Space Exploration 21 January 2026 - 10 February 2026

SpaceX Crew-12 launch speeds to ISS, refilling station after NASA medical evacuation
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SpaceX Crew-12 launch speeds to ISS, refilling station after NASA medical evacuation

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launched four astronauts toward the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral at 5:15 a.m. Friday. Crew Dragon “Freedom” is scheduled to dock Saturday afternoon, restoring the station’s seven-person crew. The eight-month mission will focus on medical and technology research. The Falcon 9 booster landed back at Cape Canaveral after launch.
February 13, 2026
Hidden tunnel on Venus? Old Magellan radar points to a giant lava tube
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Hidden tunnel on Venus? Old Magellan radar points to a giant lava tube

Reprocessed Magellan radar data has revealed a vast hollow lava tube beneath Venus’s Nyx Mons volcano, scientists reported Monday. The cavity measures about 1 km across and at least 375 meters high, marking the first subsurface feature detected on the planet. Researchers say future radar missions could confirm the finding and search for more underground structures.
February 10, 2026
This black hole ate a star — and it’s still belching a brighter jet years later
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This black hole ate a star — and it’s still belching a brighter jet years later

A supermassive black hole 665 million light-years away is blasting an unusually persistent, bright radio jet years after shredding a red dwarf star, astronomers reported Thursday. The jet, monitored by telescopes in New Mexico and South Africa, continues to intensify and may peak in late 2026 or 2027. Researchers say the delayed, powerful outburst defies typical patterns seen after such stellar disruptions.
February 5, 2026
Methane spotted on interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as new studies pin down its size
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Methane spotted on interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as new studies pin down its size

Scientists have directly detected methane in interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, using data from the James Webb and Hubble telescopes collected in December. The comet’s nucleus is estimated at 2.6 km wide, larger than expected. Both findings are detailed in new arXiv preprints as the comet dims and leaves the inner solar system. Only three interstellar objects have been confirmed in the solar system to date.
February 2, 2026
NASA’s Artemis II Countdown Hits Critical Stage With Key Fueling Rehearsal Set for Monday
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NASA’s Artemis II Countdown Hits Critical Stage With Key Fueling Rehearsal Set for Monday

NASA began a full countdown and fueling rehearsal for Artemis II at Kennedy Space Center on Monday, loading super-cold propellants into the moon rocket despite freezing temperatures. The test, required before setting a crewed launch date, simulates a launch day without ignition. Any issues could push the first crewed Artemis mission past its February 8–11 window. Four astronauts are slated to fly around the Moon.
February 2, 2026
Musk’s next mega-merger? SpaceX talks with xAI ahead of IPO plans
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Musk’s next mega-merger? SpaceX talks with xAI ahead of IPO plans

SpaceX and xAI are in merger talks ahead of a planned IPO, with xAI shares potentially exchanged for SpaceX shares, according to a source. Nevada filings show two entities tied to SpaceX CFO Bret Johnsen were set up January 21. Some xAI executives may receive cash instead of stock. SpaceX, recently valued near $800 billion, has secured banks for an IPO possibly this year.
January 29, 2026
Webb Breaks the Cosmic Distance Record With MoM-z14, Seen Just 280 Million Years After the Big Bang
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Webb Breaks the Cosmic Distance Record With MoM-z14, Seen Just 280 Million Years After the Big Bang

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has identified MoM-z14, the most distant galaxy yet confirmed, seen as it was 280 million years after the Big Bang. The agencies measured a redshift of 14.44, placing the galaxy at the edge of current observational limits. Researchers say MoM-z14 is part of a surprisingly bright group of early galaxies, challenging existing models of the universe’s first billion years.
January 29, 2026
NASA spots an “ice-cold Earth” exoplanet candidate in Kepler data — and it may sit near the habitable zone
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NASA spots an “ice-cold Earth” exoplanet candidate in Kepler data — and it may sit near the habitable zone

NASA-backed researchers detected a possible rocky planet, HD 137010 b, orbiting a star 146 light-years away using Kepler K2 data. The planet, slightly larger than Earth, completes an orbit in about a year and receives less than a third of Earth’s sunlight. Only one 10-hour transit was observed; confirmation will require more data. The candidate’s surface may be colder than Mars.
January 28, 2026
EU taps Ariane 6 for new Galileo launches as bloc pushes to cut SpaceX reliance
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EU taps Ariane 6 for new Galileo launches as bloc pushes to cut SpaceX reliance

The EU space agency signed a new contract with Arianespace to launch two second-generation Galileo satellites on Ariane 6, shifting away from recent reliance on SpaceX. The L18 mission will mark Ariane 6’s fifth Galileo flight, with the inaugural mission set for December 17, 2025. EU officials are pressing for greater autonomy in space launches. France’s space minister called for ending dependence on non-European suppliers.
January 28, 2026
AI tool AnomalyMatch combs Hubble archive, flags 1,300 cosmic anomalies — NASA, ESA
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AI tool AnomalyMatch combs Hubble archive, flags 1,300 cosmic anomalies — NASA, ESA

NASA said Tuesday that an AI tool scanned nearly 100 million Hubble image cutouts in 2.5 days, flagging over 1,300 unusual objects, with more than 800 never previously documented. Most anomalies were merging galaxies or gravitational lenses, but several dozen objects remain unclassified. NASA and ESA said similar AI tools could help process data from upcoming telescopes. The findings appeared in Astronomy & Astrophysics.
January 27, 2026
SpaceX GPS III-9 launch set for late Monday after Space Force swaps out ULA’s Vulcan
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SpaceX GPS III-9 launch set for late Monday after Space Force swaps out ULA’s Vulcan

SpaceX plans to launch the U.S. Space Force’s GPS III-9 satellite late Monday from Cape Canaveral after the military reassigned the mission from ULA’s Vulcan rocket. Liftoff is set for 11:42 p.m. EST, with weather and booster recovery conditions still uncertain. The Falcon 9 booster will attempt a droneship landing in the Atlantic. Lockheed Martin built the satellite, the ninth in the GPS III series.
January 26, 2026
Webb catches a baby Sun-like star making crystals — and blasting them toward comet territory
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Webb catches a baby Sun-like star making crystals — and blasting them toward comet territory

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope detected crystalline silicates forming near the young protostar EC 53 during its regular accretion bursts, according to a study in Nature. The crystals appear during rapid heating events and are likely pushed outward by stellar winds, but researchers have not directly observed them reaching the comet-forming outer disk.
January 22, 2026
NASA’s TESS pauses planet hunt to track interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as a rare alignment hits
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NASA’s TESS pauses planet hunt to track interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as a rare alignment hits

NASA has paused TESS’s exoplanet search to observe interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS from Jan. 15-22, aiming to capture data during a rare near-opposition alignment. The satellite is collecting images and target pixel files, with all data released immediately to the public. 3I/ATLAS is only the third known interstellar comet. NASA confirms it poses no threat to Earth.
January 22, 2026
NASA interrupts TESS survey to track interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as SPHEREx spots stronger gases
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NASA interrupts TESS survey to track interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as SPHEREx spots stronger gases

NASA redirected its TESS satellite to observe interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS from Jan. 15–22, interrupting its regular schedule. SPHEREx data show the comet’s activity surged after its October perihelion, with emissions of carbon monoxide, water vapor, cyanide, and organics increasing sharply. 3I/ATLAS, discovered in July 2025, is only the third known interstellar object. Data from the TESS campaign will be publicly released.
January 21, 2026
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