A growing number of rocket launches may be compromising the ozone layer's recovery, according to new scientific studies. Chlorine and soot from rockets, along with pollutants released during satellite re-entry, could have long-term environmental impacts. The space industry is urged to act now—through regulation, innovation, and cleaner fuels—to protect one of Earth's vital protective layers.

The revelation that Mars once had Earth-like rainfall reshapes our understanding of planetary evolution. The insights support the theory that early Mars was far more hospitable than previously believed, possibly housing primitive life forms. The findings could guide future missions like NASA’s Perseverance in locating signs of fossilised organisms.

SpaceX launched two mPOWER internet satellites into medium Earth orbit and landed its Falcon 9 booster on a ship in the Atlantic, marking its 89th Falcon mission of the year. The satellites will expand SES’s global network as the company moves closer to completing its 13-satellite constellation for advanced internet coverage worldwide.

Astronomers have finally spotted Betelgeuse’s hidden companion star, ending a 1,000-year mystery about its six-year dimming cycle. Using Gemini North’s advanced imaging, researchers captured the first image of the elusive companion orbiting deep within Betelgeuse’s atmosphere. The discovery solves a stellar puzzle and offers new insight into red supergiant systems.

On Tuesday, July 22, 2025, Earth will complete its rotation 1.34 milliseconds faster than the usual 24 hours, scientists say. That will make it the second-shortest day ever recorded, just behind July 10, 2025. The trend of shorter days has accelerated since 2020, attributed to factors like the Moon’s position, mass shifts from melting ice, and atmospheric changes.

Scientists have successfully grown algae in bioplastic chambers under Mars-like conditions, marking a step toward sustainable habitats for astronauts. The chambers, made from polylactic acid, supported photosynthesis and stabilized liquid water. This breakthrough suggests self-replicating biomaterials could reduce Earth-based resupply, advancing long-term space colonization and offering new paths for sustainable technologies on Earth.

NASA is developing scalable, modular satellite platforms to reduce cost and accelerate science missions. The Athena EPIC spacecraft, built from eight “Satlet” modules, shares control systems among instruments, simplifying integration. Slated to launch in 2025 on a SpaceX rideshare, Athena aims to cut costs from billions to millions per mission. Other NASA programs like PTD and CLICK show similar promise using CubeSat-based designs. These small satellites allow for faster development, lower risk, and greater scientific return—especially for climate and weather observations. NASA says these systems represent a “less traditional, more efficient path to launch” for the next generation of sensors.

NASA’s TRACERS satellites will fly in tandem through Earth’s polar cusps to study magnetic storms and solar wind effects. The mission aims to improve predictions of space weather events that threaten satellites, power grids, and astronauts, offering new insight into magnetic reconnection and helping protect vital systems from the hazards of intense solar activity.

LHCb at CERN reports first CP violation in baryons—a 2.45% decay asymmetry—offering new clues to matter–antimatter imbalance. This result, statistically significant at 5.2σ, confirms fundamental physics theories while opening fresh avenues for exploring the matter–antimatter imbalance that shaped our Universe.

NASA/ESA’s Hubble Space Telescope has released a stunning new image of Abell 209, a massive galaxy cluster 2.8 billion light-years away in Cetus. The golden cluster houses over 100 galaxies, but beneath them lies an invisible web of hot gas and dark matter. Using gravitational lensing, Hubble reveals curved arcs of light from background galaxies, helping astronomers map unseen mass. The image—taken with Hubble’s ACS and WFC3 cameras—blends optical and infrared views, offering sharp cosmic detail. The findings aid our understanding of dark matter, dark energy, and how the universe evolves under their influence.

For the first time, scientists have detected lithium in Mercury’s exosphere using magnetic wave signatures found in MESSENGER spacecraft data. The findings link lithium’s release to meteoroid impacts that vaporise planetary material, offering fresh insight into volatile element delivery. This breakthrough reshapes our understanding of Mercury’s surface chemistry and thin atmospheric dynamics across airless planetary bodies

A team of Indian astronomers has successfully explained the rare aurora seen over Ladakh, caused by intense solar activity and CME collisions. The event, captured in May 2024, was traced using global data and advanced solar models, offering new insights into space weather forecasting and solar storm impacts on Earth.

A high-resolution climate model reveals that a 1°C global temperature rise could drive Arctic warming up to 5°C and intensify rainfall extremes in regions like the Himalayas and Andes. The simulation offers vital regional insights for climate adaptation, disaster risk management, and infrastructure planning in vulnerable zones, including small islands and mountain communities.

