Festive light displays

Perseverance may have found a meteorite on Mars. NASA’s Perseverance rover has spotted an unusually shaped rock (pictured) that differs from the surrounding rocks. Further investigation revealed it to be rich in iron and nickel, suggesting it may be a meteorite originating from an asteroid core. If confirmed, this would be Perseverance’s first meteorite find since landing in 2021. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

The first private space telescope has launched. The U.K.-based company Blue Skies Space recently launched the first privately built space telescope, named Mauve. From an altitude of about 500 kilometers (310 miles), Mauve will observe ultraviolet radiation to help astronomers determine which stars might host habitable planets.

A Hong Kong mission aims to study lunar bombardment. The proposed Yueshan lunar orbiter would monitor meteoroid strikes on the Moon. The mission will be designed and built entirely in Hong Kong, with a target launch date of 2028.

ESA’s new budget is the largest in its history. The European Space Agency’s 23 member states have pledged 22 billion euros (more than 25 billion USD) for the next three years of programs — a 32% increase over the previous cycle. The human and robotic exploration “envelope” of ESA’s budget received less funding than requested, which may impact some programs. But the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Mars rover received full funding to meet its 2028 launch goal. NASA has also confirmed its commitment to providing a launch vehicle and other contributions to the mission.

Bennu samples have been found to contain sugars, “gum,” and stardust. Recent analyses of the samples of asteroid Bennu delivered to Earth by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft have found signs of sugars essential for biology, a gum-like substance not seen before in astromaterials, and an unexpectedly high abundance of dust produced by supernova explosions.

Casey Dreier has won a SpaceNews Icon Award. This week, The Planetary Society’s Chief of Space Policy was honored with the SpaceNews Icon Award for Individual Achievement. This award recognizes individuals whose leadership and innovation have set new benchmarks for excellence and inspired progress across the space community. Pictured: Casey Dreier (second from left), with Planetary Society colleagues Ari Koeppel, AAAS Policy Fellow; Bill Nye, CEO; and Jack Kiraly, Director of Government Relations. Image credit: Jason Dixson for SpaceNews.

ESCAPADE is on its way to Mars. NASA’s twin spacecraft will study how the solar wind interacts with Mars’ patchy magnetic fields and drives the loss of its atmosphere. Rob Lillis, ESCAPADE’s principal investigator and associate director for planetary science at UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory, joins this week’s Planetary Radio to discuss the mission and what it aims to teach us about the red planet.

Up next in the book club: "The Little Book of Aliens." Join us on Dec. 9 as we welcome famed astrophysicist and author Adam Frank for a live conversation about our November book club selection, "The Little Book of Aliens." Planetary Society members can join the live virtual Q&A. Not yet a member? Join today.

Let’s finish the year strong and help save NASA science! Together, we are a community of explorers working for a better future for humankind. And your support is vital as we head into 2026 and beyond! Your gift of any amount today will go a long way in helping us close out the year strong and maintain our momentum in 2026. Please show your commitment to the future of independently funded space exploration and research, and save NASA science with your donation today.