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Stories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Chang’e-4 Successfully Enters Lunar Orbit
Following a 4.6-day cruise, on 12 December at 8:45 Beijing time (16:45 UTC), the spacecraft arrived in lunar orbit, preparing for a landing in early January.
Mastcam-Z Flight Hardware!
After a more-than-four-year adventure, the flight Mars 2020 rover Mastcam-Z cameras have been fully assembled!
Curiosity Update, Sols 2163-2256: Hard Times Atop Vera Rubin Ridge
Just after a failed drill attempt at Inverness, Curiosity suffered a serious computer problem. The mission has now recovered by switching computers, and has successfully drilled at Highfield. One last drill site in
News brief: Voyager 2 has passed beyond the heliopause
Voyager 2 is now outside the reach of the solar wind, traveling in the interstellar medium. Unlike Voyager 1, Voyager 2 has a working plasma spectrometer so will be doing exciting new science. It is expected to last another 5 to 10 years, though not with all instruments operating.
News brief: OSIRIS-REx finds water on Bennu
OSIRIS-REx team members held a press briefing today at the 2018 American Geophysical Union meeting, and announced that the mission has already found water on asteroid Bennu.
Liftoff for Chang'e-4!
At 02:22 local time 8 December (18:22 on 7 December UTC), a Long March 3B lifted off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, carrying the Chang'e-4 lander and rover toward the Moon.
Station crew launches safely for first time since Soyuz accident
NASA's Anne McClain, Canada's David Saint-Jacques, and Russia's Oleg Kononenko are on their way to the ISS.
"We have arrived!" OSIRIS-REx is officially at asteroid Bennu
After a 2-billion-kilometer journey that began in September 2016, NASA's OSIRS-REx spacecraft has arrived at Bennu.
The Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Team Continues Search for Opportunity’s Signal as Windy Season Begins
The longest-lived Martian explorer remained silent in November, presumably still sleeping at her site halfway down Perseverance Valley, along the western rim of Endeavour Crater.
After the Success of InSight, It’s Time for NASA to Commit to Mars Sample Return
In the brief period of public and political goodwill generated by NASA's latest success at the Red Planet, now is the time to secure a commitment for the next steps at Mars: sample return.
New Cameras on Mars!
There was jubilation when InSight landed, but I'm just as happy to be writing about a distinct InSight event: The flow of raw images sent from Mars, straight to the Web, has begun.
InSight has landed (UPDATED)
InSight touched down on Mars today, bringing NASA's total of successful Mars landers to 8 and total number of active NASA Mars missions to 6.
Gift Ideas From Space Enthusiasts For Space Enthusiasts
We’ve rounded up some space gift ideas and recommendations from several of our staff to help bring some of the cosmos into your holidays.
This Thanksgiving, avoid the politics and talk space instead
If you're expecting to gather with extended family on Thanksgiving, avoid the politics. Here are some conversation starters to use at the dinner table that everyone can engage in.
Here's where China is looking to land its 2020 Mars rover
NASA's Mars 2020 rover isn't the only spacecraft heading to Mars in two years.
We're going to Jezero!
NASA announced this morning the selection of Jezero crater for the landing site of the Mars 2020 mission. Jezero is a 45-kilometer-wide crater that once held a lake, and now holds a spectacular ancient river delta.
NASA's Orion spacecraft makes progress, but are the agency's lunar plans on track?
Orion's service module arrived in Florida, but some space industry experts question whether NASA's human spaceflight plans are realistic.
When Space Science Becomes a Political Liability
John Culberson, an 8-term Texas Republican and staunch supporter the search for life on Europa, lost his re-election bid last week. His support for Europa was attacked by opponents and could send a chilling political message about the consequences of supporting space science and exploration.
Hayabusa2 prepares for holiday break as Sun passes between Earth and asteroid Ryugu
The spacecraft will spend the end of 2018 a safe distance from Ryugu, as the Sun's position makes communications with Earth spotty.
Emily Lakdawalla's Recommended Space Books for Kids, 2018
Welcome to my 10th annual list of recommended space books for kids! Fiction, nonfiction, biography; poetry, prose, and pictures; it's all here.



Sun
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Small Bodies