered multiple shuttle missions. Engine 2048 helped power NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik’s previous mission on space shuttle Atlantis during the STS-129 mission. The engine also powered Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-95 in 1998, which was the mission that returned 77-year-old space pioneer U.S. Sen. John Glenn to orbit, making him the oldest person to fly in space at the time.

Technicians also continue to integrate the twin solid rocket booster motor segments atop the mobile launcher inside the VAB. Teams began stacking the segments in early July and are now more than halfway complete after streamlining processes and procedures learned from previous Artemis launches.

Progress on the Orion spacecraft continues after the recent integration of the crew and service modules. Technicians recently installed the umbilical connector, which bridges the electrical, data, and fluid systems between the two modules, and installed its electrical connectors and fluid lines. Teams powered on the spacecraft for the first time since joining the two components to ensure electrical connectivity through the umbilical mechanism and that the communications of the subsystems between the crew and service module work as planned.

Planned to launch in 2027, the Artemis III Mission will practice docking the Orion spacecraft with two lunar landers in low Earth orbit. 

On future missions, including Artemis IV in 2028, landers will bring astronauts to the lunar surface. While Artemis III will not land on the Moon, it will test the complex capabilities NASA needs to return—this time to stay.

Learn more about NASA’s Artemis program:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis

Image Credit: NASA/Clayton Rougelot
Release Date: Aug. 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #ArtemisIIIMission #LunarLanders #HLS #NASASLS #OrionSpacecraft #Astronauts #RandyBresnik #FrankRubio #AndreDouglas #LucaParmitano #Italy #Italia #Europe #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAKennedy #MerrittIsland #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Waning gibbous Moon above Earth’s atmosphere | International Space Station

Waning gibbous Moon above Earth’s atmosphere | International Space Station

The waning gibbous Moon appears above Earth’s blue atmosphere in this image taken from the International Space Station while orbiting 258 miles above the coast of Hong Kong, China.

The waning gibbous intermediate Moon phase starts after the Full Moon and lasts until half of the Moon’s face remains lit up at the Third Quarter.

Follow Expedition 75:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 75 Crew
Station Commander: Jessica Meir
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Anna Kikina, Pyotr Dubrov

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

NASA Flight Engineers: Jack Hathaway, Anil Menon

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Image Date: Aug. 30, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Planets #Earth #China #中国 #HongKong #香港 #Moon #WaningGibbous #AstronautPhotography #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition75 #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Martian Cliffs of Ice | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Martian Cliffs of Ice | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

The mid-latitudes of Mars are mostly covered with smooth material that scientists have long suspected to be ice. The ground is uniform and dusty and does not reveal many clues about what lies beneath the surface.

However, sometimes a feature, like a cliff, cuts through the terrain and gives us a glimpse of this buried icy material. The cliff in this image is one example out of a few dozen that are known.

The bright material on the cliff face is icy and is preserved only because the cliff points away from the equator, so it is shaded most of the time. Faint bands on the cliff might indicate layers in the ice that record variations in climate conditions. We do not know how much time this ice took to accumulate here, but studies elsewhere on Mars indicate that material like this is likely to be tens of millions of years old at least.

This HiRISE enhanced color camera image (less than 1 km in size) was captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) at an altitude of 251 km (~156 miles).

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has spent over twenty years (2006-2026) orbiting the Red Planet, collecting valuable scientific data. 

Learn more about MRO:

science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-reconnaissance-orbiter

The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE). It was built by BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD), Washington.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Image Date:  July 20, 2022
Release Date: July 25, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #Planets #RedPlanet #Geology #Geoscience #Landscapes #Terrain #Cliffs #WaterIce #MidLatitudes #MRO #MarsOrbiter #MarsSpacecraft #HiRISECamera #JPL #Caltech #UA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Shenzhou-23 Crew Shares Spacewalk Views of Earth | China Space Station

Shenzhou-23 Crew Shares Spacewalk Views of Earth | China Space Station

The Shenzhou-23 crew, currently aboard China's orbiting Tiangong space station, has captured breathtaking footage of Earth, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The newly released visuals offer a vivid, high-definition glimpse of the planet.

