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Life in the solar system may not entirely end when the sun begins its dramatic transformation into a red giant star. Instead, a brief window of potential habitability may open on Europa, Jupiter’s icy moon, according to new research. Scientists now suggest that as the sun expands and its habitable zone shifts outward, Europa could temporarily offer conditions suitable for life, though the opportunity would last only a few hundred million years, fleeting on cosmic timescales, but not insignificant.

Europa May Host Microbial Life for 200 Million Years After Sun Becomes a Red Giant

As per a new study from the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell University, soon to be published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, the red giant sun’s energy output could reach as far as Jupiter’s orbit. While Jupiter itself will remain inhospitable, its moon Europa may receive enough combined heat from both solar radiation and Jupiter’s increased reflection to melt parts of its icy crust. This warming could expose or even evaporate subsurface oceans long believed to exist beneath its frozen shell.

Researchers estimate that Europa’s surface will sublimate significantly on the side facing Jupiter, while equatorial regions will suffer water loss due to convective heat transport. Yet, the northern and southern regions on the side opposite Jupiter might retain more water, creating a modest water-vapour atmosphere. Scientists note that this could preserve the conditions needed to sustain life for as long as 200 million years.

The briefer span of Earth history might have been long enough for microscopic life to flourish or endure, in particular if life thrives somewhere below Europa’s ice. This finding could open new paths for astrobiological investigation, including future telescopes with the capability of fishing for biosignatures on ice-covered moons that orbit red giant stars.

Findings such as the exomoon discovery could open a new chapter in that search, with the possibility that after humans die out or destroy themselves, Europa might be all that remains of life in the solar system.

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Algae-Grown Bioplastic Passes Mars Pressure Test, Boosting Hopes for Red Planet Habitats

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Algae-Grown Bioplastic Passes Mars Pressure Test, Boosting Hopes for Red Planet Habitats

In a major step forward for sustainable space travel, researchers have been able to successfully grow algae inside biodegradable bioplastic, which mimics the conditions of the extreme Martian environment. The experiment was intended to see how well materials made of polylactic acid could keep conditions habitable on Mars, where the surface pressure is less than 1 percent that of the Earth’s. It’s an important step toward the development of self-sustaining habitats for the human portion of the expeditionary force that require regenerative biological systems instead of expensive resupply missions from Earth.

Algae Thrive in Bioplastic Chambers Under Mars-Like Conditions, Paving Way for Space Habitats

As per a study published in Science Advances, a research team led by Robin Wordsworth of Harvard University demonstrated that the green algae Dunaliella tertiolecta could not only survive but perform photosynthesis inside 3D-printed chambers engineered to replicate Mars’s thin, carbon dioxide–rich atmosphere. The bioplastic chamber also protected the algae from ultraviolet radiation while allowing enough light for biological activity. Liquid water was stabilised using a pressure gradient within the chamber.

The researchers highlighted that bioplastics offer distinct advantages over traditional industrial

materials, which are difficult to recycle or transport in space. Since polylactic acid is derived from natural sources, it could potentially be manufactured or regenerated on-site using algae—establishing a self-sustaining loop. “If you have a habitat that is composed of bioplastic and it grows algae within it, that algae could produce more bioplastic,” Wordsworth noted in a statement.

This latest experiment builds on the team’s earlier work involving silica aerogels that replicated Earth’s greenhouse conditions. By combining algae-based bioplastic systems for material regeneration with aerogels for thermal and atmospheric control, the team sees a viable path forward to long-term extraterrestrial habitation. The chambers’ success under Mars-like conditions reinforces the possibility of using biologically sourced materials to support life beyond Earth.

In future experiments, those systems are to be tested in harsher vacuum conditions, eventually for the benefit of human spaceflight and with spinoff applications on Earth, said Wordsworth, who contends such technology can have spinoff benefits.

