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NASA’s asteroid-hunting spacecraft, NEOWISE, has officially concluded its journey, meeting its end as it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and burned up on 1 November. Over its 15-year lifespan, NEOWISE catalogued nearly 3,000 near-Earth objects, including numerous asteroids, providing critical data for researchers studying potential planetary threats. The space agency confirmed NEOWISE’s re-entry on social media the following day, marking the end of a mission that significantly advanced NASA’s understanding of near-Earth space.

A Two-Phase Mission Evolution

NASA has confirmed that NEOWISE has entered the Earth’s atmosphere after spending 15 yeaers in space. The spacecraft was initially launched as WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) to observe the universe in infrared light. During the first phase, WISE captured some of the universe’s most luminous galaxies, hidden black holes and the coolest stars. However, in 2011, the spacecraft’s coolant reserves depleted, putting it into hibernation. In 2013, NASA reactivated WISE, repurposing it as NEOWISE to focus on tracking near-Earth objects—a critical step toward planetary defence.

Amy Mainzer, who led the NEOWISE project at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), noted that its ability to detect asteroids was initially unexpected, saying in 2019 that it turned out to be exceptionally effective at identifying near-Earth objects. NEOWISE eventually collected vast amounts of data, which Joseph Hunt, its last project manager at JPL, stated would continue to benefit the scientific community for years.

Atmospheric Drag and the End of NEOWISE

The spacecraft’s demise was largely due to the solar maximum, the peak of the Sun’s 11-year cycle, which led to increased solar flares and coronal mass ejections. These solar events warmed and expanded Earth’s atmosphere, creating drag that gradually drew NEOWISE closer to Earth. Without propulsion capabilities, the spacecraft was unable to boost its orbit, ultimately leading to its atmospheric re-entry.

Next Steps in Near-Earth Object Detection

Although NEOWISE is now out of operation, NASA’s efforts to detect asteroids remain active. The NEO Surveyor, a successor mission specifically designed to identify near-Earth objects in infrared light, is slated for a late 2027 launch. Expected to bolster planetary defence strategies, the NEO Surveyor will be NASA’s first telescope dedicated to this critical task, carrying forward NEOWISE’s legacy in protecting Earth from potential space threats

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NASA’s TRACERS Mission Rescheduled for 2025 to Explore Solar Wind and Earth’s Magnetic Field

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May 3, 2025

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NASA's TRACERS Mission Rescheduled for 2025 to Explore Solar Wind and Earth's Magnetic Field

NASA has refocused its Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) launch date to no earlier than 2025 to provide more time for the mission crew to prepare. This mission is about a pair of satellite studying about how the solar wind, interacts with and enters Earth’s magnetosphere, the region around Earth dominated by our planet’s magnetic field. Understanding and eventually forecasting how energy from our Sun enters our planet and may affect assets depending on space and the earth depends on research into this interaction.

Mission Objectives

According to NASA, the TRACERS spacecraft will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The twin spacecraft will travel around 341 miles above the planet through polar cusps, a short area of the earth’s magnetic field where solar wind is concentrated and funneled into our atmosphere.

In order to investigate the location and frequency of a phenomena known as magnetic reconnection near the outer borders of Earth’s magnetic field, the TRACERS mission will fly across the northern polar cusp many times each day.

The explosive energy transfer where two magnetic fields meet, particularly in the magnetopause region where the solar wind meets Earth’s magnetosphere is termed as magnetic reconnection . This event can cause solar wind particles to enter the atmosphere at high speeds, igniting the northern and southern lights but also creating hazardous conditions for astronauts and satellites, damaging ground infrastructure, communication signals, and aviation.

Mission oversight

David Miles is leading this TRACERS mission at the University of Iowa and it is managed by the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington oversees the project through the Heliophysics Explorers Program Office at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. As part of the agency’s VADR (Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare) contract, the launch service is being provided by NASA’s Launch Services Program, which is headquartered at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, in collaboration with NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.

