Missions & Hardware Archives

Astronauts and Explorers, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, People Of Astrobiology, Tricorders & Sensors

Tricorder Tech: ESA CAVES 2026 Cavenauts Use An Electronic FieldBook

by Keith CowingJune 25, 2026June 26, 2026

Astronauts Tracy Dyson (NASA), Rosemary Coogan (ESA) and Ayu Yoneda (JAXA) measuring water parameters and recording them in the Electronic FieldBook during ESA CAVES2026 course.

Astrobiology and AI -- Grok via Astrobiology.com

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics

Astrobiology In The Time of Artificial Intelligence

by Keith CowingJune 24, 2026June 24, 2026

The Viking missions showcased multiple spaceflight technologies representing state-of-the-art capabilities: from digital line-scan imaging to the operation of complex onboard laboratories and software-controlled process autonomy.

Mars

Energy-Limited Radiolytic Habitability in the Shallow Martian Subsurface: Implications for ExoMars Rosalind Franklin and Tianwen-3

by Keith CowingJune 24, 2026June 24, 2026

The surface of Mars is sterilized by ionizing radiation and pervasive oxidants; its shallow subsurface, shielded from ultraviolet light and the most reactive oxidation, may instead preserve habitable conditions.

Tricorder prototype (Thricorder) built by Hamzah Abugosh -- PioteLabs

Tricorders & Sensors

How To Actually Build Your Own Working Tricorder

by Keith CowingJune 23, 2026June 26, 2026

Editor’s note: Hamzah Abugosh has built a functional tricorder. I share the same fascination he has with the notion of a Tricorder as seen on Star Trek since I was […]

The Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST) – CNSA/Xinhua

Astronomy & Telescopes

Introduction To The Chinese Space Station Survey Telescope (CSST)

by Keith CowingJune 23, 2026June 23, 2026

The Chinese Space Station Survey Telescope (CSST) is an upcoming Stage-IV sky survey telescope, distinguished by its large field of view (FoV), high image quality, and multi-band observation capabilities.

South polar stereographic projection of the Enceladus flybys for the Case 1 trajectory obtained in full fidelity and with all constraints. Numbered markers indicate each flyby and are placed at the point of closest approach, while the altitude evolution through the flyby hyperbola is mapped with a colorbar. -- Acta Astronautica

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Missions & Hardware, Sample Return, Status Report, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Trajectory Design For A Titan-Enceladus Plume Sampling Pseudo-orbiter Mission

by Keith CowingJune 21, 2026June 21, 2026

The exploration of the Saturnian system, and in particular the plumes and subsurface ocean of Enceladus, has been identified as a key science theme for ESA’s Voyage 2050 program.

Artemis & Lunar Exploration, Astrobiology (general), Career Opportunities, Conferences and Meetings, Missions & Hardware, Status Report

ESA Exploration Science Workshop 2026 – Early Career Researchers Abstract Submissions

by Keith CowingJune 21, 2026June 21, 2026

INFORMATION: ESA Exploration Science Workshop 2026 The European Space Agency is pleased to announce a Call for Abstracts for Early Career Researchers to submit abstracts to the ESA Exploration Science […]

ERNEST Rover during a test run -- NASA JPL

Exploration Gear & Tech, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Moon, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return

NASA Testing Advanced Capabilities For Moon And Mars Rovers

by Keith CowingJune 19, 2026June 19, 2026

A prototype rover built with a new design for tackling rugged terrain is helping teams refine capabilities that could one day be used on future lunar and Red Planet missions.

One-page summary of the WST Code of Conduct. Credit: Fatemeh Zahra Majidi, Charlotte Simmonds, Maria Cristina Fortuna and the WST EDI and Communication working groups.

Astronomy & Telescopes, Career Opportunities, Education and Outreach, Missions & Hardware, People Of Astrobiology, Status Report

Embedding Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the WST Collaboration

by Keith CowingJune 18, 2026June 18, 2026

The proposed Wide-field Spectroscopic Telescope (WST) is a next-generation telescope facility with a 12-meter primary mirror that may be operational in the 2040s.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announces a public-private partnership to advance Mars science during an event at Relativity Space on June 17, 2026. Credit: Relativity Space

Mars, Missions & Hardware, Policy, Press Release

NASA Announces Public-Private Partnership to Advance Mars Science

by Keith CowingJune 18, 2026June 18, 2026

NASA Wednesday announced a new public‑private partnership to advance Mars science by combining the agency’s scientific leadership with commercial innovation. Under this model, NASA will provide the Aeolus atmospheric‑science instrument […]