The crew completed their mission's first series of extravehicular activities on August 28, 2026.

The astronaut trio—Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying—worked for approximately 5.5 hours and completed their tasks at 13:59 Beijing time (0559 GMT), assisted by the space station's robotic arm and ground support teams.

Zhu and Zhang installed debris shields and repaired the station's solar panels, ensuring the safety and stability of its power supply, according to the CMSA.

The three astronauts were launched aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft on May 24 for an extended in-orbit mission.

Shenzhou-23 Crew
Zhu Yangzhu 朱杨柱, Commander & Flight Engineer (second spaceflight)
Zhang Zhiyuan 张志远, Pilot (first spaceflight)

Lai Ka-ying/Li Jiaying 黎家盈, Payload Specialist (first spaceflight) [Hong Kong SAR]

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: Sept. 6, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Spacewalks #Earth #China #中国 #Shenzhou23Mission #神舟二十三号 #Shenzhou23 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #ZhuYangzhu #ZhangZhiyuan #LiJiaying #LaiKaying #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #MicrogravityExperiments #SpaceLaboratory #CMSA #中国载人航天工程办公室 #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

"Suiting up!" for a Spacewalk | International Space Station

"Suiting up!" for a Spacewalk | International Space Station

Spacewalkers Anil Menon of NASA and Sophie Adenot of the European Space Agency (ESA) installed a high-speed antenna on the station while soaring 260 miles above Earth on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. NASA astronaut Anil Menon and ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot concluded their spacewalk outside the International Space Station at 2:57 p.m. EDT.

During the 6‑hour, 30‑minute spacewalk, Menon and Adenot successfully installed and connected the spare space‑to‑ground antenna, a critical link that enables high‑speed data transmission between NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston and the orbital complex. Afterward, they secured the failed unit that was removed and temporarily stowed during the duo’s spacewalk on Aug. 18, to a spare‑parts platform on the station’s truss structure.

Initial checkouts of the newly installed antenna showed good power and data transmission. Flight controllers on the ground will continue testing the antenna overnight to ensure full functionality. 

U.S. spacewalk 98 was Menon’s third career spacewalk and the second for Adenot. It also was the 283rd spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

Follow Expedition 75:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 75 Crew
Station Commander: Jessica Meir
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Anna Kikina, Pyotr Dubrov

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

NASA Flight Engineers: Jack Hathaway, Anil Menon

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Video Credit: ESA/NASA
Capture Date: Aug. 25, 2026

Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: Sept. 4, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Planets #Earth #Astronauts #Spacewalks #USSpacewalk98 #EVAs #Spacesuits #AnilMenon #SophieAdenot #France #CNES #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition75 #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Moon Viewed Thru Planet Earth's Umbral Shadow During Partial Lunar Eclipse

The Moon Viewed Thru Planet Earth's Umbral Shadow During Partial Lunar Eclipse

Astrophotographer Alan Dyer: "This is a composite of photos illustrating the actual passage of the Full Moon through the northern portion of Earth's umbral shadow on August 27, 2026. This was not a total eclipse. At mid-eclipse at centre (at about 10:15 pm MDT) about 96% of the Moon's disk was in the umbra. The 4% still lit directly by the Sun remained bright white, looking like a "polar cap" at the top of the Moon's reddened disk. The southern, or bottom, portion of the disk was deepest into the umbra and so was darkest and reddest."

"The four flanking images show the progress of the Moon through the shadow due to the Moon's orbital motion around Earth. The sequence runs from right to left, as the Moon moved west to east through the shadow and against the background stars of Aquarius. In doing so the Moon "draws" the circular shape of the Earth's umbra that at the Moon's distance is about three times the diameter of the Moon." 

