This Week in Space – December 14-21, 2025
🚀 Artemis Program Progress
Artemis II Crew Launch Day Rehearsal
NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen completed a crucial launch day rehearsal, bringing humanity one step closer to returning to the Moon. The crew practiced critical pre-launch procedures in preparation for their historic mission around the Moon.
NASA Kennedy Top 20 Stories of 2025
Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida spent 2025 preparing the launch vehicle and spacecraft for Artemis missions. The year-end review highlights major milestones achieved in rocket assembly, testing, and launch preparations for America’s return to the Moon.
☀️ Solar Discovery
Solar Wind ‘U-turn’ Spotted by Parker Solar Probe
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe captured images of the Sun’s solar wind showing a previously unseen phenomenon – a “U-turn” in the flow of solar particles. This remarkable discovery provides new insights into the complex behavior of the solar wind and its interaction with the Sun’s magnetic field.
🌌 Year in Review
EarthSky’s Top 10 Stories of 2025
EarthSky compiled the top 10 space and astronomy stories of 2025, featuring the Hubble Space Telescope’s stunning capture of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS and other major astronomical discoveries that captivated audiences worldwide throughout the year.
NASA Ignites New Golden Age of Exploration in 2025
NASA’s 2025 year-end review showcases remarkable achievements including 17 live-streamed launches with 3.7 million combined views, advances in fuel cell technology, small satellite demonstrations, and increased Spanish-language science content reaching millions of new audiences globally.
NASA Armstrong Advances Flight Research and Innovation
In 2025, NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, advanced work across aeronautics, Earth science, and space technology. The center made significant progress in aviation research, atmospheric science, and experimental aircraft testing throughout the year.
🪐 Planetary Science
Rogue Worlds and the Boundaries of Planethood
Scientists explore the fascinating question of how planets find themselves drifting alone through space. This examination of rogue worlds challenges our understanding of planetary formation and the boundaries of what constitutes a planet versus other celestial objects.
Europa’s Thick Ice May Hinder Search for Life
New research suggests that Europa’s vast, salty ocean covered by a thick shell of ice may pose significant challenges for detecting signs of life. The ice layer’s thickness could complicate future missions aimed at exploring this potentially habitable moon of Jupiter.
🔬 Astrobiology
The Essential Guide to Proving We’ve Found Alien Life
Scientists discuss the rigorous standards and protocols required to confirm the discovery of extraterrestrial life. The article examines the challenges of distinguishing genuine biosignatures from false positives and the importance of reproducible evidence in making such an extraordinary claim.
🌌 Cosmic Beauty
A Dance of Galaxies
NASA’s image of the day features galaxies NGC 4490 and NGC 4485, located about 24 million light-years away. These interacting galaxies showcase the spectacular cosmic ballet that occurs when galaxies gravitationally influence each other over millions of years.
Next Week Preview
Stay tuned for holiday observing opportunities, continued Artemis mission preparations, year-end space achievement summaries, and the winter solstice special astronomical events as we close out 2025.