Missions, launches, telescopes and discoveries beyond Earth.
A peer-reviewed PNAS study using NASA's Perseverance rover found Martian dust particles as small as about 100 nanometers clinging to spacesuit materials, with implications for crews.
NASA's Swift observatory has ended science operations after atmospheric drag pulled it below 171 miles. A commercial boost attempt failed, and re-entry is expected within weeks.
ESA's Euclid telescope has found its first previously unknown comet, C/2026 S1 (Euclid), in September images; the Minor Planet Center confirmed it on Oct. 8 after ground follow-up.
NASA has put more than 800 gigabytes of Artemis II lunar data in its public archive, including 11,000-plus images, and a preliminary report on impact flashes seen by the crew.
Four Crew-13 members docked at the space station on Oct. 1 after NASA's fastest U.S. launch-to-docking there, and began health studies as Crew-12 prepared to head home.
