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NASA, European Partners Set to Launch Sentinel-6B Earth Satellite
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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Set to launch no earlier than Nov. 16, Sentinel-6B will continue the data record now being collected by its twin satellite Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, which lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in November 2020 aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket shown here.SpaceXSet to track sea levels across more than 90% of Earth’s ocean, the mission must first get into orbit. Here’s what to expect.
Sentinel-6B, an ocean-tracking satellite jointly developed by NASA and ESA (European Space Agency), is ready to roll out to the launch pad, packed into the payload fairing of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Launch is targeted at 12:21 a.m. EST, Monday, Nov. 17 (9:21 p.m. PST, Sunday, Nov. 16). Once it lifts off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, the satellite will ride out a 57-minute sequence of events ending in spacecraft separation, when the satellite detaches from the rocket.
Then Sentinel-6B’s real work begins. Orbiting Earth every 112 minutes at 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers) per second, the satellite will eventually take over for its twin, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, launched five years ago, to continue a multidecade dataset for sea level measurements from space. Those measurements, along with atmospheric data the mission gathers, will help improve public safety and city planning while protecting coastal infrastructure, including power plants and defense interests. NASA will also use the data to refine atmospheric models that support the safe re-entry of Artemis astronauts.
Get the Sentinel-6B Press KitHere’s a closer look at what lies ahead for the satellite in the coming days.
Launch timelineMeasuring 19.1 feet (5.82 meters) long and 7.74 feet (2.36 meters) high (including the communications antennas), the satellite weighs in at around 2,600 pounds (1,200 kilograms) when loaded with propellant at launch.
The satellite will lift off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg. If needed, backup launch opportunities are available on subsequent days, with the 20-second launch window occurring about 12 to 13 minutes earlier each day.
A little more than two minutes after the Falcon 9 rocket lifts off, the main engine cuts off. Shortly after, the rocket’s first and second stages separate, followed by second-stage engine start. The reusable Falcon 9 first stage then begins its automated boost-back burn to the launch site for a powered landing. About three minutes after launch, the two halves of the payload fairing, which protected the satellite as it traveled through the atmosphere, separate and fall safely back to Earth.
The first cutoff of the second stage engine takes place approximately eight minutes after liftoff, at which point the launch vehicle and the spacecraft will be in a temporary “parking” orbit. The second stage engine fires a second time about 44 minutes later, and about 57 minutes after liftoff, the rocket and the spacecraft separate. Roughly seven minutes after that, the satellite’s solar panels deploy. Sentinel-6B is expected to make first contact with ground controllers about 35 minutes after separation (roughly an hour and a half after liftoff) — a major milestone indicating that the spacecraft is healthy.
Science missionFollowing launch operations, the team will focus on its next challenge: getting the spacecraft ready for science operations. Once in orbit, Sentinel-6B will fly about 30 seconds behind its twin, the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite. When scientists and engineers have completed cross-calibrating the data collected by the two spacecraft, Sentinel-6B will take over the role of providing primary sea level measurements while Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will move into a different orbit. From there, researchers plan to use measurements from Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich for different purposes, including helping to map seafloor features (variations in sea surface height can reveal variations in ocean floor features, such as seamounts).
Sentinel-6B is part of a U.S.-European mission that will continue 30-year-plus record of sea-level measurements. Its observations will help build an accurate picture of local and global sea surface heights to support storm forecasting, secure coastal infrastructure, and help optimize commercial activities, such as shipping.NASA/JPL-Caltech Where to find launch coverage
Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the agency’s website, including links to live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 11 p.m. EST, Nov. 16, as the countdown milestones occur. Streaming video and photos of the launch will be accessible on demand shortly after liftoff. Follow countdown coverage on NASA’s Sentinel-6B blog.
For more information about NASA’s live programming schedule, visit
plus.nasa.gov/scheduled-events.
The Copernicus Sentinel-6/Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) mission is a collaboration between NASA, ESA, EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The European Commission contributed funding support while France’s space agency CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales) provided technical expertise. The mission also marks the first international involvement in Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth Observation Programme.
A division of Caltech in Pasadena, JPL built three science instruments for each Sentinel-6 satellite: the Advanced Microwave Radiometer, the Global Navigation Satellite System – Radio Occultation, and the Laser Retroreflector Array. NASA is also contributing launch services, ground systems supporting operation of the NASA science instruments, the science data processors for two of these instruments, and support for the U.S. members of the international Ocean Surface Topography and Sentinel-6 science teams. The launch service is managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
How Sentinel-6B Will Help Ships at Sea How Sentinel-6B Will Help Improve Hurricane Forecasts How Do We Measure Sea Level?News Media Contacts
Elizabeth Vlock
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
elizabeth.a.vlock@nasa.gov
Andrew Wang / Andrew Good
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
626-379-6874 / 626-840-4291
andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov / andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov
2025-125
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6 Things to Know From NASA About New US, European Sea Satellite
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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Set to launch no earlier than Nov. 16, Sentinel-6B will continue a decades-long data record of sea level measurement that will help decision-makers manage coastal flooding, support hurricane intensity forecasts, and assist in the return of astronauts from space.NASAData from Sentinel-6B will continue a decades-long record of sea surface height, helping to improve coastal planning, protect critical infrastructure, and advance weather forecasts.
With launch set for no earlier than 12:21 a.m. EST Monday, Nov. 17, Sentinel-6B is the latest satellite in a series of spacecraft NASA and its partners have used to measure sea levels since 1992. Their data has helped meteorologists improve hurricane forecasts, managers protect infrastructure, and coastal communities plan.
