Feed aggregator

Astronomers discovered a cloud of hydrogen gas that’s devoid of stars. Held together by an invisible halo of dark matter, the starless cloud may elucidate its nature.

The post Starless Gas Cloud Might Harbor Dark Matter appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

1 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The primary structure of Gateway’s Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) undergoing assembly, integration, and testing at Lanteris Space Systems in Palo Alto, California, on September 29, 2025. Lanteris Space Systems

Development continues on NASA’s Power and Propulsion Element, a solar electric propulsion spacecraft designed to provide power for Gateway in lunar orbit.

Able to generate 60 kilowatts of power, the element was successfully powered on earlier last year. The milestone demonstrates the element can provide the spacecraft with power, high-rate communications, attitude control, as well as the ability to maintain and maneuver between orbits.

The Power and Propulsion Element is managed by NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and built by industry partner Lanteris Space Systems in Palo Alto, California, where teams have secured the element’s main electrical system inside protective exterior panels. On deck for installation at Lanteris Space Systems are three 12-kilowatt advanced electric propulsion system thrusters, manufactured by L3Harris, and four 6-kilowatt Busek-built BHT-6000 thrusters. The roll-out solar arrays for Gateway are complete and moving through testing at Redwire’s facility in Goleta, California.

For more information about NASA’s lunar exploration missions, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis

Share

Details Last Updated Jan 08, 2026 ContactJacqueline Minerdjacqueline.minerd@nasa.govLocationGlenn Research Center Related Terms

• Glenn Research Center
• Artemis
• Gateway Program
• Gateway Space Station
• Johnson Space Center

Explore More 3 min read Lunar Space Station Module for NASA’s Artemis Campaign to Begin Final Outfitting Article 9 months ago 2 min read Gateway Tops Off

Gateway’s Power and Propulsion Element is now equipped with its xenon and liquid fuel tanks.

Article 1 year ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA

Missions

Humans in Space

Climate Change

Solar System

1 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The primary structure of Gateway’s Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) undergoing assembly, integration, and testing at Lanteris Space Systems in Palo Alto, California, on September 29, 2025. Lanteris Space Systems

Development continues on NASA’s Power and Propulsion Element, a solar electric propulsion spacecraft designed to provide power for Gateway in lunar orbit.

Able to generate 60 kilowatts of power, the element was successfully powered on earlier last year. The milestone demonstrates the element can provide the spacecraft with power, high-rate communications, attitude control, as well as the ability to maintain and maneuver between orbits.

The Power and Propulsion Element is managed by NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and built by industry partner Lanteris Space Systems in Palo Alto, California, where teams have secured the element’s main electrical system inside protective exterior panels. On deck for installation at Lanteris Space Systems are three 12-kilowatt advanced electric propulsion system thrusters, manufactured by L3Harris, and four 6-kilowatt Busek-built BHT-6000 thrusters. The roll-out solar arrays for Gateway are complete and moving through testing at Redwire’s facility in Goleta, California.

For more information about NASA’s lunar exploration missions, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis

Share

Details Last Updated Jan 08, 2026 ContactJacqueline Minerdjacqueline.minerd@nasa.govLocationGlenn Research Center Related Terms

• Glenn Research Center
• Artemis
• Gateway Program
• Gateway Space Station
• Johnson Space Center

Explore More 3 min read Lunar Space Station Module for NASA’s Artemis Campaign to Begin Final Outfitting Article 9 months ago 2 min read Gateway Tops Off

Gateway’s Power and Propulsion Element is now equipped with its xenon and liquid fuel tanks.

Article 1 year ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA

Missions

Humans in Space

Climate Change

Solar System

A preliminary analysis suggests that industrially useful quantum computers designs come with a broad spectrum of energy footprints, including some larger than the most powerful existing supercomputers

A preliminary analysis suggests that industrially useful quantum computers designs come with a broad spectrum of energy footprints, including some larger than the most powerful existing supercomputers

This newly discovered Iron Age instrument may have been played in the Celtic resistance against the Roman Empire

This year's funding for the Mars Sample Return mission has been cut. It seems unlikely that the mission will be revived in the coming years, barring some unforeseen development. This isn't a surprising development, so maybe NASA has some contingency plans.

In the latest effort to undermine climate action, President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, which underpins global efforts to address rising temperatures

Satellite photos show meltwater on the surface of iceberg A23a collecting in an unusual way, which may be a sign that the huge berg is about to break apart

Satellite photos show meltwater on the surface of iceberg A23a collecting in an unusual way, which may be a sign that the huge berg is about to break apart

Observers across America may witness a special transit and shadow event of Jupiter’s moon on opposition day.

The post An extremely rare Callisto event on January 10th appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

A man’s severe reaction to a tattoo, which made all his hair fall out and destroyed his sweat glands, has reignited concerns about the immune effects of some tattoo inks

A man’s severe reaction to a tattoo, which made all his hair fall out and destroyed his sweat glands, has reignited concerns about the immune effects of some tattoo inks

In 2011, on January 20,

Sea anemones and jellyfish don’t have brains, but the way their neurons behave during sleep shows some surprising similarities to humans

Video: 01:30:00

Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency, briefed journalists on the main milestones for 2026, such as the launch of Smile, a mission that will give humankind its first complete look at how Earth reacts to streams of particles and bursts of radiation from the Sun. Later in 2026 should also see the arrival of BepiColombo at Mercury after its eight-year trip, where it will gather data to answer many perplexing questions about the least-explored planet of the inner Solar System. Many more exciting missions are expected, with ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot launching for the International Space Station, and various Earth Observation and Navigation launches from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

Download the press briefing slides

Video: 00:06:21

As a new year begins, let’s take a look at what’s ahead for the European Space Agency in 2026. From Earth to the farthest reaches of the Solar System, 2026 marks a year of firsts that continue to shape the future of space.

The European Space Agency (ESA) and Playmobil are expanding their successful partnership with a brand-new collection of space-themed toys, bringing a distinctly European vision of Mars exploration into the hands of young explorers.

Often called Earth’s green lungs, tropical forests pull down massive amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, release oxygen and help regulate the global climate. While the threat of large-scale deforestation is well known, new findings reveal a surprising culprit – the clearance of small areas of forest accounts for more than half of net carbon losses across the Tropics.

Earth Observatory

1. Science
2. Earth Observatory
3. Meltwater Turns Iceberg A-23A…

• Earth
• Earth Observatory
• Image of the Day
• EO Explorer
• Topics
• More Content
• About