Russia Launches Progress 92 Cargo Freighter with 3 Tons of Supplies to the ISS Successfully
A Russian space freighter has launched toward the International Space Station with more than 5,000 pounds of fuel, water, oxygen, and crew supplies, clearing the way for the first astronauts to launch from Kazakhstan. The Progress 91 cargo craft will dock to get back to the port recently vacated by the Progress 90 craft on July 1. Progress 92 is one of a line of Progress spacecraft for Russia, which deploys the cargo craft to the ISS along with two U.S. commercial cargo vehicles, Cygnus and Dragon. The six-month mission will end with a controlled reentry into the atmosphere, so no new space junk is left up there.
Progress 92 to Replace Progress 90 at ISS as Russia Continues Steady Cargo Support from Soyuz Fleet
As per a mission brief from Roscosmos and updates from NASA, Progress 92 will attach to the Poisk module, taking the spot vacated by Progress 90, which undocked on July 1 after spending about seven months at the station. Progress 90 is expected to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere shortly. Progress 91, another Russian freighter launched in February, remains docked at the Zvezda service module. The steady stream of routine liftoffs keeps the space station well provisioned to last for the long haul.
The Russia’s Progress spacecraft family is crucial to keeping the ISS orbiting the Earth along with two commercial cargo vehicles from the U.S. — Northrup Grumman’s Cygnus and SpaceX’s Dragon. Unlike their single-use intended purpose for Progress and Cygnus, Dragon can return scientific materials and experimental results down to Earth, as well as itself being reusable.
The spacecraft will return to Earth after its six-month mission is complete, burning up in re-entry. This intended destruction also guarantees that there will be no debris in orbit.
NASA announced the successful launch a little after 3:50 p.m. EDT on July 3. Space.com wrote about the spacecraft’s uneventful ascent, further validating the trustworthiness of Russia’s venerable Soyuz-based cargo service for the sake of orbiting science and cooperation.
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Science
Meteorite From Outer Solar System Challenges Planet Formation Timeline in Early Solar System
A minuscule meteorite seems to be rewriting the history of our solar system. The 50-gram Northwest Africa 12264 has brought a new understanding of when and how rocky worlds came together. Inner planets such as Earth and Mars were thought to have formed earlier than their more distant siblings, given temperatures and composition. But a new study of this meteorite, which originates from beyond the asteroid belt, suggests that the birth of planets throughout the solar system occurred tens of millions of years earlier than previously believed, narrowing the gap in time between the solar system’s inner and outer surfaces.
Outer Solar System Meteorite Reveals Rocky Planets Likely Formed Simultaneously Across the Galaxy
As per a study led by Dr Ben Rider-Stokes of The Open University and published in Communications Earth & Environment, the meteorite’s chemical makeup offers critical evidence. Its chromium and oxygen isotope ratios place its origin in the outer solar system. Most strikingly, lead isotope dating determined its age to be about 4.564 billion years, almost identical to basalt samples from the inner solar system that represent early planetary crusts.
These findings directly challenge the previous assumption that rocky planets beyond Jupiter formed two to three million years later due to their water-rich composition. Ice and water were thought to slow differentiation, the internal layering of planetary bodies. But this meteorite, with its outer solar birth and inner solar age, points to a far more synchronised process of rocky planet formation.
Scientists note that the discovery is also consistent with observations of exoplanetary systems. Based on this and past observations of disks of dust and gas around other stars, the evidence of planetesimals forming quickly and over large orbital separations adds to the argument that early solar system evolution may have been more universal than thought.
As trivial as the time difference might be in the context of a universe, the question is huge. A new timeline of planet formation is not only a retelling of Earth’s history but may also help determine how astronomers think about how planets form in the galaxy more generally, providing new hints about where and how in the galaxy Earth-like planets could take shape.
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Related Stories
The entry of a third known object into our solar system has been confirmed on July 1, 2025 by the astronomers. This object is named 3I/ATLAS, where 3I stands for “Third Interstellar”, having a highly hyperbolic (eccentricity ≈ 6.2) orbit, confirming it is not bound to the Sun but is a true interstellar visitor. Only two such visitors, 1I/ʻOumuamua (2017) and 2I/Borisov (2019), had been seen before. Notably, 3I/ATLAS appears to be the largest and brightest interstellar wanderer yet discovered.
Comparison with previous interstellars
According to NASA, astronomers from the ATLAS survey first spotted the object on July 1, 2025, using a telescope in Chile. It immediately drew attention for its unusual motion. Shortly after discovery, observers saw a faint coma and tail, leading to its classification as comet C/2025 N1 (ATLAS).
This comet-like appearance is shared with 2I/Borisov, the second interstellar visitor. Global observatories now track 3I/ATLAS. It poses no threat but offers a rare opportunity to study alien material. Since 1I/ʻOumuamua was observed only as it was leaving the solar system, it was difficult for astronomers to get enough data on it to confirm its exact nature — hence the crazy theories about it being an alien spaceship — though it’s almost certainly an asteroid or a comet.
Size and Significance
3I/ATLAS is much larger and brighter than earlier interstellar visitors. It is about 15 kilometers (km) [9 miles] in diameter, with huge uncertainty, compared to 100m for 1I/’Oumuamua and less than 1km for 2I/Borisov. This brightness and size makes it a a better target for study. Astronomers are planning to analyze its light for chemical signatures from its home system to get clues about the formation of distant planetary systems.
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3I/ATLAS, interstellar object, Oumuamua, Borisov, astronomy, ATLAS survey, comet, hyperbolic orbit, solar system, NASA, space science, alien worlds, planetary formation, James Webb Telescope
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