After launch, Sentinel-6B will begin the process of data cross-calibration with its predecessor, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, to provide essential information about Earth’s ocean.
Sentinel-6B is the second of two satellites that constitute the Sentinel-6/Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) mission, a collaboration between NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The European Commission contributed funding support while France’s space agency CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales) provided technical expertise.
Here are six things to know about Sentinel-6B and the broader Copernicus Sentinel-6/Jason-CS mission:
1. Sentinel-6B will deliver data on about 90% of Earth’s ocean, providing direct benefits to humanity.
Sentinel-6B will contribute to a multidecade dataset for sea level measurements from space. This data is key to helping improve public safety, city planning, and protecting commercial and defense interests.
Pioneered by NASA and its partners, the dataset enables users in government, industry, and the research community to better understand how sea levels change over time. Combined with information from other NASA satellites, data from Copernicus Sentinel-6/Jason-CS is vital for tracking how heat and energy move through Earth’s seas and atmosphere, as well as for monitoring ocean features such as currents and eddies. The measurements come courtesy of a radar altimeter that measures sea levels for nearly all of Earth’s ocean, providing information on large-scale currents that can aid in commercial and naval navigation, search and rescue, and the tracking of debris and pollutants from disasters at sea.
Sentinel-6B is part of a U.S.-European mission that will continue 30-year-plus record of sea-level measurements. Its observations will help build an accurate picture of local and global sea surface heights to support storm forecasting, secure coastal infrastructure, and help optimize commercial activities, such as shipping.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
2. Data from the Copernicus Sentinel-6/Jason-CS mission helps NASA prepare for the next phase of space exploration.
The better we understand Earth, the better NASA can carry out its mission to explore the universe. Data from the Copernicus Sentinel-6/Jason-CS mission is used to refine the Goddard Earth Observing System atmospheric forecast models, which the NASA Engineering Safety Center uses to plan safer reentry of astronauts returning from Artemis missions.
Additionally, changes to Earth’s ocean, observed by satellites, can have measurable effects beyond our planet. For instance, while the Moon influences ocean tides on Earth, changes in those tides can also exert a small influence on the Moon. Data from Copernicus Sentinel-6/Jason-CS can help improve understanding of this relationship, knowledge that can contribute to future lunar exploration missions.
3. The Copernicus Sentinel-6/Jason-CS mission helps the U.S. respond to challenges by putting actionable information into the hands of decision-makers.
Data collected by the mission helps city planners, as well as local and state governments, to make informed decisions on protecting coastal infrastructure, real estate, and energy facilities. The mission’s sea level data also improves meteorologists’ weather predictions, which are critical to commercial and recreational navigation. By enhancing weather prediction models, data provided by Copernicus Sentinel-6/Jason-CS improves forecasts of hurricane development, including the likelihood of storm intensification, which can aid disaster preparedness and response.
Get the Sentinel-6B Press Kit4. Data from Sentinel-6B will support national security efforts.
The ocean and atmosphere measurements from Sentinel-6B will enable decision-makers to better protect coastal military installations from such events as nuisance flooding while aiding national defense efforts by providing crucial information about weather and ocean conditions. The satellite will do so by feeding near-real time data on Earth’s atmosphere and seas to forward-looking weather and ocean models. Since the measurements are part of a long-term dataset, they also can add historical context that puts the new data in perspective.
5. The Copernicus Sentinel-6/Jason-CS mission’s direct observation of sea levels delivers information critical to protecting coastlines, where nearly half of the world’s population lives.
Sea level rise varies from one area to another, meaning that some coastlines are more vulnerable than others to flooding, erosion, and saltwater contamination of underground freshwater supplies, the latter of which threatens farmland and drinking water. Sea level measurements from Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, and soon, Sentinel-6B, form the basis of U.S. flood predictions for coastal infrastructure, real estate, energy storage sites, and other coastal assets. Knowing which regions are more vulnerable to these risks will enable U.S. industries and emergency managers to make better-informed decisions about transportation and commercial infrastructure, land-use planning, water management, and adaptation strategies.
6. The international collaboration behind the mission enables the pooling of capabilities, resources, and expertise.
The multidecadal dataset that this mission supports is the result of years of close work between NASA and several collaborators, including NASA, ESA, EUMETSAT, CNES, and NOAA. By pooling expertise and resources, this partnership has delivered cost-effective solutions that have made precise, high-impact data available to industry and government agencies alike.
More about Sentinel-6B
Copernicus Sentinel-6/Jason-CS was jointly developed by ESA, EUMETSAT, NASA, and NOAA, with funding support from the European Commission and technical support from CNES. The mission also marks the first international involvement in Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth Observation Programme.
Managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, JPL contributed three science instruments for each Sentinel-6 satellite: the Advanced Microwave Radiometer, the Global Navigation Satellite System – Radio Occultation, and the laser retroreflector array. NASA is also contributing launch services, ground systems supporting operation of the NASA science instruments, the science data processors for two of these instruments, and support for the international ocean surface topography community.
For more about Sentinel-6B, visit:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/sentinel-6B
How Sentinel-6B Will Help Ships at Sea How Sentinel-6B Will Help Improve Hurricane Forecasts How Do We Measure Sea Level?News Media Contacts
Elizabeth Vlock
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
elizabeth.a.vlock@nasa.gov
Andrew Wang / Andrew Good
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
626-379-6874 / 626-840-4291
andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov / andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov
2025-124
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NASA Sets Launch Coverage for International Ocean Tracking Mission
NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch and launch activities for Sentinel-6B, an international mission delivering critical sea level and ocean data to protect coastal infrastructure, improve weather forecasting, and support commercial activities at sea.
