![Example weighting functions for selected microwave frequencies (logarithmically spaced between 3 mm - 3 m) corresponding to the model atmospheres for Saturn (top) and Uranus (bottom) from Figure 1. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Microwave-Remote-.png?resize=1200%2C715&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.EP] Microwave radiometer instruments are uniquely capable of studying volatile element abundances and heat/mass transport within the deep atmospheres of giant planets.
mission
Posted inMissions & Hardware
Planetary Recon: Interworld Slingshot Resource Surveys
[NASA] This proposal explores a new class of reconnaissance spacecraft that map minerals from orbit using Raman spectroscopy during high-speed flybys–without landing, sample return, or extended dwell. Editor’s note: for […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
ESCAPE: A Small Explorer Mission To Study The Stellar Drivers Of Exoplanet Evolution
[astro-ph.EP] The long-term stability of exoplanetary atmospheres depends critically on the extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) photon and high-energy particle fluxes from the host star, which are poorly constrained.
Posted inMars
IMPRESS: A Planetary Penetrator Network for Astrobiology, Prospecting, and Exploration of Mars
[Astrobiology (Journal)] The International Mars Prospecting Ride-Share System (IMPRESS) is presented here as a scalable, democratized, and low-cost mission architecture for distributed measurements on the martian surface and in the […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Ice Giant, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Status Report, Uranus
Uranus Orbiter and Probe: Mission Challenges and Concept Updates Since the Origins, Worlds, and Life Decadal Survey
Origins, Worlds, and Life: Planetary Science and Astrobiology in the Next Decade identified a Uranus Orbiter and Probe as the highest-priority strategic mission for the decade 2023–2032, as it enables […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Status Report
NASA Announcement of Opportunity Astrophysics Explorers Program 2026 Small Explorer (SMEX) Final Text Released
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) announces the release of an Announcement of Opportunity (AO) to solicit Principal Investigator (PI)-led space science investigations for the […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Europa, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Probing The Habitability Of Potential Sulfuric Acid Rich Subsurface Lakes In Europa’s Ice Shell Via Saci/STIV Integrated Models
Experimentally modeling the habitability of extreme ocean world conditions, such as those on Jupiter’s moon: Europa, would benefit from integrated microbe-virus model studies to provide both a microbial model and […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Commercial & Private Sector, Cubesats and smallsats, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Radiation, Space Life Science, Status Report
Development and Demonstration of a Modular Astrobiological Experiments (MAEx) Payload for Autonomous Biological Monitoring in Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
The spaceflight environment presents unique physicochemical conditions, including microgravity, ionizing radiation, altered fluid transport, and confined engineered habitats, which influence biological systems and biomolecular assembly processes.
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Microgravity, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report
Offworld Science Droids: A Review Maps Key Technologies For Small-body Sampling Robots
Unlike planetary rovers operating on the Moon or Mars, robots working on asteroids and comets must interact with surfaces where gravity is extremely weak, terrain is highly irregular, and material […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Comets and Asteroids, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Planetary Exploration 3.0: A Roadmap for Software-Defined, Radically Adaptive Space Systems
The surface and subsurface of worlds beyond Mars remain largely unexplored. Yet these worlds hold keys to fundamental questions in planetary science – from potentially habitable subsurface oceans on icy […]