Articles

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

Europa Clipper launches on its journey to Jupiter’s icy moon

NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft launched today aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Hera launches to study the aftermath of an asteroid deflection test

The European Space Agency’s Hera spacecraft launched on Oct. 7, 2024, from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It will travel to the Didymos-Dimorphos asteroid system to study the aftermath of the first-ever field test of an asteroid deflection technique.

Europa Clipper: A mission backed by advocates

Europa Clipper will soon head for Jupiter's icy, potentially habitable moon. Without the advocacy efforts of The Planetary Society and our members, the mission may never have been possible.

The Hera launch: What to expect

The European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing to launch a mission to study the aftermath of DART's impact on the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos.

Could Europa Clipper find life?

For a mission that doesn’t aim to find alien life, Europa Clipper may come surprisingly close.

The Europa Clipper launch: What to expect

NASA is preparing to launch its flagship mission to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa. Launching sometime in October 2024 and arriving in 2030, the mission will explore the icy world with a subsurface ocean that scientists think could have conditions favorable to life.

Earthlings as aliens

Looking at life on Earth from another perspective.

Ramses: A new mission racing to land on asteroid Apophis

When a skyscraper-sized asteroid narrowly misses Earth in 2029, three spacecraft may be along for the ride.

Mars may host oceans’ worth of water deep underground

The tentative discovery hints at an habitat where life could potentially thrive.

Eureka? Scientists’ first hints of life on other planets may not be so obvious

Knowing that you've found signs of life beyond Earth may not be as clear-cut and simple as one might think.

NASA discovers Mars rock with ancient potential for life

A single 3.5 billion-year-old rock shows signs of all the conditions life needs to thrive.

Why does Jupiter spin so fast?

The gas giant is the Solar System's largest planet. Here's why it's also the fastest-spinning planet.

The VIPER spacecraft undergoing environmental testing at Johnson Space Center

For parts: Lunar rover, never used

NASA has canceled VIPER, a rover designed to seek out water ice and other resources in the lunar south pole.

Europe goes to Mars

NASA and ESA have signed a partnership agreement to get the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover down to the surface of Mars, getting the mission back on track after geopolitical factors delayed it.

What DART has taught us so far

NASA's DART mission showed that if we detect a dangerous asteroid headed toward Earth, knocking it off course with a spacecraft is a potential option.

What are competed planetary missions?

A critical part of a balanced exploration program, competed missions are scientist-led projects that cost less and occur more frequently than large, flagship-class missions.