Ultra hot super Earth shows dense atmosphere over magma ocean
Sunday, 14 December 2025 02:47
A Carnegie-led team using NASAs James Webb Space Telescope has obtained the strongest evidence so far for an atmosphere around a rocky exoplanet, detecting a substantial gaseous envelope around the ultra-hot super-Earth TOI-561 b. The observations, reported in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, indicate that this ancient world is shrouded by a thick atmosphere above a global magma ocean.
T China launches carrier rocket to deploy experimental cargo ship and satellite
Sunday, 14 December 2025 02:47
China launched a Kuaizhou 11 carrier rocket on Saturday morning to deploy a privately developed experimental cargo ship and a satellite into space.
The rocket blasted off at 9:08 am at the Jiuquan Space Launch Center in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and soon placed the DEAR 5 ship and the Xiwang 5B satellite into their preset orbital position, according to China Aerospace Science an 
Why SpaceX IPO plan is generating so much buzz
Saturday, 13 December 2025 10:52Verifying that you are not a bot
Intuitive Machines and Telespazio to collaborate on lunar satellite networks
Friday, 12 December 2025 18:54
Intuitive Machines will work with Telespazio on their planned lunar satellite networks to ensure interoperability and improve performance.
China plans 2026 debut of new rocket for crewed lunar and LEO missions
Friday, 12 December 2025 16:38
Space Force Association unveils virtual ‘National Spacepower Center’ for education and wargaming
Friday, 12 December 2025 14:17
The initiative aims to educate policy makers on space as a warfighting domain
SpaceX launches 1st of 5 missions on tap in next 8 days on Florida's Space Coast
Friday, 12 December 2025 14:10Verifying that you are not a bot
Week in images: 08-12 December 2025
Friday, 12 December 2025 13:15
Week in images: 08-12 December 2025
Discover our week through the lens
Pablo Álvarez Fernández | Spacesuits, Survival & Spacewalk Dreams | ESA Explores #18
Friday, 12 December 2025 13:00
Video:
00:22:19
Step inside astronaut training with ESA astronaut Pablo Álvarez Fernández as he shares his training journey from Cologne in Germany to Houston in the US. Discover what it’s like to wear a 145 kg spacesuit underwater, train for emergencies like fires and ammonia leaks and prepare for the ultimate astronaut dream: a spacewalk. Plus, Pablo talks about life in Houston, teamwork under pressure and what’s next on his path to the stars.
This interview was recorded in December 2024.
You can listen to this episode on all major podcast platforms.
Keep exploring with ESA Explores!
XMM-Newton sees comet 3I/ATLAS in X-ray light
Friday, 12 December 2025 13:00
Image:
XMM-Newton sees comet 3I/ATLAS in X-ray light The European space industry’s big merger: lessons for emerging space nations
Friday, 12 December 2025 12:00
The Oct.
NASA advances heliophysics mission into next phase
Friday, 12 December 2025 11:40
NASA has selected a heliophysics mission to move into the next phase of development amid broader concerns about the state of the field.
Robotic welding project to prepare UK for in orbit repairs
Friday, 12 December 2025 10:24
Researchers at the University of Leicester are leading work to develop what they describe as the UKs first in space robotic welding capability, supported by new funding from the UK Space Agencys National Space Innovation Programme Call 2 for a project known as ISPARK, the Intelligent SPace Arc welding Robotic Kit.
The ISPARK programme, valued at 560,000 pounds including 485,000 pounds from Shaping quantum light expands options for future technologies
Friday, 12 December 2025 10:24
Researchers from the School of Physics at the University of the Witwatersrand, working with collaborators at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, report that controlling the structure of photons in space and time allows quantum states to be tailored for use in communication, sensing and imaging. The team focuses on structured photons, where spatial, temporal or spectral properties are delibera