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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Space in the 2024 elections
An overview of what U.S. space policy might look like under a Trump or a Harris administration.
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.
Where Congress Stands on NASA's 2025 budget
Weeks before the new fiscal year, Congress still hasn't finalized NASA's 2025 budget.
Your impact: September equinox 2024
Exploring Europa and defending Earth.
A billion dollars short: A progress report on the Planetary Decadal Survey
NASA is underfunding planetary exploration relative to recommendations made by the National Academies Decadal Survey report, resulting in mission delays and cancelations.
U.S. Senate advances their FY 2025 budget proposal for NASA amid deep cuts
An analysis of the U.S. Senate's FY 2025 budget request for NASA.
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.
To the Moon, Mars, and beyond with the 2024 NASA Authorization
If passed, it would be the first standalone NASA authorization since 2017.
The House's 2025 NASA Budget Creates Problems for Science, Artemis
The House would provide a 1% increase to NASA while shifting funding toward larger programs, leaving significant budgetary holes in smaller programs.
Charting the course for discovery
On June 28, 2024, The Planetary Society hosted a policy briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., with the goal of educating congressional aides and advisors on the fundamental elements that drive NASA’s success in space science and the challenges facing the enterprise of scientific discovery.
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.
Your impact: June solstice 2024
Growing space salads and advocating for exploration
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.
What is the Outer Space Treaty?
An overview of one of international space law’s foundational documents.
Is space science worth the money?
Space science costs money. Here's why it's worth the investment.
How do NASA and ESA work together?
NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have a long-standing partnership that has resulted in spectacular science missions, including the James Webb Space Telescope and the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn.
NASA's FY 2025 budget request is not enough
Federal spending caps and inflation take a bite out of NASA's ambitions.
The Planetary Society advocacy priorities in NASA’s final 2024 budget
Funding for the Near-Earth Object Surveyor, support for VERITAS, and a second lease on life for Mars Sample Return were all included in the final congressional budget for NASA in 2024.
The path forward for Mars Sample Return
A brief summary of The Planetary Society's policy principles and recommendations for Mars Sample Return.
How layoffs at JPL can be traced to a stalemate in Congress
A battle over the future of Mars Sample Return is taking a toll on NASA’s workforce.