Launch is targeted at 12:21 a.m. EST, Monday, Nov. 17 (9:21 p.m. PST, Sunday, Nov. 16) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Watch coverage beginning at 11:30 p.m. EST (8:30 p.m. PST) on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and more. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
The Sentinel-6B mission continues a decades-long effort to monitor global sea level and ocean conditions using precise radar measurements from space. Since the early 1990s, satellites launched by NASA and domestic and international partners have collected precise sea level data. The launch of Sentinel-6B will extend this dataset out to nearly four decades.
NASA’s mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):
Saturday, Nov. 15
4 p.m. – NASA Prelaunch Teleconference on International Ocean Tracking Mission
- Karen St. Germain, director, Earth Science Division, NASA Headquarters in Washington
- Pierrik Veuilleumier, Sentinel-6B project manager, ESA (European Space Agency)
- Parag Vaze, Sentinel-6B project manager, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California
- Tim Dunn, senior launch director, Launch Services Program, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida
- Julianna Scheiman, director, NASA Science Missions, SpaceX
- 1st Lt. William Harbin, launch weather officer, U.S. Air Force
Audio of the teleconference will stream on the NASA Video YouTube channel.
Media interested in participating by phone must RSVP no later than two hours prior to the start of the call at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov. A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is online.
Sunday Nov. 16
11:30 p.m. – Launch coverage begins on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and more.
Audio-only coverage
Audio-only of the launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220 or -1240. On launch day, “mission audio” countdown activities without NASA+ launch commentary will be carried at 321-867-7135.
NASA website launch coverage
Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the agency’s website. Coverage will include links to live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 11 p.m. EST, Nov. 16, as the countdown milestones occur. Streaming video and photos of the launch will be accessible on demand shortly after liftoff. Follow countdown coverage on NASA’s Sentinel-6/Jason-CS blog.
For questions about countdown coverage, contact the NASA Kennedy newsroom at: 321-867-2468.
Attend launch virtually
Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following launch.
Watch, engage on social media
Let people know you’re watching the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by following and tagging these accounts:
X: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASAJPL, @NASAEarth
Facebook: NASA, NASA Kennedy, NASA JPL, NASA Earth
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASAJPL, @NASAEarth
Sentinel-6B is the second of twin satellites in the Copernicus Sentinel-6/Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) mission, a collaboration among NASA, ESA, EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The first satellite in the mission, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, launched in November 2020. The European Commission contributed funding support, while France’s space agency CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales) provided technical expertise. The mission also marks the first international involvement in Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth Observation Programme.
For more information about these missions, visit:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/sentinel-6b/
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Elizabeth Vlock
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
elizabeth.a.vlock@nasa.gov
Leejay Lockhart
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-747-8310
leejay.lockhart@nasa.gov
Andrew Wang / Andrew Good
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
626-379-6874 / 818-393-2433
andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov / andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov
Mapping Dark Matter
This image released on June 30, 2025, combines data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory to visualize dark matter. Researchers used Webb’s observations to carefully measure the mass of the galaxy clusters shown here as well as the collective light emitted by stars that are no longer bound to individual galaxies.
Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, CXC
NASA Glenn Teams Win 2025 R&D 100 Awards
NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland has earned 2025 R&D 100 Awards for developing a system that delivers high-speed internet for space and co-inventing technology for a new class of soft magnetic nanocrystalline materials designed to operate at extreme temperatures. This brings NASA Glenn’s total to 130 R&D 100 Awards.
High-Rate Delay Tolerant Networking
NASA Glenn’s Daniel Raible and Rachel Dudukovich led their team of engineers to create High-Rate Delay Tolerant Networking (HDTN), a cutting-edge software solution designed to revolutionize data streaming and communication in space. HDTN enables reliable, high-speed transmission of data between space and Earth — even under the extreme conditions of space — minimizing loss and system delay.
High-Rate Delay Tolerant Networking team photo, left to right: Tad Kollar, Eric Brace, Brian Tomko, José Lombay-González, Nadia Kortas, Daniel Raible, John Nowakowski, Shaun McKeehan, Ethan Schweinsberg, Prash Choksi, and Rachel Dudukovich. Credit: NASA/Jef Janis“The HDTN software protocol allows faster, automated, and seamless data transfer between spacecraft, even across communication systems operating on different link speeds,” Raible said. “It’s up to 10 times faster than current delay-tolerant networking (DTN).”
This advanced technology has far-reaching implications beyond NASA. With its open-source code, HDTN paves the way for collaboration, innovation, and adoption across the rapidly expanding commercial space industry, offering near real-time communication capabilities.
Looking ahead, HDTN could form the foundation of a solar system-wide internet, supporting data exchange between Earth, spacecraft, and even future missions involving human travel to the Moon and Mars.
VulcanAlloy
In a project led by the University of Pittsburgh, researchers at NASA Glenn, including Nick Bruno, Grant Feichter, Vladimir Keylin, Alex Leary, and Ron Noebe, partnered with CorePower Magnetics to develop VulcanAlloy — a breakthrough soft magnetic nanocrystalline material.
NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland tested high-temperature inductors using VulcanAlloy technology in the NASA Glenn Extreme Environments Rig, which simulates the conditions on Venus’ surface, on May 13, 2025. Credit: NASAVulcanAlloy, developed under NASA’s High Operating Temperature Technology Program using processing capability established by the Advanced Air Transport Technology project, operates above 500°C, far beyond the limits of conventional soft magnetic materials. Its nano-engineered structure maintains efficiency at high temperatures and frequencies.
With adjustable magnetic properties, it can replace multiple materials in components like inductors, transformers, motors, and sensors while reducing the need for bulky cooling systems — ideal for extreme environments.
Raytheon has tested VulcanAlloy cores, highlighting their potential in electrified aircraft, defense, and aerospace systems.
This innovation also promises major impact in electric vehicles, data centers, microgrids, and energy systems, where smaller, lighter, and more efficient components are key to advancing next-generation power electronics.
The R&D 100 Awards, a worldwide science and innovation competition, received entries from organizations around the world. Now in its 63rd year, this year’s judging panel included industry professionals from across the globe who evaluated breakthrough innovations in technology and science.
Return to Newsletter Explore More 2 min read NASA Glenn Reinforces Role in Aerospace Innovation During Ohio Space Week Article 2 months ago 3 min read NASA Glenn’s AeroSpace Frontiers Newsletter Takes a Bow Article 2 months ago 1 min read Glenn Highlights Space Exploration at Minnesota State Fair Article 2 months agoHubble Studies Star Ages in Colorful Galaxy
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Hubble Studies Star Ages in Colorful Galaxy This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the spiral galaxy called NGC 6000. ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Filippenko; Acknowledgment: M. H. ÖzsaraçStars of all ages are on display in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image of the sparkling spiral galaxy called NGC 6000, located 102 million light-years away in the constellation Scorpius.
NGC 6000 has a glowing yellow center and glittering blue outskirts. These colors reflect differences in the average ages, masses, and temperatures of the galaxy’s stars. At the heart of the galaxy, the stars tend to be older and smaller. Less massive stars are cooler than more massive stars, and somewhat counterintuitively, cooler stars are redder, while hotter stars are bluer. Farther out along NGC 6000’s spiral arms, brilliant star clusters host young, massive stars that appear distinctly blue.
Hubble collected the data for this image while surveying the sites of recent supernova explosions in nearby galaxies. NGC 6000 hosted two recent supernovae: SN 2007ch in 2007 and SN 2010as in 2010. Using Hubble’s sensitive detectors, researchers can discern the faint glow of supernovae years after the initial explosion. These observations help constrain the masses of supernovae progenitor stars and can indicate if they had any stellar companions.
By zooming in to the right side of the galaxy’s disk in this image, you can see a set of four thin yellow and blue lines. These lines are an asteroid in our solar system that was drifting across Hubble’s field of view as it gazed at NGC 6000. The four lines are due to four different exposures recorded one after another with slight pauses in between. Image processors combined these four exposures to create the final image. The lines appear dashed with alternating colors because each exposure used a filter to collect very specific wavelengths of light, in this case around red and blue. Having these separate exposures of particular wavelengths is important to study and compare stars by their colors — but it also makes asteroid interlopers very obvious!
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NASA, Blue Origin Launch Two Spacecraft to Study Mars, Solar Wind
A pair of NASA spacecraft ultimately destined for Mars will study how its magnetic environment is impacted by the Sun. The mission also will help the agency prepare for future human exploration of Mars.
NASA’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) spacecraft launched at 3:55 p.m. EST, Thursday, aboard a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
“Congratulations to Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, UC Berkeley, and all our partners on the successful launch of ESCAPADE. This heliophysics mission will help reveal how Mars became a desert planet, and how solar eruptions affect the Martian surface,” said acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy. “Every launch of New Glenn provides data that will be essential when we launch MK-1 through Artemis. All this information will be critical to protect future NASA explorers and invaluable as we evaluate how to deliver on President Trump’s vision of planting the Stars and Stripes on Mars.”
The twin spacecraft, built by Rocket Lab, will investigate how a never-ending, million-mile-per-hour stream of particles from the Sun, known as the solar wind, has gradually stripped away much of the Martian atmosphere, causing the planet to cool and its surface water to evaporate. The mission is led by the University of California, Berkeley.
Ground controllers for the ESCAPADE mission established communications with both spacecraft by 10:35 p.m. EST.
“The ESCAPADE mission is part of our strategy to understand Mars’ past and present so we can send the first astronauts there safely,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Understanding Martian space weather is a top priority for future missions because it helps us protect systems, robots, and most importantly, humans, in extreme environments.”
New Glenn also carried a space communications technology demonstration from Viasat Inc., supporting NASA’s efforts to commercialize next-generation satellite relay services for science missions. Funded by the agency’s Communications Services Project, the demonstration transmitted launch telemetry data from the rocket’s second stage to an operations center on Earth through Viasat’s geostationary satellite network.
Blazing new trails
Recent solar activity, which triggered widespread auroras on Earth, caused a slight delay in launch to prevent solar storms from negatively impacting post-launch spacecraft commissioning. When ESCAPADE arrives at Mars, it will study present-day effects of the solar wind and solar storms on the Red Planet in real time. This will provide insights about Martian space weather and help NASA better understand the conditions astronauts will face when they reach Mars.
“The ESCAPADE spacecraft are now about to embark on a unique journey to Mars never traversed by any other mission,” said Alan Zide, ESCAPADE program executive at NASA Headquarters.
