NASA

The Trump administration has proposed a significant overhaul of NASA’s budget, slashing $6 billion while redirecting $1 billion toward Mars exploration—a move that aligns with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s long-standing ambition to reach the Red Planet. The plan, outlined in a discretionary budget posted on NASA’s website, prioritizes beating China in the space race to the Moon and landing humans on Mars, but at the cost of terminating key programs and reducing scientific research.

NASA’s Juno spacecraft, launched in 2011 and orbiting Jupiter since 2016, continues to revolutionize our understanding of the gas giant and its moons. Despite a malfunctioning thruster that now keeps it in a wide, looping orbit, Juno’s latest findings reveal jaw-dropping details about Jupiter’s chaotic polar cyclones and a record-breaking volcanic eruption on its moon Io—the most violent ever seen in our solar system.

Spending months away from Earth in a weightless, confined environment takes a special kind of resilience. From groundbreaking research to testing human endurance, these astronauts have redefined the limits of long-term space missions. Here’s a countdown of the top 10 astronauts who spent the longest time in space on a single mission:

In a last-minute decision, NASA and SpaceX have postponed the highly anticipated Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), delaying the return of stranded astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore. The launch, originally scheduled for March 13, 2025, was scrubbed due to a hydraulic system issue with a ground support clamp arm for the Falcon 9 rocket at Launch Complex 39A in Florida.

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft landed on Bennu in 2020 and collected the samples, which were sent back to Earth in 2023. The return capsule safely parachuted into the Utah desert, allowing scientists to study the material for clues about the early solar system and the origins of life.

Blue Origin is set to make history with the launch of New Glenn, its long-awaited reusable rocket, after more than 13 years in development. The spacecraft, valued at $2.5 billion, has faced delays, but now the company has confirmed that the inaugural launch will take place no earlier than January 13, 2025. The three-hour launch window begins at 1 AM ET, and viewers can watch the event live on Blue Origin’s website, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter), with the webcast starting an hour before liftoff.