Asteroid & Comet Missions

Latest about Asteroid & Comet Missions

This illustration depicts asteroid Phaethon being heated by the Sun. The asteroid’s surface gets so hot that sodium inside Phaethon’s rock likely vaporizes and vents into space, causing it to brighten like a comet and form a tail.
Asteroid Phaethon's mysterious tail may finally have an explanation

By Conor Feehly Published

Spectral analysis of the mystery asteroid Phaethon reveals its composition at last.

Asteroid & Comet Missions
Artist's illustration of Japan's DESTINY+ asteroid probe in space, with earth in the background.
Japan's mission to bizarre asteroid Phaethon delayed to 2025

By Andrew Jones Published

Japan's DESTINY+ mission to 3200 Phaethon, the parent body of the famous Geminid meteor shower, will have to wait a bit longer to get off the ground.

Asteroid & Comet Missions
Astrophysicist and iconic rocker Brian May.
Queen guitar legend Brian May helps analyze NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid samples

By Robert Lea Published

Music legend Brian May has spoken about his role in the historic NASA OSIRIS-REx mission, which in September returned a sample of the space rock Bennu to Earth.

Asteroid & Comet Missions
a large white rocket launches into a cloudy gray sky.
Relive SpaceX's Falcon Heavy launch of Psyche asteroid mission with these amazing photos

By Mike Wall Published

SpaceX's powerful Falcon Heavy rocket launched NASA's Psyche asteroid mission on Friday (Oct. 13), providing space fans with lots of eye candy.

Asteroid & Comet Missions
a falcon heavy rocket with sooty side boosters stands at lc-39a for NASA's Psyche mission, Oct. 11, 2023.
Watch SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launch NASA's Psyche asteroid mission today

By Mike Wall Published

SpaceX's powerful Falcon Heavy rocket will launch NASA's Psyche asteroid mission today (Oct. 13), weather permitting, and you can watch it live.

Asteroid & Comet Missions
a white rocket stands on the launch pad next to its black launch tower, with a gray sky in the background.
SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket poised to launch Psyche metal asteroid mission (photos)

By Mike Wall Published

SpaceX's powerful Falcon Heavy rocket is standing tall on the launch pad ahead of the planned Friday (Oct. 13) liftoff of NASA's Psyche metal asteroid mission.

Asteroid & Comet Missions
the payload fairings at the top of a rocket stand with cloudy skies behind
Bad weather delays SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch of NASA's Psyche asteroid mission to Oct. 13

By Josh Dinner Published

Weather on Florida's Space Coast will delay the liftoff of NASA's Psyche mission by at least a day, the agency announced Wednesday evening (Oct. 11).

Asteroid & Comet Missions
dark dirt and pebbles sit atop a silver metallic ring
NASA's 1st asteroid sample is rich in carbon and water, OSIRIS-REx team finds

By Mike Wall Published

The asteroid sample hauled to Earth by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission contains lots of water and carbon-containing compounds, mission team members announced today (Oct. 11).

Asteroid & Comet Missions
a white spacex falcon heavy rocket is carried horizontally down a track toward the launch pad under a blue sky.
SpaceX rolls out Falcon Heavy rocket for Psyche asteroid mission launch (photos)

By Mike Wall Published

SpaceX rolled its powerful Falcon Heavy rocket out to the pad Tuesday (Oct. 10) ahead of the planned Thursday (Oct. 12) liftoff of NASA's Psyche metal asteroid mission.

Asteroid & Comet Missions
technicians in blue 'bunny suits' manipulate a metallic object inside a clean room.
NASA revealing OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample today: Watch it live

By Mike Wall Published

During a webcast today (Oct. 10), NASA will unveil the asteroid sample hauled to Earth by its OSIRIS-REx mission last month.

Asteroid & Comet Missions
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