Japan’s space agency, JAXA, has been knocking it out of the park with small-body exploration missions for decades. They had historic successes with both Hayabusa and Hayabusa2, and they are going to visit the Martian Moons soon with the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission. But after that, they are aiming for something much more pristine and arguably more difficult - a comet. The Next Generation Small-Body Return (NGSR) was recently described in a paper at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC), and is under assessment as a large-class mission for the 2030s.
Space News & Blog Articles
Tune into the SpaceZE News Network to stay updated on industry news from around the world.
Moon milestones: A rundown of Artemis 2's many spaceflight firsts
You've probably heard it by now: NASA’s Artemis 2 mission was the first to launch astronauts to fly by the moon in more than 50 years. But that was just the first of the firsts for this mission.
'This is really big stuff.' Trump hails NASA Artemis 2 astronauts after historic moon flyby feat
President Donald Trump on Monday night (April 6) hailed the courage and grit of NASA's Artemis 2 astronauts after their historic flyby around the moon.
Artemis 2 astronauts fly around the moon in record-breaking lunar loop by NASA
NASA's Artemis 2 astronauts viewed parts of the moon never before seen with human eyes during their epic lunar flyby today (April 6) —and set a spaceflight record in the process.
Moon music: Here's a Spotify playlist of the Artemis 2 crew's wakeup songs
Artemis 2 wake-up songs are mission control's way of starting the crew's day off with positivity. Here's the Spotify playlist.
Moon memorial: Artemis 2 astronauts name lunar 'bright spot' after mission commander's late wife
As they broke the record for farthest distance from Earth ever traveled by an astronaut, NASA's Artemis 2 crew took a moment to dedicate a few features on the moon's surface for their spacecraft and lost loved ones.
Cycles of the Moon
The Moon's appearance in the sky changes over the course of about a month. These changes are known as the lunar phases or cycles of the moon. These phases are the result of the changing angles at which we view the Moon's illuminated surface as the Moon orbits the Earth.
Artemis 2 breaks humanity's all-time distance record during historic loop around the moon (video)
NASA's Artemis 2 astronauts have now traveled farther from Earth than any people in history, breaking the mark set by the Apollo 13 crew in April 1970.
Blue Origin Plans A Pair Of Low-Flying Prospectors Around The Lunar South Pole
The water locked up in the Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs) of the Moon’s south pole is a critical resource if we are ever going to get a permanent lunar presence off the ground. But while we know the water ice there exists, we don’t really know how much. We have to move from general estimates to mineable-scale prospecting data. That is what Oasis-1, the newly proposed lunar prospecting mission from Blue Origin that was recently introduced at the 2026 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) is meant to do.
When Astronomy Is In Your Blood
A glimpse of a stellar cluster ties generations together.
'Maul – Shadow Lord' is the darkest and most focused animated 'Star Wars' show yet
Darth Maul's own series instantly sets itself apart from its relatives with a killer pitch, but it suffers from familiar debut season frustrations.
The moon up close: How the Artemis 2 astronauts are photographing their historic lunar flyby
The Artemis 2 astronauts might be the first humans to survey certain areas of the moon's far side, and they're chronicling their historic journey in detail.
Deja vu: Trump proposes cutting NASA science funding by 47% again
NASA faces the possibility of steep cuts again as the FY 2027 budget request proposes a 23% reduction in overall funding and a 47% cut to science programs.
Astronaut Victor Glover is the latest in a long line of Black American explorers − including York, the enslaved man who played a key role in the Lewis and Clark expedition
Glover's achievement is worth celebrating. But it's also worth remembering that he belongs to a long and underappreciated history.
NASA Artemis 2 astronauts to make historic moon flyby today. Here's what to expect hour by hour (timeline)
NASA's Artemis 2 astronauts will make a historic moon flyby today (April 6). Here's how it will happen, hour by hour.
Humanity is back at the moon! Artemis 2 astronauts arrive in lunar space
The four astronauts of NASA's Artemis 2 mission have arrived at the moon. They entered the lunar sphere of influence early Monday morning (April 6).
JWST Spies Once-hidden Treasures in the W51 Starbirth Crèche
Star formation is a dramatic and complex process that erupts throughout the Universe. Yet, a lot of that action gets hidden by clouds of gas and dust. That's where observatories such as the James Webb Telescope JWST and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) come in handy. They use infrared light and radio waves respectively, to pierce the veil surrounding the process of starbirth.
When the moon hits your eye from your Orion ship up high, that's a 'mare' for Artemis 2
The four Artemis 2 astronauts had a chance to observe the moon this weekend, and to say they were thrilled may be an understatement of cosmic proportions.
Artemis astronauts send down Easter message, prep for lunar fly around Monday
Artemis 2 commander Reid Wiseman gazes out of an Orion spacecraft cabin window, looking back at Earth, as the crew travels towards the Moon. Image: NASA.
Taking time out to send Easter greetings down to Earth, the four Artemis 2 astronauts closed in on the moon Sunday, already seeing unexpected detail on the surface and giving scientists a taste of things to come during a pass over the lunar far side Monday evening.
Artemis II Mission Shares New Photo of Earth
On April 1st, 2026, the Artemis II mission launched from Earth, carrying its four-person crew on a journey that will take them around the Moon. Since then, mission control has performed the Trans-Lunar Injection (TLI), while the crew has been performing proximity operations, testing flight instruments, and troubleshooting the Orion's systems (including the zero-g toilet). They've also taken the time to snap some candid photos of Earth to show how far they've traveled.
Artemis 2 astronauts are about to see one of the rarest skywatching sights of all — a solar eclipse from beyond the moon
The four Artemis 2 astronauts will see a solar eclipse from beyond the moon's far side on Monday evening (April 6), and they'll use the opportunity to make some science observations.
