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Space & Planetary

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 13-Jun-2026 10:15 ET (13-Jun-2026 14:15 GMT/UTC)

Environment: Atmospheric pollution directly linked to rocket re-entry

Springer Nature
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A plume of upper-atmospheric lithium pollution observed in February 2025 has been attributed to the re-entry of a specific rocket stage. The results, published in Communications Earth & Environment, are the first known direct detection of upper-atmospheric pollution from space debris re-entry.

Journal: Communications Earth & Environment

Annual Marian H. Rose Research Scholarship awarded to Lucciana Mikaela Cáceres Holgado

American Institute of Physics
Grant and Award Announcement

Lucciana Mikaela Cáceres Holgado has been chosen as the recipient of the second annual Marian H. Rose Research Scholarship from the Society of Physics Students. The scholarship honors Marian H. Rose, a career plasma physicist, author, and environmental activist, by providing one graduate student with $15,000 in grant funding. Cáceres Holgado currently serves as the vice president for the University of Kansas’ SPS chapter, leads outreach activities with local schools, and enjoys giving back to a group of people who have supported her throughout her college education.

Supercomputers help solve long-standing astronomical problem

University of Victoria
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at University of Victoria's Astronomy Research Centre (ARC) and the University of Minnesota study the changes in the chemical composition at the surface of red giant stars.

Journal: Nature Astronomy

Secure quantum applications for real-world networks

Universitaet Stuttgart
Grant and Award Announcement

The new QCyber joint research project is developing secure applications in quantum networks with multiple users. The methods will be tested in a real fibre-optic network in Stuttgart with up to six nodes and over distances of up to 20 km. The project involves three universities and is coordinated by Professor Stefanie Barz at the University of Stuttgart. QCyber is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) with six million euros over three years.

An international team of astronomers led by UMass Amherst may have just found one of the missing links in galaxy evolution

University of Massachusetts Amherst
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A team of 48 astronomers from 14 countries, led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has discovered a population of dusty, star-forming galaxies at the far edges of the universe that formed only a billion years after the Big Bang, believed to have occurred 13.7 billion years ago.

Journal: The Astrophysical Journal Letters

Scientists observe distant jellyfish galaxy for first time

University of Waterloo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Astrophysicists from the University of Waterloo have observed a new jellyfish galaxy, the most distant one of its kind ever captured.

Journal: The Astrophysical Journal

Microbes harvest metals from meteorites aboard space station

Cornell University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, can harvest crucial minerals from rocks and could provide a sustainable alternative to transporting much-needed resources from Earth. Researchers from Cornell University and the University of Edinburgh have now collaborated to study how those microorganisms extract platinum group elements from a meteorite in microgravity, with an experiment conducted aboard the International Space Station.

Journal: npj Microgravity

Novel framework addresses the importance of buildings as a physical determinant of health

Boston University School of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

)— As the population ages, renewed attention is being given to the institutional buildings where many older adults reside, such as nursing homes and long-term care settings, which affect the health and quality of life of those living in them. Research suggests that built spaces exert strong and subtle influences on the brains and bodies of aging persons. For example, the way space is designed can play a role in the risk of falling, infection control, avoidable hospitalization and confusion.

Unfortunately, this research is not currently incorporated in a systematic way into new construction or renovation projects. A multidisciplinary team led by Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine has developed a framework for evaluating long-term care architectural drawings and designs. Entitled “Bioethics Peer Review for Long-Term Care Design (BPR-LTC),” the framework’s intent is for evidence-based design principles to be incorporated into the development of spaces for older adults.

Journal: Journal of the American Medical Directors Association

Smithsonian planetary scientists discover recent tectonic activity on the Moon

Smithsonian
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists have produced the first global map and analysis of small mare ridges (SMRs) on the moon, a characteristic geological feature of tectonic activity. The team’s discovery of how SMRs form introduces a new set of potential moonquake sources that could affect future site selections for lunar landings.

Journal: The Planetary Science Journal

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