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NASA’s Twin TRACERS Satellites Will Monitor Space Weather to Shield Earth from Solar Storms

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NASA Tests Modular Satellite Tech to Cut Launch Costs and Speed Missions

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NASA Tests Modular Satellite Tech to Cut Launch Costs and Speed Missions

NASA is testing new scalable satellite technology to integrate and launch scientific sensors faster and at lower cost. NASA’s Athena EPIC (Economical Payload Integration Cost) mission uses a compact, modular spacecraft platform that “shares resources among the payloads onboard” so each instrument doesn’t need its own control system. By offloading routine functions to the bus, this architecture promises “lower costs to taxpayers and a quicker path to launch”. Langley leads the project, which will fly as a SpaceX rideshare in mid-2025 to test the concept in orbit. It could expedite deployment of climate and weather sensors and accelerate future missions.

Scalable Satellite Platforms and Demonstration Missions

According to official site, NASA and industry partners are developing modular small satellite platforms. The Athena EPIC spacecraft is built from eight interlocking Hyper-Integrated Satlet (HISat) modules that form a “SensorCraft” bus, simplifying integration of multiple instruments. In parallel, NASA’s Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator (PTD) series uses a standard six-unit (6U) CubeSat bus (by Terran Orbital) that can be reconfigured quickly. The PTD-3 mission, launched in 2022, carried MIT Lincoln Laboratory’s TBIRD optical-communications payload and achieved a record 200 gigabits-per-second laser downlink from orbit.

Commercial partners are involved as well: Blue Canyon Technologies built the two CubeSats for NASA’s CubeSat Laser Infrared Crosslink (CLICK) mission, and will supply four for the forthcoming Starling formation-flying demo. These standardized buses and partnerships speed integration and testing of new satellite systems.

Faster Deployments, Lower Costs, and Scientific Gains

These scalable satellite buses promise to cut mission costs and cycle times. Instead of the billion-dollar platforms of old, the new “SensorCraft” design can slash costs to the single-digit millions per mission. Smaller satellites are cheaper to build and easier to replace if failures occur. Moreover, by reusing existing parts, teams can accelerate development – for example, Athena’s optical sensor was assembled from spare components of NASA’s CERES climate-observation satellites. NASA officials note that, “as satellites become smaller, a less traditional, more efficient path to launch is needed” to maximize science return.

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NASA’s Twin TRACERS Satellites Will Monitor Space Weather to Shield Earth from Solar Storms

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NASA’s Twin TRACERS Satellites Will Monitor Space Weather to Shield Earth from Solar Storms

Two NASA satellites are scheduled to be launched into low-Earth orbit in a mission designed to do nothing less than study magnetic storms that imperil the Earth’s atmosphere, communication, and orbital systems. Travelling together in sun-synchronous orbit, the Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) will keep watch over Earth’s polar cusps — a pair of funnel-shaped regions in Earth’s magnetosphere where solar particles and energy flow in. By observing these regions, TRACERS will continue to learn how magnetic reconnection works throughout space, powering the giant explosions on the sun as well as the solar wind that spreads throughout the solar system, leading to space weather.

NASA’s $170M TRACERS Mission to Track Solar Wind and Shield Earth from Space Weather Threats

As per NASA’s briefing, TRACERS will explore how solar wind triggers disruptions in Earth’s magnetic field, helping researchers better predict when and where such activity might occur. The spacecraft will fly closely behind one another, allowing for nearly real-time comparison of plasma and magnetic conditions—an improvement over previous single-satellite studies. Joe Westlake, NASA’s Heliophysics Division Director, stated the mission will help protect GPS, power grids, and astronauts by enabling earlier forecasts of solar storm activity.

The mission tackles a major challenge in heliophysics, our understanding of dynamic magnetic reconnection phenomena that vary on short timescales. TRACERS dual approach also enables scientists to discern between environmental shifts due to the travelling stars or to inherent magnetic variations. “These findings are crucial for basic studies of how the Earth’s magnetosphere interacts with solar energy,” said principal investigator David Miles.

TRACERS, a spacecraft located 590 kilometers above Earth, will collaborate with other missions to observe the Sun-Earth connection from various vantage points, providing unique low-orbit data to complement broader heliophysics observations.

The $170 million TRACERS mission, set to launch later in July, has been created to bolster readiness for such solar weather and keep space-dependent modern societies resilient and safe in a space-dependent world.

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