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NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer mission is set to provide unprecedented insight into the Moon’s hidden water. Built by Lockheed Martin and managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, this small satellite aims to locate, measure, and understand water on the lunar surface. Launching next year, the Trailblazer will play a pivotal role in discovering the forms and behaviours of water in areas of the Moon where it has long been theorised but rarely observed.

Mapping Lunar Ice and Water

With two scientific instruments aboard, the Lunar Trailblazer will map and identify surface water and ice on the Moon. The High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM3) is a sophisticated infrared spectrometer capable of detecting water in various states. It can peer into permanently shadowed craters, using sunlight reflections from crater walls to view areas untouched by light for billions of years. The second instrument, the Lunar Thermal Mapper (LTM), developed by the University of Oxford and funded by the UK Space Agency, will assess the thermal properties and surface minerals of these regions. Together, they offer a dual perspective that promises to deepen our understanding of the Moon’s water.

Potential Impact for Future Exploration

The findings of Lunar Trailblazer will support future lunar missions by potentially locating accessible ice deposits. This knowledge is critical for future explorers, who may use lunar ice as a resource to produce oxygen or rocket fuel. Studying the ice composition could also reveal clues about the origins of lunar water, which may come from sources like comets or volcanic activity on the Moon. According to experts, lunar ice core samples could yield a historical record similar to those from glaciers on Earth, shedding light on the Moon’s water origins and history.

Preparing for Launch

The mission began as part of NASA’s SIMPLEx initiative in 2019, is now in its final preparation stages. Having successfully completed environmental and operational tests, the Lunar Trailblazer will share a launch with Intuitive Machines-2. Its lightweight design, weighing only 440 pounds and measuring 11.5 feet when fully deployed, makes it ideal for planetary exploration. With mission operations led by Caltech and backed by JPL and Lockheed Martin, the Trailblazer will soon take on a new phase in lunar science.

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SpaceX Successfully Deploys 21 Starlink Satellites, Loses Falcon 9 Booster

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March 5, 2025

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SpaceX Successfully Deploys 21 Starlink Satellites, Loses Falcon 9 Booster

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 21 Starlink satellites was launched by SpaceX from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on March 2. Liftoff took place at 9:24 p.m. ET on March 3, with the mission including 13 satellites equipped with direct-to-cell capabilities. The first stage of the rocket successfully landed on the droneship “Just Read the Instructions” stationed approximately 400 kilometres off Florida’s coast. However, the booster, designated B1086, was lost shortly after landing due to damage sustained by one of its landing legs.

Booster Loss After Landing

According to SpaceX, a fire at the aft end of the booster resulted in structural damage, leading to its collapse. The incident occurred after the rocket had completed its return to Earth and made contact with the landing platform. Data from this failure will be examined to improve the reliability of future Falcon 9 missions, as stated in SpaceX’s official mission description.

Mission Details and Starlink Expansion

The deployment of the 21 satellites took place approximately 65 minutes after launch, marking another step in the expansion of SpaceX’s Starlink constellation. More than 7,000 operational Starlink satellites are currently in orbit, contributing to global broadband coverage.

This launch marked the Falcon 9 booster’s fifth and final flight. The B1086 had previously been used for three Starlink missions, as well as the GOES-U and Maxar 3 missions. SpaceX has completed 26 Falcon 9 missions in 2025, with 19 dedicated to Starlink. The company continues to advance its satellite network despite the loss of the booster in this mission.

For details of the latest launches and news from Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus, Oppo and other companies at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, visit our MWC 2025 hub.

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Primordial Helium-3 May Be Locked in Earth’s Core, Study Finds

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March 5, 2025

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Primordial Helium-3 May Be Locked in Earth’s Core, Study Finds

Helium-3, a rare isotope formed during the early solar system, may be locked within Earth’s solid core, as indicated by recent research. This discovery could provide insights into how quickly the planet was formed. Unlike helium-4, which is commonly produced through radioactive decay, helium-3 originates from the primordial gas cloud that shaped the solar system. While traces of this isotope have been detected in volcanic hotspots and mid-ocean ridges, the mechanism behind its retention for billions of years remains uncertain. Given helium’s volatile nature, most of it was expected to escape Earth’s mantle due to tectonic activity or the giant impact that led to the formation of the Moon.

Helium and Iron Interaction at Core Conditions

According to the study published in Physical Review Letters, researchers at the University of Tokyo led by Kei Hirose examined whether helium could mix with iron under conditions mimicking Earth’s core. Using a diamond-tipped anvil, the team subjected iron and helium to extreme pressures ranging from 50,000 to 550,000 times the atmospheric pressure at Earth’s surface. As per reports, the samples were heated to temperatures between 727 and 2,727 degrees Celsius before being depressurised and analysed at cryogenic temperatures to prevent helium escape. Findings indicated that solid iron could incorporate up to 3.3 percent helium, suggesting the isotope may remain trapped in the core over long periods.

Potential Impact on Earth’s Formation Timeline

Peter Olson, a geophysicist at the University of New Mexico, told that these results confirm helium’s compatibility with Earth’s solid core. However, he noted that only 4 percent of the core is solid, with the majority existing in a liquid state. Further research is needed to determine whether helium-3 could be similarly retained in the liquid portion. Olson also highlighted the significance of this discovery in dating Earth’s formation. If helium-3 was incorporated into the core, it suggests the planet formed rapidly within a few million years. A slower formation process spanning 100 million years would likely have resulted in minimal helium retention.

For details of the latest launches and news from Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus, Oppo and other companies at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, visit our MWC 2025 hub.


SpaceX Delays Starship Flight 8 Launch After Technical Glitches



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SpaceX Delays Starship Flight 8 Launch After Technical Glitches

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March 5, 2025

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SpaceX Delays Starship Flight 8 Launch After Technical Glitches

The scheduled test flight of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 8, which was expected to take off from the company’s Starbase facility in Texas on March 3, has been postponed due to last-minute technical issues. The launch was planned within a window starting at 6:30 p.m. ET with a mission to test various aspects of the rocket’s performance, including booster recovery and satellite deployment. SpaceX has not yet announced a new launch date, but updates are expected soon. The flight was set to be the eighth major test for Starship, which is designed to be the most powerful rocket ever built.

Starship’s Mission and Test Objectives

As per reports, the flight plan, Starship was expected to launch atop its Super Heavy booster, which was intended to return to the launch pad and be caught by the “chopstick” arms of the tower. The upper stage of the rocket was set to release four mock versions of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites on a suborbital trajectory before splashing down in the Indian Ocean approximately 66 minutes after liftoff. A similar test conducted on January 16 with Flight 7 saw the successful recovery of the booster, but the upper stage failed due to a propellant leak, leading to an explosion before it could complete its mission.

NASA’s Interest and Future Developments

NASA has selected Starship as the lunar lander for the Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon in the coming years. The vehicle is also being developed for deep-space missions, including potential crewed journeys to Mars. Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, has indicated that future iterations of Starship may be even larger than the current model, which stands at 123 metres. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to grant approval for up to 25 Starship launches in 2025, marking a significant step toward the rocket’s operational use.

For details of the latest launches and news from Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus, Oppo and other companies at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, visit our MWC 2025 hub.


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