Driving on the Moon for the first time has got to be an exhilarating experience. But driving the same path on the Moon for the 500th time probably won’t be nearly as exciting to whatever poor astronaut got stuck with that duty for the day. With that in mind, a team of researchers led by PhD student Alec Krawciw and Professor Tim Barfoot of the University of Toronto are working on a way to automate the mundane task of driving goods back and forth from a lunar landing site to a nascent lunar exploration base.
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This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 24 –November 2
The crescent Moon returns and waxes to first quarter. Two binocular comets are on the way out. And Arcturus is once again the Ghost of Summer Suns.
Focusing on NGC 3370
Image: Focusing on NGC 3370
Earth from space: Likouala-aux-Herbes river, Congo
Image: This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image captures the meandering course of the Likouala-aux-Herbes river in the Republic of the Congo.
Airbus, Leonardo and Thales agree to form new European company
Technicians with the European Space Agency and Airbus/Airbus Netherlands are shown performing an illumination test on one of the solar array wing panels during installation on the Orion spacecraft for Artemis I inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 30, 2020. The solar arrays were extended, inspected, and then retracted, before installation on the spacecraft. Each solar array panel will generate 11 kilowatts of power and span about 63 feet. Image: NASA/Frank Michaux
Legacy names in European spaceflight and defense, Airbus, Leonardo and Thales, announced a memorandum of understanding on Thursday to combine forces in a new entity designed to rival other aerospace juggernauts in this arena, like Boeing, Lockheed Martin and SpaceX.
Merged Stellar Pairs May Orbit the Milky Way’s Black Hole
The merged remnants of stellar pairs may orbit the Milky Way’s central, supermassive black hole.
SpaceX expends Falcon 9 booster to launch Spainsat NG 2 communications satellite
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket streaks across the sky on the SpainSat NG-2 mission for Hisdesat as seen from St. Cloud, Florida. Image: Michael Cain / Spaceflight Now
Update Oct. 23, 10:25 p.m. EDT (0225 UTC): SpaceX deployed the SpainSat NG-2 satellite.
Earth photobombs the sun in satellite image | Space photo of the day for Oct. 23, 2025
A new image from NOAA's GOES-19 satellite has captured a rate celestial cameo: Earth itself appearing in the view of the spacecraft's solar coronagraph.
Scientists discover new way to grow materials on-demand using crystals and light
The new technique could one day be used to create less expensive astronomical sensors.
Cyprus joins European Space Agency as an Associate Member
The Republic of Cyprus has signed an Associate Agreement with the European Space Agency, and is expected to become an Associate Member in the coming months.
Acting NASA Chief Announces More "Shakeups"
Citing delays, acting NASA chief Sean Duffy announced that the Artemis Program - NASA's plan to return astronauts to the Moon - needs to be shaken up again. The announcement came on Monday (Oct. 22nd) when Duffy, also the Secretary of Transportation, made two television appearances to discuss ongoing problems with the program. This included the development of the Starship Human Landing System (HLS), the lunar lander that will transport astronauts to and from the lunar surface, which NASA contracted to SpaceX in 2021.
When is a 'double fireball' not a 'double fireball'? Wild meteor videos explained by a trick of the light
Footage appearing to show a number of "double fireball" events may have been caused by a simple quirk of equipment.
See a razor-thin crescent moon line up with Mars and Mercury at sunset on Oct. 23
The waxing moon will appear alongside Mars and Mercury as the sun sets on Oct. 23
'Sean Dummy': Why is Elon Musk attacking the acting NASA chief?
Elon Musk has hammered acting NASA chief Sean Duffy repeatedly on social media over the past few days, calling him "Sean Dummy" and claiming he's "trying to kill NASA." Here's what may be going on.
Can we dim the sun to fight climate change? Not without risking weather patterns, scientists suggest
Scattering microscopic particles of sulfur in the atmosphere might slow down climate change. It might also change weather patterns.
Giant star Betelgeuse has a 'Betelbuddy' — and it's very little indeed
Astronomers have sighted Betelgeuse’s mysterious companion — and it’s turning out to be full of surprises.
The Smithsonian might have to cut space shuttle Discovery into pieces to get it to Texas
In a letter to Congress, museum officials have warned the shuttle may need to be partially disassembled in order to be transferred, risking irreversible damage to one of the most meticulously preserved pieces of spaceflight history.
Satellites watch glaciers melting in Patagonia | Space photo of the day for Oct. 22, 2025
New satellite imagery from the European Space Agency reveals nearly four decades of dramatic ice loss for two of Patagonia's largest glaciers.
Newly Discovered Asteroid Circles the Sun Inside Venus’s Orbit
Astronomers have discovered a second asteroid in the inner solar system, circling the Sun almost entirely within the orbit of Venus.
Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 28 Starlink satellites on 550th Falcon 9 mission
File – SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket stands in the vertical launch position at Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base ahead of the launch of the Starlink 17-5 mission on Aug. 18, 2025. This was the ninth flight for Falcon 9 booster, tail number B1088. Image: SpaceX
SpaceX is preparing to launch its 550th Falcon 9 mission since the rocket’s debut in 2010. The launch from California will add 28 more broadband internet satellites to the company’s Starlink constellation.
Volcanic explosions on Mars may have left massive ice deposits at the Red Planet's equator
Ancient explosive volcanic eruptions on Mars could help explain mysterious hints of buried ice from the Red Planet's equator, a new study finds.
