Invisible matter that shapes the cosmos
The Artemis II crew has completed a nearly 10-day lunar flyby, breaking Apollo 13's distance record and returning safely to Earth on April 10, 2026. The mission has tested NASA's Orion spacecraft, provided critical data for Artemis III's planned moon landing in 2027, and energized plans for a sustainable lunar base. The astronauts have shared their experiences and undergone medical checks at NASA's Johnson Space Center.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has begun the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, a 10-year program that will image the southern sky every few nights. The telescope has started regular operations from its Chilean mountaintop site and is already returning new detections, including thousands of asteroids and transient views such as Comet 3I/ATLAS.