The Latest Breaking News from Solar System

7 years, billions of kilometres, a handful of dust: NASA just brought back the largest-ever asteroid sample

After a journey of billions of kilometres, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has culminated in a small black capsule blazing through the sky before touching down in the Utah desert.

The Conversation · Sep 25, 2023

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Just Dropped Samples of Asteroid Bennu To Earth — Here’s Why They Are So Important

But like a college kid dropping off their laundry, the spaceship was just passing through on its way to another adventure.

Inverse · Sep 25, 2023

NASA’s first asteroid samples land on Earth after release from spacecraft

NASA’s Osiris-Rex mission to collect asteroid samples from Bennu culminates September 24 with a soft landing in Utah. The samples will provide insight into the formation of our solar system and how Earth became habitable. The capsule will be airlifted to a clean room and the sample sent to mission…

The Hindu · Sep 24, 2023

UK researchers to study sample of asteroid Bennu as part of Nasa mission

The sample, which was collected as part of Nasa’s Osiris-Rex mission, will return to Earth on Sunday.

The Independent UK · Sep 22, 2023

Nasa’s Osiris-Rex mission: asteroid sample plummets towards Earth

Capsule will contain some of oldest materials formed in solar system

The Guardian - UK · Sep 22, 2023

Inside NASA’s Historic OSIRIS-REx Mission To Bring A Chunk of An Asteroid Back To Earth

On Sunday, NASA will finally witness the descent of its first asteroid sample retrieval mission.

Inverse · Sep 22, 2023

A Nasa spacecraft is on course to deliver material from an asteroid to Earth – here's what we could learn

Around 15 years ago, I was on a European Space Agency (Esa) committee, looking at Esa’s strategy for proposed forthcoming space missions. Under consideration was a mission to an asteroid. Over dinner, one of the committee members, an astrophysicist, quizzed me on why we needed to visit one of these…

The Conversation · Sep 21, 2023

Scientists excited to find ocean of one of Jupiter’s moons contains carbon

Discovery adds weight to view that Europa’s ocean could be most promising place in solar system to look for alien life

The Guardian - UK · Sep 21, 2023

What are ‘planetary boundaries’ and why should we care?

As far as we know, there is exactly one planet in our Solar System – and the galaxy – which hosts life. And you’re on it.

The Conversation · Sep 19, 2023

A Strange, Old Asteroid Is Orbiting Our Sun — NASA’s New Psyche Mission Will Hunt For Its Origin

NASA will soon launch a spacecraft to the bizarre asteroid Psyche to better understand how it formed and why it's still here.

Inverse · Sep 18, 2023