"The images for each Moon were taken about 30 minutes apart, so the sequence covers about 2 hours. I oriented the camera and rotated the framing so celestial north is up, as per most diagrams of eclipses and the shadow boundaries. The earlier moons at right look yellower due to the Moon's lower altitude in the east—from my location the eclipse was in progress at moonrise, and the Moon climbed higher as the eclipse progressed. I processed each Moon to best preserve the high dynamic range in brightness between the bright and dark portions of the lunar disk, to present the images more as the eye saw the Moon in the eyepiece, and to show both parts of the Moon: the bright sunlit portion and dark red umbral shadow area." 

"The Moon was in the star-poor constellation of Aquarius this night, but the longest exposure used at mid-eclipse did pick up many background stars. The brightest at lower left is 4.8 magnitude Sigma Aquarii. It was obvious near the Moon in the eyepiece of the wide-field telescope I had also set up beside the photo rig, just for visual looks. I shot this from the Maskinonge wetlands viewpoint in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta on what turned out to be a very clear night."

Lunar eclipses occur at the full Moon phase. When Earth is positioned precisely between the Moon and Sun, Earth’s shadow falls upon the surface of the Moon, dimming it and sometimes turning the lunar surface a striking red over the course of a few hours. Each lunar eclipse is visible from half of Earth.

Learn more: https://science.nasa.gov/moon/eclipses/

Waterton Lakes National Park
https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/waterton

Image & Text Credit: Alan Dyer
Location: Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada
Alan's website: https://www.amazingsky.com
Date: Aug. 27, 2026 

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Stars #SolarSystem #Sun #Planets #Moon #Earth #LunarEclipses #Umbra #Astrophotography #AlanDyer #Astrophotographers #Alberta #Canada #STEM #Education

China Tianwen-3 Mars Sample Return Mission to Search for Traces of Life

China Tianwen-3 Mars Sample Return Mission to Search for Traces of Life

China's upcoming Tianwen-3 Mars sample-return mission will make the search for traces of Martian life as its top scientific goal, its chief scientist said on September 3, 2026, a quest that could not only answer whether humanity is alone in the universe but also unlock critical clues about Earth's own long-term fate.

The mission, scheduled for launch around 2028, represents a meticulously calculated scientific priority. Mars is considered the most Earth-like planet in the solar system, and mounting evidence suggests that early Mars once harbored liquid water, a denser atmosphere, and a global magnetic field, which are widely believed to have created a habitable environment billions of years ago.

According to the China National Space Administration, the Tianwen-3 probe will have five components —a lander, an ascender, a service capsule, an orbiter, and a reentry module. It will be launched around 2028 on two Long March-5 heavy-lift carrier rockets from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China's southernmost island province of Hainan.

If everything goes according to plan, the mission will collect samples from the Martian surface and then send them back to Earth around 2031, becoming the first to return the Red Planet's substances to Earth.

"Tianwen-3's primary scientific objective is to search for signs of life. Therefore, we must land in a very precisely targeted area, which, both in theory and according to existing records, is the most likely to harbor life," said Hou Zengqian, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Hou made the remarks on the sidelines of the International Deep Space Exploration Conference 2026, which opened on Thursday in Hefei City of east China's Anhui Province.

"It is widely believed that if there is life beyond Earth, Mars is the most likely place to find it. Why? Because Mars in its past was quite similar to Earth: it had water, an atmosphere and a magnetic field. It was a habitable environment, and such an environment could have given rise to life. People are paying close attention to whether life could exist beyond our planet, and Mars is the most important planet that may provide a scientific answer," he said.

Hou emphasized that obtaining definitive biosignature evidence would have profound implications for one of humanity's oldest questions: Did life ever emerge beyond our home planet? But he noted that the mission's scientific value extends far beyond astrobiology.

The academician explained that Earth, Mars, and Venus began as "three siblings" roughly 3.5 billion years ago, yet followed dramatically different evolutionary paths. Understanding why Mars—once so Earth-like—underwent such rapid planetary aging could provide indispensable insights into the mechanisms that govern habitability.

