Get the appAstronomers are divided over the James Webb Telescope's tiny red dots, which appear across its images. Some researchers suspect the objects may be giant stars that contain black holes at their centres, though no consensus has been reached.
Critics fear Australia could miss its chance to send its first nationally flagged astronaut into space. Katherine Bennell-Pegg was offered a seat on a 2028 European Space Agency mission. The federal government has made a funding offer, but its value has not been disclosed. It is understood the offer falls well short of the estimated $100 million needed. Science Minister Tim Ayres said the offer balances budget pressures. South Australia was among a small number of states to contribute funding.
The federal government has submitted a final bid to the European Space Agency to send Australian of the Year Katherine Bennell-Pegg to the International Space Station. If the agency accepts, she would become the first person to formally represent Australia on a space agency mission. Science Minister Tim Ayres said the government was grateful for the opportunity but must manage costs carefully. Philanthropists have committed over $6 million in cash and in-kind support, and the industry-led flyKatherine campaign has reportedly reached $25 million. South Australia is the only state to publicly confirm financial support.
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Get the appThe University of Tasmania will help Australia track satellites, space debris and other hazards. It is one of three university partners in a new five-year ARC Training Centre worth $5 million. The centre will bring PhD candidates and a postdoctoral researcher to Tasmania and help build mission-control capability for space-monitoring operations.
Swiss watchmaker Bell & Ross has unveiled the BR-03 Space Mission, a limited edition of 999 pieces priced at AUD $7,800 in Australia. The 41mm black ceramic watch uses a miniature spacecraft, based on a Dassault Aviation concept called the Vortex, to show the minutes. A rotating disc carrying Earth and the Moon shows the hours. The watch has a 54-hour power reserve and is due for delivery in mid-November.
Japan has launched a robotic mission to bring back samples from Phobos, the largest moon of Mars. The five-year Martian Moons eXploration mission, known as MMX, lifted off from Tanegashima Space Center on an H3 rocket. The spacecraft is planned to attempt up to two landings on Phobos in 2029, using a coring drill and a gas-powered sampler to collect at least 10 grams of material. A sample return capsule is due to land in South Australia in 2031. Scientists hope the samples will reveal whether Phobos is a captured asteroid or debris from a collision involving Mars.
South Australia will support a proposed mission to send Australian of the Year Katherine Bennell-Pegg to the International Space Station, despite most other states and territories declining to fund the venture. South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said his government would make a contribution to the national endeavour. The federal government has asked states and territories to help fund Ms Bennell-Pegg joining a European Space Agency mission before the end of the decade, which includes specialised training in Germany and the United States.
Japan has launched an international mission to collect sand and rock from Phobos, one of Mars's moons, for the first time. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency leads the mission, which aims to study how Mars and its moons formed. The spacecraft is set to reach Mars in 2027 and attempt two soft landings to collect at least 10 grams of sand. After the samples return to Earth, a capsule is expected to land in Woomera, in South Australia, where the sand sample will be retrieved. Australia's ambassador to Japan attended the launch.
A Chinese Zhuque-2E rocket's upper stage, measuring 3.35 metres in diameter, re-entered Earth's atmosphere and landed in a Minnesota cornfield on September 15. The stage, which had deployed 10 satellites for China's Qianfan communications network, was intended to deorbit over the ocean, raising concerns about China's space debris management. This incident follows a previous Zhuque-2E upper stage breakup in June, which left debris in a busy low-Earth orbit. LandSpace, the rocket's manufacturer, has not commented on the event. The rocket's trajectory took it from China, over Antarctica, and then north over the Americas before re-entry.
The headline points to an interview with an Artemis III scientist about what people can expect from NASA's next lunar mission. The text supplied, however, offers no details from that conversation. Instead it contains promotional material: a feature on a woman who fought back against a harmful online network, a newsletter invitation covering digital security, and a biography of contributor Jorge Garay, who writes about technology, cybersecurity and social media. Because nothing in this text describes the mission's timeline, objectives or the scientist's views, no reliable account of Artemis III can be drawn from it.