A stunning new image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope reveals that ancient star cluster NGC 1786—located 160,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud—hosts stars of varying ages. Once believed to contain a single generation of stars, NGC 1786 now appears to preserve a more complex stellar history. This multi-age discovery suggests that early galaxies may have formed stars in stages, not all at once. By comparing it to Milky Way clusters, astronomers hope to retrace how both galaxies evolved. The findings provide fresh insight into how galaxies like ours grew through gradual star formation and mergers.

Brookhaven’s sPHENIX detector at RHIC has released its first results from gold-ion collisions, confirming accurate detection of particle counts and energy levels. These measurements validate the detector’s performance and lay the groundwork for exploring quark–gluon plasma (QGP)—a primordial state of matter from the early universe. With baseline data established, sPHENIX will now track high-energy jets to investigate how quarks and gluons behave in the QGP. The upcoming 2025 run will exploit the detector’s full capabilities, offering key insights that complement high-energy studies at CERN’s LHC.

NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has captured a rare glimpse of TOI 1227 b, a young, Jupiter-sized exoplanet losing its atmosphere under intense stellar radiation. Just 8 million years old, the planet is shrinking rapidly as X-rays strip away its mass. Scientists warn it may become a barren rocky core in about a billion years.

A meteorite strike in northern Arizona may have triggered a massive Grand Canyon landslide 56,000 years ago. Researchers found ancient driftwood and lake sediments indicating a paleolake formed after the Colorado River was dammed. The study suggests seismic waves from the Meteor Crater impact caused the landslide. Findings were published in the journal Geology.

Gemini North has imaged 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object to enter our solar system. Larger than its predecessors and possibly older than our solar system, the comet will pass closest to the Sun on Oct. 30 before returning to deep space. Scientists worldwide are racing to gather data during its brief visit.

NASA has grounded Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner until at least 2026 following critical malfunctions during its June 2024 crewed test flight. The mission was cut short due to multiple thruster failures and helium pressurization leaks. NASA decided to bring Starliner back to Earth empty, leaving the astronauts on the ISS for safety. Engineers traced the issues to thermal damage in thruster housings and are now testing fixes, including added insulation. Starliner may require another uncrewed test before resuming crewed flights. Meanwhile, the program has gone billions over budget. Despite setbacks, NASA continues to support Starliner as a needed backup to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon for ISS rotations.

A landmark experiment has shown magic state distillation using logical qubits, solving a 20-year challenge in quantum computing. This finding from QuEra, published in Nature, strengthens the foundation for error-corrected, scalable quantum machines.

NASA and India’s ISRO are set to launch NISAR, a first-of-its-kind Earth-observing satellite equipped with advanced dual-band radar. Scheduled to lift off no earlier than late July 2025 from Sriharikota, India, NISAR will map nearly all of Earth’s land and ice every 12 days, capturing surface changes with centimeter-level precision. Its L-band and S-band radar systems can penetrate clouds, vegetation, and even soil, making it ideal for monitoring natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, and landslides. NISAR will deliver critical data for climate studies, disaster response, and land-use planning—marking a major step in global Earth science collaboration.

China’s Tianwen 2 spacecraft, now millions of kilometers from Earth, captured distant images of Earth and the moon as it journeys to asteroid Kamo'oalewa. Set to collect samples by 2026 and return them in 2027, the mission could reveal insights into the solar system’s formation—before continuing on to a second deep-space target, comet 311P/PANSTARRS.

A massive July 15 filament eruption from the sun’s limb carved a 250,000‑mile‑long plasma canyon captured by NASA’s SDO. The spectacular rift, formed as magnetic fields realigned, featured 12,400‑mile‑high plasma walls. Although the eruption launched a coronal mass ejection into space, SOHO and GOES‑19 imagery confirm it’s heading away from Earth, posing no geomagnetic threat.

NASA’s Crew-11 astronauts have entered the final stage before launch: a two-week quarantine designed to prevent illness before their mission to the ISS. Led by commander Zena Cardman, the four-person team also includes Nick Hague, Thomas Pesquet (ESA), and Alexander Grebenkin (Roscosmos). The team will launch no earlier than July 31 from Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon. Once aboard the ISS, Crew-11 will carry out six months of science research, including biotech, algae cell division, bacteriophage therapy, and stem cell experiments—all aimed at improving health in space and on Earth.

NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope have captured a dramatic cosmic event: a baby exoplanet, TOI 1227 b, is being stripped of its atmosphere by powerful X-rays from its host star. Only 8 million years old and orbiting a red dwarf, this Jupiter-sized planet is losing gas at a rate equal to Earth’s entire atmosphere every 200 years. Astronomers believe the planet may eventually shrink into a barren rocky core. The discovery offers a rare, real-time glimpse into atmospheric erosion and shows how intense radiation from young stars plays a key role in shaping the long-term fate of planetary systems.

