An impact by a giant asteroid probably shifted Ganymede's axis. Jupiter's moon, the largest in the Solar System, shows signs of a major impact in the past. New research suggests that this impact, which likely occurred 3 billion years ago, could have been by an asteroid with a diameter of about 300 kilometers (299 kilometers), about 20 times larger than the one that hit Earth 65 million years ago. The impact would have been powerful enough to tilt Ganymede’s axis, pointing its north pole away from Jupiter (pictured in this artist’s impression). Image credit: HIRATA Naoyuki.
NASA's solar-powered spacecraft has unfurled its sails. The Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) It is now fully implemented in Earth orbit. The mission, which was based on lessons learned from the Planetary Society Light sailing 2 The solar sail spacecraft will next test the sail's maneuvering capabilities in space.
Boeing's Starliner will return to empty Earth on September 6. The capsule, which was to return astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams home from the International Space Station, has faced multiple technical problems and It will return to Earth without a crew on Friday. Wilmore and Williams are now scheduled to return in a SpaceX capsule in February 2025.
BepiColombo's arrival at Mercury will be delayed. The joint ESA-JAXA mission to Mercury will have to adjust its trajectory, delaying its orbital insertion by almost a year Due to problems with its electric thrusters, the mission, which will arrive at Mercury in November 2026, will still be able to carry out all of its scientific objectives.
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