"Why did Mars age so quickly? Why did a once-habitable world become so inhospitable? What are the controlling factors behind planetary habitability? These mysteries remain unsolved. Exploring Mars may help us unlock the fundamental mechanisms that regulate habitability and allow us to better understand Earth and predict its future," he said.

Meanwhile, the China National Space Administration's Tianwen-1 Mars spacecraft has been orbiting and operating at Mars since February 2021. This robotic probe originally contained six elements: an orbiter, two deployable cameras, a lander, a remote camera, and the Zhurong rover. The spacecraft, with a total mass of nearly five tons, was one of the heaviest probes launched to Mars and carried 14 scientific instruments. China is the second country after the United States to make a successful soft landing and to establish communication from the Martian surface. This is the first in a series of planned interplanetary missions undertaken by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) as part of China's planetary exploration program. 

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: Sept. 5, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Mars #RedPlanet #Geology #Astrobiology #SampleReturnMission #Tianwen3 #天问三号 #Tianwen1 #天问一号 #Tianwen1Orbiter #Tianwen1Spacecraft #CNSA #China #中国 #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #STEM #Education #History #HD #Video

The sky around The Meathook Galaxy in Volans | Digitized Sky Survey 2

The sky around The Meathook Galaxy in Volans | Digitized Sky Survey 2

This visible-light wide-field image of the region around the deformed spiral galaxy NGC 2442 was created from photographs taken through red and blue filters and forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2. The object itself, nicknamed the Meathook Galaxy, is close to the center and many other galaxies are visible in this wide field view that spans about three degrees of sky.

The Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) is a ground-based imaging survey of the entire sky in several colors of light produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) through its Guide Star Survey group.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO) and Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2)

Acknowledgment: Davide De Martin

Release Date: May 4, 2011

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #NGC2442 #MeathookGalaxy #SpiralGalaxies #InteractingGalaxies #VolansConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #Europe #DSS2 #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Journey to The Meathook Galaxy in Volans | MPG/ESO Telescope

Journey to The Meathook Galaxy in Volans | MPG/ESO Telescope

This zoom sequence starts with a wide view of the spectacular southern sky, including the Milky Way and the Southern Cross (Crux). It then closes in on the little-known constellation of Volans (The Flying Fish). The final sequence shows the Meathook Galaxy (NGC 2442) in an image taken by the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at La Silla, Chile.

This view includes the entire galaxy and the surrounding sky, and clearly shows the asymmetric spiral arms. The longer of the two arms has intense star formation. It is visible here as a pink glow. This is due to the radiation of young stars ionizing the gas they form from. The asymmetric shape and star formation are thought to be caused by tidal disruptions from a near-miss with another galaxy at in its history.

Learn more about the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope:
https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/lasilla/mpg22/

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Duration: 53 seconds
Release Date: May 4, 2011

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #NGC2442 #MeathookGalaxy #SpiralGalaxies #InteractingGalaxies #VolansConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #MPGESOTelescope #WFI #LaSillaObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up The Meathook Galaxy in Volans | MPG/ESO Telescope

Close-up: The Meathook Galaxy in Volans | MPG/ESO Telescope

This picture of the Meathook Galaxy (NGC 2442) was taken by the Wide Field Imager (WFI) on the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at La Silla, Chile. It shows a much broader view than the Hubble image, although less detailed. 

This view includes the entire galaxy and the surrounding sky, and clearly shows the asymmetric spiral arms. The longer of the two arms has intense star formation. It is visible here as a pink glow. This is due to the radiation of young stars ionizing the gas they form from. The asymmetric shape and star formation are thought to be caused by tidal disruptions from a near-miss with another galaxy at in its history.

Learn more about the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope:
https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/lasilla/mpg22/

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Duration: 33 seconds
Release Date: May 4, 2011

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #NGC2442 #MeathookGalaxy #SpiralGalaxies #InteractingGalaxies #VolansConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #MPGESOTelescope #WFI #LaSillaObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video