MAVEN’s Final Hour: Mars Orbiter Crisis + Historic ISS Evacuation Update & Lunar Timekeeping

NASA attempts to contact the silent MAVEN Mars orbiter after 40 days—but prospects look grim. Plus: the first-ever ISS medical evacuation succeeds, Europe debuts its powerful Ariane 64, scientists crack asteroid defense secrets, China releases lunar timekeeping software, and Hubble reveals where planets are born. Your daily space news for January 15, 2026.

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After more than a month of silence, NASA is making what may be its final attempt to contact the MAVEN Mars orbiter. Mission leaders are pessimistic, but the veteran spacecraft has surprised them before. We break down what happened, what's at stake, and what MAVEN's potential loss means for Mars exploration.

On a brighter note, the SpaceX Crew-11 astronauts have safely returned to Houston following the first-ever medical evacuation from the International Space Station—a historic operation that went flawlessly. We explore how NASA executed this unprecedented mission.

Europe's taking a major step forward with the announcement that the first Ariane 64 rocket will launch February 12th. This four-booster beast can carry more than double the payload of its predecessor, and its debut mission will deploy 32 satellites for Amazon's Kuiper constellation.

Scientists using CERN's particle accelerators have discovered that iron-rich asteroids are tougher than we thought—and they actually get stronger under stress. This surprising finding could reshape how we approach planetary defense.

China has released the world's first practical software for keeping time on the Moon. It sounds like science fiction, but lunar timekeeping is becoming essential as multiple nations prepare for sustained lunar operations.

And after 35 years in orbit, the Hubble Space Telescope is still delivering stunning science, with a new gallery of images showing protoplanetary disks where planets are being born around young stars.

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Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/31171678?utm_source=youtube