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NASA’s McClain, Ayers Wrap Up All-Female Spacewalk to Power Up ISS



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NASA’s McClain and Ayers Finish Historic EVA, Advance ISS Solar Upgrade

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May 3, 2025

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NASA’s McClain and Ayers Finish Historic EVA, Advance ISS Solar Upgrade

NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers completed the fifth all-female spacewalk, moving an antenna and partially preparing the International Space Station for a new set of solar arrays on May 1st. Their 5-hour, 44-minute extravehicular activity was completed after re-entering the Quest airlock, and it started to get re-pressurised. McClain and Ayers completed the majority of their goals. However, they had to postpone some of the chores until a later spacewalk since they were behind schedule and had limited supplies.

About the mission

According to NASA, Expedition 73 crewmates Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers began working at 9:05 a.m. EDT (1305 GMT) by carrying tools and equipment out to the port (or left) side of the space station’s backbone truss. They began assembling the attachment hardware for the seventh pair of International Space Station Rollout Solar Arrays, or IROSA. These will be installed once they arrive on a SpaceX Dragon commercial resupply services mission later this year.

Installing smaller, more efficient solar arrays will increase electricity generation by up to 30%, increasing the station’s total power from 160 to 215 kilowatts. The spacewalkers constructed and installed the right struts and the upper triangle of the mast canister modification kit before being told to tidy up their workstations and proceed to the next, more important assignment.

Continuing the Legacy of Female Spacewalkers

It was Ayers’s first spacewalk and McClain’s third. McClain has spent 18 hours and 52 minutes away from the space station. Rotating astronaut crews have continuously staffed the ISS since November 2000. This was the 93rd EVA from the U.S. Quest airlock and the 275th overall to assist the ISS’s installation, maintenance, and upgrading.

In October 2019, NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir conducted the first all-female EVA. In January 2020, the pair performed two further spacewalks together. In November 2023, NASA’s Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara completed a walk alone.

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New Study Challenges Signs of Life on Exoplanet K2-18b

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May 3, 2025

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New Study Challenges Signs of Life on Exoplanet K2-18b

Expectations were high at the start of this month when a group of University of Cambridge astronomers reported they had found the “strongest evidence yet” of life on an exoplanet called K2-18b. Their assertions sprang from the detection of dimethyl sulphide (DMS), a gas linked to biological activity in the atmosphere of Earth. Conducted using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the finding suggested that the planet may be a watery, habitable world. But a detailed examination of the facts now begs grave doubt about the veracity of their bold assertions.

Skepticism Grows Over K2-18b Life Claims Amid New Analysis and Calls for More Data

As per a  study posted on April 22, Jake Taylor of the University of Oxford applied a neutral statistical test that detected no clear molecular signatures in the JWST data, just a flat line. The studies suggest the signal is either noisy or too weak to provide strong conclusions. The first Cambridge-led study revealed a three-sigma DMS detection much below the five-sigma threshold usually required to prove major scientific discoveries. Critics also questioned the absence of supporting compounds like ethane and claimed the models employed may have exaggerated DMS levels.

Astrobiologists Eddie Schwieterman and Michaela Musilova note that current evidence doesn’t meet strict criteria for proving life; thus, there is a need for multiple independent teams to analyse the same dataset.

Further complicating matters, new research indicates K2-18b may orbit too close to its star to retain liquid water, possibly excluding it from the habitable zone. Adding to the scepticism, DMS was recently detected on a cold comet, suggesting that such molecules can exist without life. Lead author of the original research, Madhusudhan, has supported the findings but discounted Taylor’s test as too simple and “irrelevant” for their assertions.

Most scientists agree that confirmation or denial of DMS existence in K2-18b’s atmosphere depends on additional solid, peer-reviewed research. The argument is still in progress, an ongoing narrative illustrating how science develops not by certainty but by questioning and correction.

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SpaceX Launches Falcon 9 Rocket With 28 Starlink Satellites Into Orbit From Florida



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