Here are today’s most important updates from the realm of Science and Space.
NASA's private Athena lander, developed by Intuitive Machines, has touched down on the Moon's surface, but its condition remains uncertain. Moments after landing, the team confirmed engine shutdown and acknowledged other commands, though final confirmation of the lander's status is still pending. The team confirmed that the Athena lander is not in an upright position, though its precise orientation remains unclear. Despite this, the spacecraft has power and is maintaining communication with mission control. The landing site, Mons Mouton, is approximately 160 kilometers from the lunar South Pole, marking the closest approach to this area by any spacecraft to date.
RIP Starship Flight 8, just caught it exploding after a few engines cut off and it losing attitude control, viewed from Titusville, FL🚀 pic.twitter.com/VBBtApjsd7
— 📸Trevor Mahlmann🚀 (@TrevorMahlmann) March 6, 2025
(Credit; X/@TrevorMahlmann)
In a devastating setback for SpaceX, its Starship rocket exploded in space during its eighth test flight, scattering debris across parts of Florida and the Bahamas. The Starship rocket, designed to be the most powerful ever built, was intended to conduct a suborbital flight, deploying four dummy Starlink satellites and testing reentry maneuvers. This incident follows a previous failure in January, where the upper stage of Starship exploded over the Caribbean, raining debris on the Turks and Caicos Islands. SpaceX is working closely with regulatory bodies to investigate the cause of the failure and ensure public safety.
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has announced that the current La Nina event is likely to be short-lived, with forecasts indicating a return to ENSO-neutral conditions in the coming months. According to the WMO Global Producing Centres for Seasonal Prediction, there is a 60% probability that conditions will shift back to neutral during March-May 2025, increasing to 70% for April-June 2025. La Nina, characterised by cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, typically brings climate impacts opposite to those of El Nino, affecting tropical regions significantly. La Nina events typically last 9-12 months but can persist longer, significantly altering global climate patterns.
Scientists have discovered that Alpha Centauri, our closest stellar neighbour, could be sending interstellar material our way. The three-star system, which likely hosts planets, is slowly moving closer to us and will reach its closest point in about 28,000 years. As Alpha Centauri moves closer, the flow of interstellar particles into our Solar System is expected to increase, peaking when the star system reaches its closest approach. As technology advances, we may soon find proof that our celestial neighbour has been quietly sending us messages in the form of interstellar dust, waiting for us to decipher their secrets.