Rather than heading directly to Mars, the twin spacecraft will first head to a location in space a million miles from Earth called Lagrange point 2. Right now, Earth and Mars are on opposite sides of the Sun, which makes it harder to travel from one planet to the other. In November 2026, when Earth and Mars are closely aligned in their orbits, the ESCAPADE spacecraft will loop back to Earth and use Earth’s gravity to slingshot themselves toward Mars.
In the past, Mars missions have waited to launch during a brief window of time when Earth and Mars are aligned, which happens roughly every two years. However, with the type of trajectory ESCAPADE is using, future missions could launch nearly anytime and wait in space, queueing up for their interplanetary departure, until the two planets are in position.
This original “Earth-proximity” or “loiter” orbit also will make ESCAPADE the first mission to ever pass through a distant region of Earth’s magnetotail, part of our planet’s magnetic field that gets stretched out away from the Sun by the solar wind.
Studying Mars in stereo
After a 10-month cruise, ESCAPADE is expected to arrive at Mars in September 2027, becoming the first coordinated dual-spacecraft mission to enter orbit around another planet.
Over several months, the two spacecraft will arrange themselves in their initial science formation, in which the twin spacecraft will follow each other in the same “string-of-pearls” orbit, passing through the same areas in quick succession to investigate for the first time how space weather conditions vary on short timescales. This science campaign will begin in June 2028.
Six months later, both spacecraft will shift into different orbits, with one traveling farther from Mars and the other staying closer to it. Planned to last for five months, this second formation aims to study the solar wind and Mars’ upper atmosphere simultaneously, allowing scientists to investigate how the planet responds to the solar wind in real time.
In addition, ESCAPADE will provide more information about Mars’ ionosphere — a part of the upper atmosphere that future astronauts will rely on to send radio and navigation signals around the planet.
The ESCAPADE mission is funded by NASA’s Heliophysics Division and is part of NASA’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration program. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and Advanced Space support the mission. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, secured the launch service with Blue Origin under the Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare contract.
To learn more about the ESCAPADE mission, visit:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/escapade/
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Abbey Interrante
Headquarters, Washington
301-201-0124
abbey.a.interrante@nasa.gov
Leejay Lockhart
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-747-8310
leejay.lockhart@nasa.gov
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4702-4708: It’s Only Spooky Here on Earth Today!
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Curiosity Blog, Sols 4702-4708: It’s Only Spooky Here on Earth Today! NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image at the start of the drilling activity at the “Valle de la Luna” site, “caught in the act” as this image was taken on Oct. 19, 2025. Curiosity used its Front Hazard Avoidance Camera (Front Hazcam) on Sol 4693, or Martian day 4,693 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission, at 01:54:37 UTC. NASA/JPL-CaltechBy Susanne P. Schwenzer, Professor of Planetary Mineralogy at The Open University, U.K.
Earth planning date: Friday, Oct. 31, 2025
I am writing this blog and it’s still daytime — and I am looking forward to accompanying one of my favorite kids to trick-and-treating afterwards. That’s a new feeling for me because I am usually in the U.K., which means my Curiosity shifts start in the late afternoon when everyone else finishes working. But for now, I am in the U.S. (Houston, Texas), and it’s daytime, which is a lovely change, especially today as I don’t have to hide from trick-and-treaters’ interruptions but instead can give out all the candy they can possibly eat! Looking forward to that… but before, let’s see what Curiosity was up to this week!
You’ll have seen the blog by my colleague Bill, “Searching for Answers at Monte Grande,” about our analysis of the “Valle de la Luna” sample with CheMin and SAM EGA. This week we were continuing the SAM analysis of the 44th drilled sample, which always takes a lot of power, so that leaves less room for other investigations. Hence, you might notice that there were fewer ChemCam and Mastcam activities. The rover also did not drive while sample is still in the turret ready for delivery of the next SAM activities. Curiosity has now completed the deliveries to CheMin and SAM, though, and the last action in Friday’s plan was to clean out the remaining sample from the drill in preparation for driving away here in Monday’s plan.
In Monday’s plan we’ll reposition the rover to get a very good look at the potential next drill targets on the ridge. We’ve been able to scout them already in previous images and have a few candidates, but decision-making will require images from Monday’s parking position, since we are currently parked in a hollow and cannot really see what’s up on the ridge.
That said, being stationary has always been a golden opportunity for looking at wind action, and this week was no difference as Mastcam looked at the drill fines several times over the time we were stationary, to ascertain the safety for MAHLI to approach — and of course to use those images for atmospheric science, too. In addition, Mastcam took the opportunity to get comprehensive imaging of the entire area. There are several mosaics that document the near-field, for example at target “Nazareth.” In the mid- and far-field distances, Mastcam assembled a large mosaic on “Monte Grande” and “Ticaco” to document the different rocks in the surrounding ridge walls and wider afield. There are so many interesting textures and alteration features, alongside troughs and fractures, that the team will have a fun time analyzing them all in great detail individually, as well as their relationships to each other.
ChemCam has investigated the Valle de la Luna drill hole and tailings as per the usual cadence of post-drilling activities, and in addition investigated target Nazareth to understand how the block that Curiosity drilled might vary chemically. Another ChemCam target was “Pachica,” as the team observed many nodules in this target and we are interested in their chemical variability and “Palpana,” a more smooth block. Further investigations of the Valle de la Luna drill hole with ChemCam are targets “Anapia” and “Bandara” to further investigate the chemical diversity of the drill target block.
