Latest published articles from SpaceOne Times.
Dwarf Planets
A new EGU General Assembly 2026 study revisits the crater-based age of Cerealia Facula, the bright deposit inside Occator Crater on dwarf planet Ceres. Using high-resolution Dawn XMO7 imagery and improved crater counts, researchers estimate that the deposit is younger than the Occator impact and most likely formed within the single-digit million-year range, though model ages vary widely depending on chronology assumptions.
Meteorites
A new study suggests that carbon-rich meteorites may not actually experience fewer impacts than ordinary chondrites. Instead, impact-generated chemical reactions involving organic material can erase evidence of intense shock by producing hot gases that eject the most heavily shocked material into space. The findings provide a new explanation for a long-standing mystery in planetary science and suggest that the dwarf planet Ceres may preserve a record of these ancient collisions.
Kuiper Belt
New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope have uncovered distinct compositional groups among trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) in the Kuiper Belt. Researchers found evidence that some of these icy worlds retain signatures of methanol, water ice, carbon dioxide, and complex organic compounds, while others appear to have undergone very different evolutionary histories. The findings provide new clues about the chemistry of the early solar system and the processes that shaped distant planetary building blocks.
Exoplanets
A new Science study using gravitational microlensing suggests that super-Earth exoplanets may be common on wide, Jupiter-like orbits around other stars. The researchers estimate there are about 0.35 such planets per star and argue the data are best explained by a bimodal population, with one peak for super-Earths and another for gas giants. This result adds an important piece to the broader picture of how planetary systems form and evolve.
Space Weather
Researchers have reported the longest-known hectometric Type IV solar radio burst, lasting nearly 19 days between August and September 2025. Observed by multiple spacecraft across the inner Solar System, the event appears to have originated from a long-lived reservoir of energetic electrons trapped within large-scale solar magnetic structures. The findings provide new insights into solar radio emissions, coronal magnetic environments, and future space weather forecasting techniques.
Space Weather
NASA’s Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (EZIE) mission has officially begun its 16-month science campaign after successfully completing initial spacecraft checkouts in orbit. The three-satellite mission will provide the first dedicated space-based observations of auroral electrojets, powerful electric currents linked to geomagnetic storms and space weather. Scientists hope the data will improve understanding of how solar activity affects Earth’s atmosphere, technology, and critical infrastructure.
NASA Missions
NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft is preparing to break the sound barrier for the first time as part of its Quesst mission. The upcoming flight campaign will test the aircraft at mission-design speeds and altitudes, bringing NASA closer to demonstrating a quieter alternative to traditional sonic booms and gathering data that could help shape the future of commercial supersonic travel.
Asteroid Missions
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is set to perform a close flyby of Mars, using the planet’s gravity to adjust its trajectory and gain speed on its journey to the metal-rich asteroid Psyche. The encounter will also provide a valuable opportunity to calibrate the spacecraft’s science instruments and collect observations of Mars before the mission arrives at its destination in 2029.
Space Habitats
A new study has used Earth-based extreme-environment buildings to identify geometric design principles that could help reduce maintenance and resupply demands for future Mars habitats. Researchers found that certain combinations of shape, footprint, and aspect ratio consistently delivered better long-term performance, offering a potential design framework for future Martian settlements.
Mars
A new study of scarp-fronted deposits in Southeast Coprates Chasma suggests that parts of Valles Marineris may preserve evidence of an ancient Martian shoreline. Using high-resolution orbital images and elevation models, researchers interpret the deposits as fan deltas formed when flowing water entered a standing body of water. The findings point to a possible water-level highstand between the Late Hesperian and Early Amazonian, a period relevant to Mars’ past habitability.
Space AI
Researchers have used a lightweight machine-learning model called YOLO-ETA to identify candidate artefacts near the long-uncertain Luna 9 landing area on the Moon. The detections are not confirmed proof of the spacecraft’s location, but repeated matches in Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter imagery make the site a strong target for follow-up observations.
Space Infrastructure
Researchers have introduced a computational framework for continuously reprogramming Totimorphic lattices, a class of neutrally stable mechanical structures. Simulations show how these lattices could tune material behaviour, deploy into large surfaces, adjust telescope mirror focal length, and partly compensate for damage in space systems.
Lunar Bases
A new study in npj Space Exploration presents a computational design method for building lunar infrastructure with unprocessed stones found on the Moon. The method uses robotic planning, 3D digital stone models and stability simulations to assemble arches, domes and walls while reducing the need for energy-intensive regolith processing. A laboratory wall-building experiment achieved a 95% robotic placement success rate, showing promise for future lunar construction systems.
Moon
A new study in npj Space Exploration examines how impacts may disturb, bury, or redistribute water ice in the Moon’s permanently shadowed south polar regions. Using crater mapping and impact simulations, researchers estimate that around 24 million small craters may exist within key lunar polar cold traps.
Space AI
A 2026 study in npj Space Exploration presents a deep-learning framework for detecting and classifying impact craters on the Moon and Mars. The research compares YOLO, CNN and ResNet-50 models, showing that each performs differently depending on crater size and dataset balance.