NASA is weighing an uncrewed Mars mission concept powered by nuclear-electric propulsion, with reporting indicating a target of operations by the end of 2028. The plan, as described in recent ...

A new study released by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has set the stage for future human missions to Mars. Titled A Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of ...

NASA has lost contact with one of its three spacecraft orbiting Mars, the agency announced Tuesday. Meanwhile, a second Mars orbiter is perilously close to running out of fuel, and the third mission ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As humanity prepares to take its first steps on Mars, a comprehensive report released today (Dec. 9) from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. An award-winning reporter writing about stargazing and the night sky. This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more. This ...

The mission, called Space Reactor 1 Freedom, will test advanced nuclear electric propulsion. Upon reaching Mars, the spacecraft would deploy helicopters to explore the planet from the air. This ...

The rusty world is full of mysteries—and some of the solar system's most extreme geology. Learn more about Earth's smaller, colder neighbor.

NASA lost contact with its MAVEN Mars orbiter in December 2025 after more than a decade of operation. A solar conjunction, where Mars and Earth are on opposite sides of the sun, has temporarily ...