The transverse Thomson effect, a thermoelectric phenomenon theorised nearly 100 years ago, has been observed experimentally for the first time. Scientists demonstrated its unique ability to switch between heating and cooling, opening new possibilities for advanced thermal management systems.

China has launched the Tianzhou 9 cargo spacecraft carrying 7.2 tons of supplies, including upgraded spacesuits and scientific equipment, to support the Shenzhou 20 crew aboard the Tiangong space station. The mission marks China’s ninth cargo flight and highlights its ongoing investment in maintaining a long-term human presence and scientific research capability in low Earth orbit.

The GW231123 event marks the most massive black hole merger ever detected through gravitational waves, involving black holes of 100 and 140 solar masses. Observed by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA network, it challenges current black hole formation models with extreme mass and spin, suggesting a complex origin. Scientists believe its full implications may take years to decode.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has achieved a solar milestone by capturing the closest-ever images of the Sun, taken just 3.8 million miles from its surface in December 2024. These WISPR images reveal unprecedented details of the corona, solar wind, and CME collisions. Scientists say this breakthrough will improve our ability to forecast space weather and understand the Sun’s magnetic structure. The probe’s findings confirm theories about slow solar wind origins and the dynamics of solar eruptions—critical knowledge for protecting satellites, astronauts, and power grids from solar storms.

Astronomers have discovered that Uranus emits 12% more heat than it receives from sunlight, contradicting past data from Voyager 2. The internal warmth likely comes from leftover energy in the planet’s core, offering clues to its tilt and interior structure. This unexpected heat has intensified calls for a flagship NASA mission to Uranus. Scientists say such a mission could launch an atmospheric probe and orbit the planet for years, studying its composition, rings, and many moons. As ice giants are common in exoplanetary systems, Uranus may hold secrets to planetary formation.

Using JWST, astronomers discovered a black hole between two galaxy cores in the Infinity Galaxy—possibly the first direct evidence of a black hole formed by gas collapse, not stellar death. This rare “heavy seed” black hole challenges standard models and could help explain how supermassive black holes appeared so soon after the Big Bang.

The European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope has captured the clearest images so far of comet 3I/ATLAS, an interstellar visitor first spotted on July 1, 2025. Identified by its hyperbolic orbit, the comet is only the third interstellar object recorded passing through our solar system. The VLT’s deep image and timelapse confirm it is active, with a visible coma. Astronomers will lose sight of it during its October approach, but plan to resume observations in December. Researchers hope to unlock clues about its origin and how it compares to previous interstellar comets.

The Axiom Space Ax-4 mission concluded as SpaceX’s Dragon capsule Grace brought four astronauts back to Earth after more than 2.5 weeks on the ISS. Commanded by Peggy Whitson, the crew conducted 60 experiments. The capsule safely splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, marking SpaceX’s second West Coast crew recovery.

A groundbreaking study from University College London and the University of Cambridge reveals that water ice in space, long believed to be completely amorphous due to extreme cold, may actually contain up to 25% crystalline structure. Simulations and X-ray diffraction experiments confirm the presence of nanocrystals in so-called low-density amorphous ice. This surprising finding has significant implications for our understanding of planetary formation, galactic evolution, and how life’s essential ingredients may have traveled to Earth on interstellar ice grains.

In response to severe flooding near Kerrville, Texas, NASA deployed two aircraft equipped with DyNAMITE and UAVSAR sensors. These tools deliver real-time, high-resolution imagery and radar data to aid FEMA and local authorities in search, rescue, and recovery operations.

NASA’s DART mission successfully deflected an asteroid but also unleashed high-velocity boulders with unexpected momentum. These chaotic ejecta may alter asteroid spin and orbit, complicating future deflection strategies. A new study highlights the importance of accounting for such forces in planetary defence. ESA’s Hera mission will further investigate the aftermath when it reaches Dimorphos in 2026.

Scientists report that Earth will briefly spin faster on July 9, 22, and August 5, shortening those summer days by 1.3 to 1.5 milliseconds. Though undetectable in daily life, this shift offers clues to how lunar gravity and seasonal changes affect planetary dynamics. Experts note that while timekeeping systems like GPS are unaffected, this rare speed-up may one day prompt a “negative leap second” to sync atomic clocks. It’s a subtle, fascinating reminder of how our planet’s rhythm change over time.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has unveiled the “Cosmic Owl,” a jaw-dropping image of two colliding ring galaxies forming a structure that resembles an owl’s face. This double-ring formation is extraordinarily rare, and the event is shedding light on galaxy evolution, black hole dynamics, and rapid star formation. Led by Ph.D. student Mingyu Li of Tsinghua University, researchers say this discovery serves as a powerful lab for studying how galaxies interact and grow. The “Cosmic Owl” may also help scientists understand how young galaxies amassed stars at astonishing speeds.