SpaceX has applied to the US Federal Communications Commission to launch and operate up to one million satellites as orbiting data centres. The filing has been accepted for public comment but is not approval to deploy. Astronomers warn the satellites could fill the night sky with moving lights and disrupt telescope observations. The American Astronomical Society has asked regulators to deny the application. Western Australian photographer John Goldsmith is among those opposing the plan, arguing that communities worldwide should have a say in changes to the sky.
The federal government has 24 hours to decide whether to accept an offer from the European Space Agency to send Australian of the Year Katherine Bennell-Pegg to the International Space Station. The mission, estimated to cost $100 million, requires financial support from states and private donors. South Australia has committed funds, and advocates hope the mission will inspire young people to pursue STEM careers and boost Australia's space sector.
Rama Afullo, a Kenyan American engineer, founded Satlyt after Google and SpaceX rejected his proposal for orbital data centers. Satlyt's software, set to launch on a SpaceX rocket, will enable satellites to share large computing jobs. The company has raised $8 million and aims to operate AI models on satellites, potentially saving costs by reducing data transmission to Earth. Satlyt's software will be tested on a spacecraft built by Indian startup TakeMe2Space, with NASA and other customers involved in the mission.
NASA has released 800 gigabytes of Artemis II mission data, including 11,000 images, videos, and astronaut notes. The agency says it is the first planetary science data collected by humans outside Earth in over 50 years. Researchers can access the data to study the moon's surface, meteoroid impacts, and lunar regions. NASA also published three reports summarising the mission's findings.
The author reflects on their experiences observing the Milky Way in remote Australia, contrasting the wonder of space with its increasing commercialisation and militarisation. The space sector is now dominated by a small group of powerful men, leading to concerns about the future of space exploration and its implications for humanity. The author argues that space should be a global commons, but it is increasingly becoming a battleground for power and wealth, with significant implications for all of humanity.
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Get the appAmazon has built its 1,000th satellite for its Leo broadband internet project, aiming to launch commercial service by the end of the year. The company is preparing to compete with SpaceX's Starlink, with plans to offer higher performance and security. Amazon's satellites will be launched on Vulcan rockets, with the first mission expected in the coming weeks. The company has already signed contracts with businesses, including Delta Airlines, and plans to expand its service to consumers.
Four NASA Crew-12 astronauts have returned to Earth after 237 days on the International Space Station. Their SpaceX Dragon capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. The crew, from the United States, France and Russia, carried out research aimed at future Moon and Mars missions. Their work included studies of pneumonia-causing bacteria and plant health in space. Crew-13 arrived at the station on October 1 to take over the work.
Australia’s first lunar rover, the suitcase-sized ‘Roo-ver’, has undergone testing at Queensland University of Technology’s Brisbane campus to prepare for space conditions. The 20kg rover will weigh just 3kg on the moon, where it will operate autonomously for one lunar day. The project is part of Australia’s $42 million contribution to NASA’s Artemis program, aiming to establish a sustainable lunar presence and advance space exploration capabilities.
NASA's Curiosity rover has captured a striking image of dawn on Mars, showing sunlight bathing jagged crags formed billions of years ago. The rover, which landed in 2012, has been climbing Mount Sharp, a 5-kilometre-tall mountain in Gale Crater. The image, taken in August, reveals a rock layer that scientists believe was once wind-blown sediment, possibly from nearby volcanic activity. Curiosity has been studying the geology and climate of Mars and examining whether it once harboured conditions conducive to microbial life.
NASA is prioritising international space partnerships that offer 'good deals' for the US. The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, led by the European Space Agency (ESA) with US contributions, is one such collaboration. NASA will provide laser transmitters, telescopes, and data analysis support, while ESA builds, launches, and operates the spacecraft. The mission aims to detect gravitational waves from cosmic events, with launch scheduled for 2035. NASA's participation has faced budgetary uncertainty, but Congress has restored funding. The mission is expected to cost around $1 billion for NASA, with ESA's budget at 1.75 billion euros.