ChemCam Remote Micro Imager (RMI) observations were also taken in the near-field and farther away. In the near-field, RMI images are documenting further details on the Valle de la Luna drill hole and its tailings, while further afield the Monte Grande Wall is one of the RMI targets alongside with other details in the boxwork ridges around us. On Friday, the RMI was pointed far uphill to continue imaging the yardang unit, which is one of our next goals in the longer term future.
In addition to all the drill activities and rock investigations, the atmosphere received attention too. We have the usual cadence of environmental investigations, building our long-term pressure, temperature, and humidity record of Mars; and we observe the atmospheric opacity, dust-devil activities, and clouds. Of course, we are all looking forward to next week, when we will decide on the second drill target in this area, this time on the ridge. Let’s see what block will be looking best, both from a science and an engineering point of view – we’ve got a short list of candidates; the detailed images are for Monday’s plan. Meanwhile, we’ll enjoy trick-and-treating here on Earth and our weekends while Curiosity finishes the drill activities at Valle de la Luna.
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Curiosity Blog, Sols 4695-4701: Searching for Answers at Monte Grande
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Curiosity Blog, Sols 4695-4701: Searching for Answers at Monte Grande NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image of the “Valle de la Luna” drill hole using its Mast Camera (Mastcam) on Oct. 19, 2025 — Sol 4693, or Martian day 4,693 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 02:04:29 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSSWritten by William Farrand, Senior Research Scientist, Space Science Institute
Earth planning date: Friday, Oct. 24, 2025
Curiosity has successfully drilled its 44th hole on Mars, which is a major milestone in our investigation of the enigmatic “boxwork unit,” a region of resistant ridges surrounding pits or “hollows” of less-resistant rock. The drilling took place over the past weekend within the “Monte Grande” hollow at the “Valle de la Luna” target.
Rover planning this week consisted of ensuring that the granular drill tailings from Valle de la Luna were transferred to the SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars) and CheMin (X-ray diffraction) instruments, and analyzing the results. Results from these instruments, which will provide mineralogical and other compositional information, will be especially critical for determining how the boxwork features formed, since chemistry from the APXS and ChemCam instruments and reflectance spectra from ChemCam have revealed subtle, but not striking, differences between the rocks making up the ridges and those making up the hollows. Thus, a compositional explanation for the differences between the two terrain types has yet to be determined.
While these internal studies of the Valle de la Luna samples were going on, remote sensing data were collected by Mastcam of a series of targets, as well as atmospheric remote sensing. Among the Mastcam studies being conducted is a photometry study, a kind of study usually only carried out during an extended stationary period, such as the current drill campaign. Photometry is the study of changes in the apparent reflected brightness of rocks and soils based on the illumination geometry (for example, whether the Sun is low on the horizon or high in the sky). During this photometry campaign, multiple images are collected of the same target regions at different times of day.
In the final plan of the week, as part of the ongoing assessment of the Valle de la Luna sample, material will undergo an evolved gas analysis (EGA) in which the drilled sample is baked in an oven in SAM and volatile molecules including H2O, CO2, and SO2 are released and used to further aid in the characterization of the target materials. Mastcam observations will include further images collected as part of the photometry campaign. Also mosaics of the west wall of the Monte Grande hollow will be collected as well as several atmospheric measurements.
Next week the rover will continue analyzing the drilled sample with more SAM experiments, and also analyze the tailings. The team is also starting to search for a suitable drilling location on a ridge as the next drilling site, in order to compare with the results from the Monte Grande hollow.
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Curiosity Blog, Sols 4689-4694: Drill in the Boxwork Unit is GO!
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Curiosity Blog, Sols 4689-4694: Drill in the Boxwork Unit is GO! NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image showing the “Valle de la Luna” block in the “Monte Grande” hollow, a location it targeted for drilling the weekend of Oct. 18-19, 2025. Curiosity captured the image with its Front Hazard Avoidance Camera (Front Hazcam) on Oct. 12, 2025 — Sol 4687, or Martian day 4,687 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 23:11:12 UTC. NASA/JPL-CaltechWritten by Catherine O’Connell-Cooper, APXS Payload Uplink/Downlink Lead, University of New Brunswick
Earth planning date: Friday, Oct. 17, 2025
Curiosity has been investigating the “boxwork unit” for several months now. Readers might remember we drilled at the edge of the boxwork at “Altadena,” back in June. Since then, we have driven just under a kilometer across the boxwork unit (about 0.6 miles) and now we are ready to acquire the next drill target, in an area where the structure is really well preserved.
The boxwork structures are a series of ridges and hollows, so our plan is to drill within one of the hollows and then on one of the adjacent ridges. On Monday, we did our drill triage on “Valle de la Luna” within the hollow “Monte Grande” – a multi-instrument endeavor. We assessed the chemistry using APXS and ChemCam, to make sure it is within the expected range and not something completely different from the bedrock compositions we have been tracking. The rover planners (RPs) use a “pre-load” test, putting pressure on the bedrock surface to characterize how the rover arm and rock might behave during drilling. We take multiple images (including images before and after the pre-load test), using MAHLI and Mastcam to help the RPs assess the surface of the potential drill area.
