In praise of space telescopes

New analysis suggests K2-18b may not be home to biosignatures. In mid-April, researchers announced that data from the James Webb Space Telescope seemed to show signs of biosignatures (molecules associated with life on Earth) on an exoplanet. Recent follow-up analysis of the data suggests that there may be too much noise in the data to draw any conclusions. Pictured: An artist’s impression of K2-18 b. Image credit: NASA et al.

Jared Isaacman is moving forward as potential NASA Administrator. The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee voted to advance President Trump's nominee on April 30 in a bipartisan vote of 19 to 9. Next, the entire Senate will vote to confirm Isaacman for the role.

China is sharing Chang’e-5 lunar samples with other countries. The China National Space Administration recently announced that it had approved applications from universities in the United States, Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Pakistan to borrow samples collected from the Moon by its Chang’e-5 mission in 2020.

Dragonfly is ready to be built. The mission to Saturn’s moon Titan has passed its critical design review, meaning it is approved to move on to construction of the spacecraft itself. Dragonfly is scheduled to launch in 2028, sending a rotorcraft to fly in Titan’s skies.

Vesta may not have a core as previously thought. New research using data from NASA’s Dawn mission suggests that Vesta, one of the largest objects in the asteroid belt, didn’t fully separate into layers like larger planets. Its internal structure appears only slightly denser toward the center, possibly because it formed late or is the remnant of a larger body destroyed by a major impact.

The Voyager Golden Records carry human emotions into the Cosmos. The sounds and images encoded into the phonograph records (pictured) aboard NASA’s twin Voyager spacecraft are designed to depict Earth, life, and humanity. Read our latest article about how the Voyagers also carry human emotion, especially love, out into the great beyond. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Social media can be a powerful tool for sharing space with the world. This week on Planetary Radio, Sarah Al-Ahmed chats with the YouTuber Astrokobi about how he went from stargazing in a rural Australian backyard to inspiring millions of people around the world to love space science.

You’re invited to the Humans to the Moon and Mars Summit. Taking place May 28–29, 2025, in Washington, D.C., the Summit will bring together astronauts, scientists, innovators, policymakers, and explorers to chart the next giant leaps toward the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Planetary Society members can use the promo code PlanetarySocietyMARS2025 for a 10% discount on registration.

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