USA Today is hardly cutting-edge as journalism goes, but publicity is publicity: www.usatoday.com/story/studiog/life/2025/10/07/asteroid-mining-brings-private-companies-into-the-space-race/85710633007/Hope Hodge Seck Oct 7 Asteroid Mining, a Gold Rush in Space Note that the URL ‘title’ is horrendous. Private companies defy traditional notions of a “Space Race”.… Read More »“Asteroid Mining” Lines
Not news, but ESA’s Hera mission to Didymos/Dimorphos after the DART impact has launched and is on track. Based on good performances from all propulsion systems, mission managers expect to encounter the target asteroids earlier than first planned. Arrival is… Read More »Hera Update, Oct 2025
Going on right now: the EU-ESA Workshop on Astrometric and Radar Observations of NEOshttps://indico.esa.int/event/590/Oct 6–8, Frascati, Italy: European Space Research Institute (ESRIN) Asteroids are distinguished from stars because they move; near-Earth asteroids are distinguished from Main Belters because they move… Read More »EU-ESA Astrometry/Radar Workshop
The journal Vacuum takes us from pure science towards engineering for Dec (vol. 242): Wang, J. Zhang, R. Li, W. Study of sealing effect about the Shape Memory Alloy-based Knife-edge Seal System in extraterrestrial soil sample return mission 114731 .2025.114731… Read More »Note, Paper: Sample Capsule Trap Caps
In the latest Science Advances issue (1 Oct 2025, vol. 11, #40): Grewal, D. S. Zhang, Z. Manilal, V. Protracted core formation and impact disruptions shaped the earliest outer Solar System planetesimals adw1668 Most asteroids never melted; they then preserve the materials… Read More »Note, Paper: Cold Core Lore
This week: a seminar/conference on the returned samples from Ryugu and Bennu, and their implications: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/bennuryugu2025/ Bennu and Ryugu: Samples from the Early Solar System WorkshopOctober 7–9, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston On the (very rich) agenda (www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/bennuryugu2025/technical_program/): Tuesday, October… Read More »Bennu and Ryugu Samples Workshop
No, not the singular small body- ATLAS the network of telescopes. Javier Licandro, well-known in small-body/Solar System science, gave a talk last week on ATLAS Teide, the fifth and newest node of the ATLAS network of asteroid-search observatories. This ATLAS… Read More »ATLAS Canarias Expansion, Unpacked
Icarus for November (vol. 440) is a bit light: Pan, Q. Li, X. Qiao, D. Analysis of structural failure in fast-spinning small bodies Art 116662 .2025.116662Wei, Z. Zhuang, Y. Zhang, H. et al. Spectral feature variations of low-iron olivine under… Read More »Note, Paper: Grasping the Clasts
The Sep issue (vol. 701) of Astronomy & Astrophysics still says “in progress”, but I’m going ahead: Minker, K. Carry, B. Vachier, F. et al. A dynamical dichotomy in large binary asteroids A42 202554973Hmiddouch, S. Jehin, E. Lippi, M. et… Read More »Note, Paper: Dynam-Activity
Before the month is out… MNRAS: Letters for September (vol. 542 #1) has one good letter: Zhu, K. Dai, B. Cao, X. et al. O–Fe–Ti isotopic evidence for classifying Oued Chebeika 002 as a CI chondrite and its genetic affinities with… Read More »Note, Paper: Meteo-Ry? Carbennutious?