Finding a suitable place to drill in the hollows was a challenge, as the low point of each hollow (what we are most interested in) is often covered in sand or small pebbles, with just sparse bedrock peeking through, as you can see in the accompanying image. However, we got lucky here in Monte Grande. The chemistry shows that this rock is within our expected compositional range. The MAHLI images show a smoother surface in the center of the brushed area (where the drill will focus), and the before-and-after images indicated that the rock reacted well to the pre-load test. On Friday, the RPs and mission scientists pored over the data in a very intensive meeting called the “Target Acquisition Assessment Meeting,” or TAAM. We have drilled 43 holes on Mars now and it’s always nerve-wracking, waiting to see if the information we gathered during our initial contact science and preload give us a go-ahead. About midway through the planning day, we got the news that TAAM said yes to drilling here, so we will drill on the first sol of this weekend plan.
If the drill is successful, we will have no contact science for at least a week, as the arm cannot be deployed during a drill campaign. Normally, as I’m APXS PUDL (responsible for uplinking new APXS targets and assessing downlink of previous targets), the idea of a week with no contact science would be disappointing to me — but not during a drill campaign! CheMin (Chemistry Mineralogy) and SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars) will use the drilled sample to give us extra depth of information, looking at mineralogy and composition in a way that is not possible for APXS and ChemCam.
We can then use that drill data to help us interpret the APXS and ChemCam data and better understand the formation of these boxworks, especially if we can pair it with a suitable target on the ridges.
In the meantime of course, we continue to monitor the atmosphere and environment around us. The Mastcam team are planning some amazing images from this site and ChemCam will continue to characterize the nearby bedrock and image the far-off hills.
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Curiosity Blog, Sols 4682-4688: Seven Mars Years NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image that looks down toward both the floor of Gale Crater, where we started our journey up Mount Sharp more than a decade ago, and toward the “Monte Grande” hollow that we hope will contain our next drill target. Curiosity captured the image using its Front Hazard Avoidance Camera (Front Hazcam) on Oct. 9, 2025 — Sol 4684, or Martian day 4,684 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 21:28:14 UTC. NASA/JPL-CaltechWritten by Diana Hayes, Graduate Student at York University, Toronto
Earth planning date: Friday, Oct. 10, 2025
This week was one of seasonal changes and milestones for the mission. As was mentioned several weeks ago, Mars has now moved out of its “cloudy season” and is transitioning into the “dusty season” as the planet moves closer to the Sun. This means that we should expect to see an increase in dust lifting and dust-devil activity over the next several months. With more dust in the atmosphere, we expect to lose the beautifully clear skies that have allowed us to take pictures of features at tremendous distances from the rover, like a mountain 57 miles (91 kilometers) away, outside of Gale Crater. We’ll also be keeping an eye out for the possible development of a global dust storm this season, as one has not occurred since 2018.
Back in August, we celebrated 13 Earth years since Curiosity landed in Gale back in 2012. This Monday, Oct. 6, a bit after 1 a.m. UTC (8 p.m. EDT Oct. 5), our intrepid rover marked its seventh full Mars year on the surface. (Because Mars is farther from the Sun than Earth is, a year on Mars — or one full trip around the Sun — lasts 687 Earth days.) Curiosity is only the second vehicle on Mars to reach that milestone, behind only Opportunity. Although Curiosity has not yet matched Opportunity’s longevity or distance driven, over the last seven Mars years we have put together the longest and most comprehensive record of the modern Martian climate. REMS has been recording weather conditions at least once an hour almost every hour since 2012, and RAD has now measured surface radiation conditions for more than a full solar cycle, data that will be critical to future human exploration of Mars. We’ve taken more than 3,000 cloud movies and countless more observations of atmospheric opacity, dust lifting, and dust-devil activity. I’ve been a member of our environmental science team for just over five (Earth) years now (or about 2 ½ Mars years), and I can still hardly believe that I’ve been able to help contribute to this incredible legacy. Although our well-traveled rover is now in its fifth Extended Mission, as a team we have no intention of slowing down any time soon.
Other than celebrating these milestones, this week was focused on setting up for the first of our two planned drills in the boxwork region. This first drill will be in one of the boxwork “hollows.” We’re currently targeting a hollow we’ve nicknamed “Monte Grande,” with the goal that we’ll be set up to drill there next week. Once we’re done at Monte Grande, we plan to drive up to one of the raised ridges that give the boxwork region its spiderweb-like appearance. By comparing the results of these two drill campaigns, our hope is that we’ll be able to gain a better understanding of the processes in Mars’ past that led to the formation of these fascinating features.
As we prepare to drill, both science theme groups continued their usual cadence of contact science and remote sensing to characterize the local geology and environment. This weekend will be particularly busy on the environmental science side of the mission, with coordinated observations with APXS and ChemCam to track seasonal changes in the composition of the atmosphere. We’ll also be using SAM’s Tunable Laser Spectrometer instrument to measure the amount of atmospheric methane at Gale. This is an activity that we’ve performed periodically over the mission, and has inspired much spirited debate over the sources and destruction mechanisms of Martian methane.
Here’s to many more years of roving and scientific discovery!
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Curiosity Blog, Sols 4675-4681: Deciding Where to Dig Into the Boxworks
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Curiosity Blog, Sols 4675-4681: Deciding Where to Dig Into the Boxworks NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Right Navigation Camera, showing the three types of geologic features that have held the mission team’s attention for months — a bright, arcuate boxwork ridge, a darker, sand-filled hollow, and, in the distance, the “Mishe Mokwa” butte. Curiosity captured the image on Oct. 2, 2025 — Sol 4677, or Martian day 4,677 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 15:49:32 UTC. NASA/JPL-CaltechWritten by Michelle Minitti, MAHLI Deputy Principal Investigator at Framework
Earth planning date: Friday, Oct. 3, 2025
Before Curiosity landed 13 years ago, the science team eyed all the geologic wonders scattered across the flanks of Mount Sharp and looked forward to the day when we could put the rover to work on them. We have visited so many of these wonders — valleys, river channels, lakebeds — and found a few that we were not expecting.
