Articles

Stories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.

Goodbye, Delta II rocket

This Saturday, the final Delta II rocket will launch NASA's ICESat-2 spacecraft into orbit.

Lunar Gateway artist's concept (Feb. 2019)

Orion's third flight will haul two pieces of a space station to lunar orbit

NASA is planning for a 30-day mission to lunar orbit in 2024.

Hayabusa2 prepares to collect samples, leave Planetary Society names on Ryugu

The names were collected by the Society in 2013, and are stored on target markers that will be dropped on the asteroid.

False alarm: Here's why people thought Opportunity phoned home last week

It was a signal from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, not Opportunity, that showed up on a Deep Space Network dashboard last week.

Here are some recent postcards from Jupiter

Let's check in on NASA's Juno spacecraft, which completed its 14th close flyby of Jupiter last month.

Parker Solar Probe gets encapsulated for launch

Parker Solar Probe preview: 10 hot facts about NASA's cool mission to the Sun

This weekend, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe spacecraft leaves Earth on a mission to touch the Sun.

LightSail 2 updates: Launch date slips, environmental test complete, new video released

LightSail 2's ride to space won't happen until at least November 30, as SpaceX works through a list of other payloads in line to fly first.

NASA names crews and dates for first U.S. commercial missions

Four NASA astronauts and one commercial employee are expected to launch aboard SpaceX and Boeing-operated vehicles in 2019.

LightSail 2 team completes key mission review and dress rehearsal

The LightSail 2 team gathered in Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for a Mission Readiness Review (MRR) and Operational Readiness Test (ORT).

Planetary Society asteroid hunters help find rare type of double asteroid

A global team of astronomers has found a rare type of asteroid, where two equal-mass objects circle each other in a never-ending dance as they hurtle through the solar system.

NEA Scout unfurls solar sail for full-scale test

The next time its solar sail is deployed, NEA Scout will be out near the Moon.

New goodies from asteroid Ryugu!

Two new global views of Ryugu from Hayabusa2, plus a 3-D animation.

What's the benefit of sample return?

With Hayabusa2 at Ryugu and OSIRIS-REx closing on Bennu, it's the summer of sample return. Why do scientists go to so much trouble for a piece of a another world?

Planetary Defense in the Moroccan Mountains

A little-known observatory is s helping usher an Arab astronomy renaissance.

Let's check in on The Planetary Society's asteroid hunters

The Shoemaker NEO Grant program funds advanced amateur astronomers who help determine if nearby asteroids will hit Earth. Here are some collected reports from our asteroid hunters.