Mariner 10 is the first spacecraft to visit Mercury and to fly by multiple planets, launched by NASA in 1973 under Bruce C. Murray’s science team.
The European Space Agency’s BepiColombo mission has completed a critical phase of its eight-year cruise by shedding the Mercury Transfer Module. Two orbiters remain to observe Mercury as the craft shifts to in-situ science, following a sequence of gravity assists and a new, power-efficient configuration.
Scientists have identified a 222‑metre‑wide, up to 43‑metre‑deep crater on the Moon formed in spring 2024 and first spotted in LRO images in 2025. The impact churned material across more than 100 km, produced a roughly 7‑km cold spot and has provided rare data scientists say will inform risk assessments for planned lunar bases.