Since Sol 4600, we have been exploring the heart of one of these long-awaited wonders — the boxwork structures — to uncover what created this expansive network of ridges and hollows. Each stop along the traverse since then has been an exercise in systematic detective work.
APXS and ChemCam analyses from the center of a ridge, to its edges, and into its neighboring hollow looked for chemical variations that indicate what is holding the ridges together, making them higher than the hollows. Mastcam and ChemCam RMI imaging mapped the architecture of the ridges and hollows looking for structures that provide clues to their formation. Their imaging of more distant features such as the buttes that rise hundreds of meters on either side of the valley hosting the boxworks helped define the geologic context of the area. MAHLI imaging of ridge and hollow targets sought variations in grain size that might indicate how the boxwork bedrock was deposited. DAN surveyed the ground under the rover at every stop, measuring hydrogen (and thus assumed, water) content to see how it varies between ridges and hollows.
This week, the team ingested all the results from this thorough exploration to make a decision about our next drill site, where SAM and CheMin will have their chance to interrogate the boxworks. The rover will head north to the “Monte Grande” hollow in which we identified promising bedrock for sampling. Eventually, we will drill a ridge but that is for a future blog. Comparing the mineralogy, volatile content, and organic chemistry of the ridges and hollows will give us our most detailed insight into how the boxworks formed.
REMS and RAD do not particularly care if they are parked over a ridge or hollow, as the sky above is their domain. Both instruments kept their steady watch on the weather — Martian and space, respectively. Navcam and Mastcam helped with the environmental watch by measuring dust in the atmosphere, looking for dust devils, and capturing the last of the cloudy season.
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A Robotic Helping Hand
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim took this photo on July 23, 2025, as the International Space Station orbited 259 miles above a cloudy Pacific Ocean southwest of Mexico. Visible in the image is the 57.7-foot-long Canadarm2 robotic arm, which extends from a data grapple fixture on the International Space Station’s Harmony module. Attached to its latching end effector is Dextre, the station’s fine-tuned robotic hand designed for delicate external maintenance tasks. Station crew use Canadarm2 to perform maintenance tasks, capture visiting spacecraft, and move supplies, equipment, and even astronauts.
On Nov. 2, 2025, the space station reached 25 years of continuous human presence. The orbital lab remains a training and proving ground for deep space missions, enabling NASA to focus on Artemis missions to the Moon and Mars.
Image credit: NASA/Jonny Kim
A Stranger in Our Midst?
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Written by Candice Bedford, Research Scientist at Purdue University
Oct. 1, 2025
During the rover’s recent investigation of the bedrock at “Vernodden,” Perseverance encountered an unusually shaped rock about 80 centimeters across (about 31 inches) called “Phippsaksla.” This rock was identified as a target of interest based on its sculpted, high-standing appearance that differed from that of the low-lying, flat and fragmented surrounding rocks. Last week, Perseverance targeted Phippsaksla with the SuperCam instrument revealing that it is high in iron and nickel. This element combination is usually associated with iron-nickel meteorites formed in the core of large asteroids, suggesting that this rock formed elsewhere in the solar system.
NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image of the unusually shaped rock, “Phippsaksla,” in the distance at upper left, which is suspected to be a meteorite because of its high iron and nickel content. Perseverance captured the image using its Left Mastcam-Z camera, one of a pair of cameras located high on the rover’s mast, on Sept. 2, 2025 — Sol 1612, or Martian day 1,612 of the Mars 2020 mission — at the local mean solar time of 12:45:41. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASUThis is not the first time a rover has encountered an exotic rock on Mars. The Curiosity rover has identified many iron-nickel meteorites across its traverse in Gale crater including the 1-meter wide (about 39 inches) “Lebanon” meteorite back in 2014 and the “Cacao” meteorite spotted in 2023. Both Mars Exploration Rovers, Opportunity and Spirit, also found iron-nickel meteorites during their missions. As such, it has been somewhat unexpected that Perseverance had not seen iron-nickel meteorites within Jezero crater, particularly given its similar age to Gale crater and number of smaller impact craters suggesting that meteorites did fall on the crater floor, delta, and crater rim throughout time. Now, on the outside of the crater, atop bedrock known to have formed from impact processes in the past, Perseverance has potentially found one. Due to the exotic composition of this rock, more investigation by the team needs to be done to confirm its status as a meteorite. But if this rock is deemed to be a meteorite Perseverance can at long last add itself to the list of Mars rovers who have investigated the fragments of rocky visitors to Mars.
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NASA Patent Remix Challenge
NASA’s Technology Transfer Office invites entrepreneurs, innovators, and creative thinkers to apply NASA’s patented technologies to practical applications. Participants will select an existing NASA patent and develop a business or product concept that will be evaluated based on value proposition, business model viability, development feasibility, and quality of presentation. Entries should clearly demonstrate creativity, feasibility, and a compelling rationale for how the concept could create real-world impact.
Award: $13,000 in total prizes
Open Date: October 6, 2025
Close Date: December 15, 2025
For more information, visit: https://nasapatentremixchallenge.org/
