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Space & Planetary

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 20-Jun-2026 13:16 ET (20-Jun-2026 17:16 GMT/UTC)

University of Portsmouth and SARsatX developing Earth observation mission concept with Saudi Space Agency support

University of Portsmouth
Business Announcement

The University of Portsmouth, as part of Space South Central (SSC), one of the UK’s largest regional space clusters, is leading a new international partnership with Saudi space-tech company SARsatX. Together, they are developing the concept for an Earth observation satellite mission aimed at supporting a range of sectors, including climate science and environmental resilience.

Measuring the breath of the Amazon River

Texas A&M University
Grant and Award Announcement

While the Amazon River is world-renowned for its massive flow, a significant portion of its water evaporates before it can reach calm water reservoirs or the ocean. Anshul Yadav, a doctoral student in the civil and environmental engineering department at Texas A&M University, has received a prestigious Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST) fellowship to measure this invisible loss.

Microbe survives the pressures of impact-induced ejection from Mars

PNAS Nexus
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The extremophile bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans can survive the pressures developed during ejection from Mars as a result of massive asteroid impact. According to the authors, microorganisms can survive more extreme conditions than previously thought, including launch across space after major impacts, and life may be able to move between planets.

Journal: PNAS Nexus

Asteroid samples offer new insights into conditions when the solar system formed

Tokyo University of Science
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Samples from Ryugu, a small, near-Earth asteroid, preserve natural remanent magnetization (NRM) from the early history of the solar system. However, despite multiple studies, there is currently no consensus on the interpretation of results from Ryugu particles due to the limited number of samples examined. Now, researchers have conducted NRM measurement of 28 Ryugu particles, clarifying the differing observations of previous studies, offering new insights into their magnetic characteristics and evolution of the solar system.

Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research Planets
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Hypervelocity Impact Facility, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

Building on the far side: AI analysis suggests sturdier foundation for future lunar bases

Research
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Now, a research team led by Beihang University has unveiled the first high-throughput, non-destructive characterization of these precious materials, revealing that the "soil" on the lunar far side possesses unique physical properties which are vital for future lunar bases.

Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Young Elite Scientist Sponsorship Program by China Association for Science and Technology, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Key Research Program of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Far-field superresolution imaging via k-space superoscillation

Light Publishing Center, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics And Physics, CAS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The imaging resolution has long been constrained by the Abbe-Rayleigh diffraction limit. While the 2014 Nobel Prize recognized fluorescence microscopy, achieving single-shot, label-free far-field superresolution remains challenging. Scientists in China propose “k-space (momentum space) superoscillation.” By designing a metalens with topology-optimized responses in real- and k-space, this method breaks the spatial shift-invariance assumption to surpass the diffraction limit. Microwave experiments verified a twofold resolution enhancement without post-processing, opening avenues for biology, astronomy, and materials science.

Journal: eLight
Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission, Administrative Commission of Zhongguancun Science Park

Survival training in a safe space

University of Würzburg
Peer-Reviewed Publication

To improve their chances of survival, animals must learn – and that can be dangerous. A new study from the University of Würzburg shows how gradual learning under parental supervision can reduce these risks.

Journal: Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences

Using moon dirt to build future lunar colonies

Ohio State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Simulated lunar dirt can be turned into extremely durable structures, potentially paving the way to more sustainable and cost-effective space missions, a new study suggests.

Journal: Acta Astronautica

‘First light’ from world’s first commercial space science satellite heralds a new era for astronomical data and King’s collaborations

King's College London
Reports and Proceedings

Mauve, the pioneering new model from King’s-linked Blue Skies Space, will deliver space science data straight to the global scientific community.

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