The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is proving good at finding fast-spinning asteroids. The results come from the observatory’s “First Look” campaign, which collected about 340,000 observations between April 21, 2025, and May 5, 2025. Researchers were able to track the spin rates of several dozen asteroids, including the fastest-spinning sub-kilometer asteroids ever found. Pictured: The lines in this image from Rubin show asteroids that moved between two exposures. Image credit: Rubin SkyViewer.
A private foundation is planning to fund a new space telescope. Schmidt Sciences — an organization funded by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy Schmidt — recently announced plans to fund a 3-meter space telescope as well as three ground-based space science facilities. They aim to have all four operational by 2029, with open data access available to the scientific community.
NASA and the Department of Energy are planning to develop a lunar surface reactor. The two government bodies have signed an agreement to develop a nuclear fission power system on the surface of the Moon by 2030. The aim of the reactor would be to supply continuous, reliable power for sustained human exploration, independent of sunlight.
NASA’s PANDORA mission has launched. PANDORA, led by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, is designed to study exoplanets and their stars. The spacecraft will observe exoplanets discovered by other missions to gain information about the planets’ atmospheres and how their stars may produce or affect the signals we detect from them.