At 06:01 CET on December 17, 2025, Ariane 6 lifted off from Kourou carrying Galileo satellites SAT 33 and SAT 34. After less than four hours of flight, they separated and are heading for in-orbit testing in MEO at approximately 23,222 km. The mission is the first Galileo launch on Ariane 6 and a step towards 29 active satellites and more reliable 24/7 services and HAS accuracy up to 20 cm.
Firefly's Blue Ghost, after the first fully successful commercial landing on the Moon, enters a new, technically demanding phase. The two-stage Blue Ghost 2 mission with the Elytra Dark orbital vehicle and NASA's LuSEE-Night experiment for the far side of the Moon is being tested at JPL's Environmental Test Laboratory.
The HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft records its 100,000th image of Mars after almost two decades in orbit. The detailed view of Syrtis Major reveals mesas, dunes, and traces of wind, helps in the selection of future landing zones, and involves the general public in exploration through the HiWish program.
TIME has included NASA's James Webb and Curiosity missions in its Best Inventions Hall of Fame, recognizing them as inventions that have reshaped our understanding of the universe, changed the image of Mars, spurred new technological innovations on Earth, strengthened international cooperation, and paved the way for future human missions.
Satellites, aircraft, and field measurements are increasingly used to monitor methane leaks from waste landfills. A pioneering project over the Madrid landfill Las Dehesas shows how a combination of this data helps discover hidden emission hotspots, plan remediation faster, and reduce climate impact.
Astrophysicists are increasingly clearly distinguishing two main scenarios for the formation of hot Jupiters. New research uses tidal orbital circularization time and system age to single out planets that arrived at tight orbits via peaceful migration through the disk, rather than violent gravitational perturbations.