Spectacularly crepuscular!

Hubble spotted space debris after the DART spacecraft impacted the asteroid Dimorphos back in September 2022. Newly released images from ESA (including the one pictured) show dust and rock from the collision spilling out into ghostly trails. The debris appears to form a comet-like tail, which is influenced by the asteroid’s gravity. ESA created a short time-lapse video of the Hubble images, which you can check out here. Image credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, J. Li (PSI).

Japan’s new H3 rocket was destroyed during its inaugural flight on March 7. Though the rocket’s first stage appeared to be performing well, its second stage failed to ignite. JAXA therefore sent a destruct command to the rocket at 10:52 local time, citing that there was “no possibility of achieving the mission.”

Artemis II appears to be on track for a late 2024 launch. In a teleconference on March 7, NASA managers took inventory of the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft and stated the space agency found no critical hardware issues that would prevent a timely launch of Artemis II. While most of the Artemis I mission components appeared to exceed NASA’s expectations, Orion’s heat shield shedded more material than anticipated during its reentry.

Solar sailing is on the rise. After the success of The Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 mission, solar sailing is growing in popularity as a method of propelling spacecraft. The latest issue of The Planetary Report explores new and upcoming missions like NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3, pictured here during deployment testing) and how they’ll use sunlight to push the boundaries of exploration. Image credit: NASA.

Expanding human presence in space sustainably means doing it ethically. But how? The new episode of Planetary Radio: Space Policy Edition explores the ethical issues involved in establishing human settlements on other worlds. Who gets to go? How will we govern ourselves? How can you have property rights, labor rights, or even individual rights when the very air you breathe is limited and potentially controlled by your employer? Dr. Erika Nesvold, astrophysicist and author of the new book “Off-Earth: Ethical Questions and Quandaries for Living in Outer Space” joins the show to explore these ethical challenges and more.