The Latest Breaking News from Mars

New moon of January 2026 brings prime views of Jupiter, Saturn and winter stars tonight

With the moon out of the way on Jan. 18, bright Jupiter and Saturn become stand-outs in the January night sky.

Space · Jan 18

NASA rolls out Artemis II rocket for historic Moon mission

This will be the first crewed mission to travel around the Moon since the Apollo era, with astronauts flying past the far side of the Moon to test life support and navigation systems.

Euronews · Jan 17

NASA's Mars Sample Return is dead, leaving China to retrieve signs of life from the Red Planet

NASA's plans for Mars sample return are effectively cancelled as part of a bill approved by the U.S. Congress, ending efforts to collect Perseverance rover samples that could contain evidence of alien life.

LiveScience · Jan 16

How Mars' ancient lakes grew shields of ice to stay warm as the Red Planet froze

The findings potentially solve the paradox of how liquid water seems to have persisted on Mars even when the climate grew too cold.

Space · Jan 14

From a new flagship space telescope to lunar exploration, global cooperation – and competition – will make 2026 an exciting year for space

In 2026, astronauts will travel around the Moon for the first time since the Apollo era, powerful new space telescopes will prepare to survey billions of galaxies, and multiple nations will launch missions aimed at finding habitable worlds, water on the Moon and clues to how our solar system formed.

The Conversation · Jan 14

Life on Mars could be returning for new sequel series: ‘I’m sworn to secrecy’

‘The Cortina isn't ready for the scrapyard just yet,’ said co-creator of the time-travel hit

The Independent UK · Jan 14

The US really wants a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030. 'Achieving this future requires harnessing nuclear power,' NASA chief says

NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy have firmed up their commitment to develop a nuclear reactor for use on the surface of the moon by 2030.

Space · Jan 13

Elon Musk's Latest Star Trek Speech Mentioned Making Starfleet Academy Real, Which Makes His Latest Comments About The Show Surprising

The messaging is confusing.

Cinemablend · Jan 13

Experts push back against cancellation of NASA's Mars sample return project

Exploration advocates are pushing back against the planned cancellation of NASA's Mars sample return project, saying it could potentially find evidence of Red Planet life.

Space · Jan 12

Your say: week beginning January 12

Every day, we publish a selection of your emails in our newsletter. We’d love to hear from you, you can email us at [email protected].

The Conversation · Jan 11