MIT’s new AI lets soft robots move precisely from just one image input—cutting cost, complexity, and reliance on rigid hardware.

NASA’s Ax-4 mission is set to return to Earth on July 14 after two and a half weeks aboard the International Space Station. The four-member crew, led by Peggy Whitson, includes the first astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary. They completed over 60 science experiments ranging from algae-based life support to wearable nanomaterials. Expedition 73 astronauts helped prep Dragon for departure, including securing blood and saliva samples. Dragon will carry 580 pounds of science cargo and splash down off the California coast, concluding this groundbreaking international research mission.

NASA’s Mars Sample Return Mission is at risk due to skyrocketing costs, but a new cost-efficient proposal from Lockheed Martin could save the mission. By reusing technology from the InSight lander, the plan promises to bring back Mars samples at a fraction of the expected $11 billion.

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s farewell message from the ISS during the Axiom-4 mission was a stirring tribute to India’s space journey. Echoing Rakesh Sharma’s iconic 1984 phrase, Shukla said that from orbit, India appears “full of ambition, fearless, confident and full of pride.” His 18-day stay aboard the ISS included over 60 experiments, with seven led by Indian scientists on topics such as muscle loss and plant biology.

A meteorite from the outer solar system may upend long-held beliefs about planetary formation. New research shows rocky planets like Earth may have formed at the same time as those beyond Jupiter. The findings challenge previous models and suggest a more synchronised origin for rocky worlds across the solar system, with major implications for planetary science.

NASA’s Hubble and Webb telescopes have captured spectacular images of NGC 460 and NGC 456, two star clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud. These young, open clusters are filled with massive, hot stars that trigger new star formation by carving nebulae. The findings provide insights into early universe conditions and interstellar medium behaviour.

Astronomers have confirmed the arrival of 3I/ATLAS, only the third interstellar object ever spotted in our solar system. First seen on July 1, 2025, by the ATLAS survey team in Chile, it was quickly identified by its unusual hyperbolic orbit and comet-like tail. Larger and brighter than either 1I/ʻOumuamua or 2I/Borisov, 3I/ATLAS is estimated to be about 15 kilometers in diameter. Scientists plan to analyze its light for chemical clues to its star system of origin. Unlike its predecessors, 3I/ATLAS will be easier to observe, giving astronomers a rare chance to directly study material from another part of the galaxy. It poses no threat to Earth but holds tremendous scientific value.

Scientists have successfully recreated Fermi acceleration in a lab using ultracold atoms and movable optical barriers, simulating how cosmic rays gain energy in space. Developed by teams from Birmingham and Chicago, the mini Fermi accelerator marks a major advance in particle physics, opening doors to high-energy astrophysics studies and innovations in quantum technology and atomtronics.

Astronomers suggest that brown dwarfs—dim, failed stars—could transform into “dark dwarfs” by capturing dark matter in their cores. When dark matter particles annihilate, they release heat, potentially lighting up these stars. Physicist Jeremy Sakstein and researchers like Jillian Paulin and Rebecca Leane support this idea, which could help identify dark matter as heavy, self-annihilating particles. These objects may retain lithium-7, unlike typical brown dwarfs. Telescopes like NASA’s James Webb may already be capable of spotting such bodies near the Milky Way’s center, offering vital clues about the nature of dark matter.

Scientists have created a groundbreaking gelatin-based robotic skin capable of sensing touch, heat, and physical damage like cuts or burns. Developed by a team including Dr. Thomas George Thuruthel from University College London, the skin uses a single conductive layer embedded with electrodes to detect and classify stimuli. It was tested through pokes, burns, and slices, generating over a million data points processed by a machine-learning model. This low-cost, stretchable material simplifies traditional multi-sensor designs, offering a practical solution for enhancing prosthetic limbs and humanoid robots with lifelike sensitivity and responsiveness in real-world environments.

Scientists have proposed a new class of stellar objects called “dark dwarfs,” sub-stellar bodies that may glow faintly from the energy released by annihilating dark matter particles. Found near the galaxy’s core, these objects could hold crucial clues about the elusive nature of dark matter. Powered not by fusion but by WIMP-like particles, dark dwarfs would retain lithium-7 in their atmospheres—providing a unique observational marker. Researchers believe telescopes like JWST may soon detect them, offering new evidence in the decades-long hunt for dark matter’s true identity.