Haygen Warren

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover arrived at the red planet in February 2021. Since then, the rover has been driving around the floor and river delta of Jezero Crater, searching for signs of ancient microbial life and collecting surface samples for the upcoming Mars Sample Return mission.

In September 2023, the joint Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), European Space Agency (ESA), and…

In June 2023, the joint European Space Agency (ESA) and Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) BepiColombo mission performed a flyby of its target planet — Mercury. During the flyby, the spacecraft experienced a variety of phenomena mainly caused by the planet’s magnetic field. BepiColombo measured these phenomena, providing scientists with a preview of Mercury’s magnetic field and its unique features, which BepiColombo is expected to investigate in-depth when it enters orbit around Mercury in November 2026.

NASA and SpaceX are set for the launch of NASA’s Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter’s…

NASA and SpaceX have launched NASA's Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter's icy moon Europa atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Falcon Heavy launched during an instantaneous launch window on Monday, Oct. 14, at 12:05 PM EDT (16:05 UTC) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. If Monday's attempt was scrubbed, a backup launch opportunity was available for Tuesday, Oct. 15, as well as throughout the rest of October, but these attempts were not needed.

Mars has long been theorized to be a place where ancient microbial life once existed,…

Mars has long been theorized to be a place where ancient microbial life once existed, and NASA and other agencies have sent countless missions to the planet in hopes of uncovering the mystery that is life on Mars. While evidence for this microbial life is yet to have been found, a new NASA study from a group of scientists proposes that these microbes can survive beneath frozen water ice on the Martian surface.

In August, NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover began its fifth science campaign — the rover’s most ambitious yet. The campaign has seen Perseverance climb the western rim of Jezero Crater and face its steepest and most challenging terrain yet, all the while continuing to take surface samples and look for signs of ancient microbial life. Currently, Perseverance is expected to crest over the crater rim in early December.

When SpaceX launched Starship and Super Heavy for its first flight test in April 2023, the rocket became the most powerful ever flown, mostly due in part to Super Heavy’s 33 Raptor engines. As such, Starship is loud — extremely loud, and scientists and government agencies have long discussed the potential environmental impacts from a launch cadence that sees Starship launch hundreds of times in one year.