NASA

The four astronauts assigned to NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission have started a two-week quarantine at the Johnson Space Center in Houston to safeguard their health before launch. The crew, comprising members from NASA, the European Space Agency, and Roscosmos, is preparing for a flight to the International Space Station scheduled no earlier than February 11. This mission highlights ongoing international collaboration in space exploration.

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NASA has begun a critical two-day wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis II mission at Kennedy Space Center, simulating launch procedures without engine ignition. The test involves loading the Space Launch System rocket with over 700,000 gallons of propellant and could pave the way for a crewed launch as early as February 8. This marks preparation for the first human trip beyond low Earth orbit since 1972.

Astronomers have identified a small companion star, named Siwarha, that is disturbing the atmosphere of the red supergiant Betelgeuse, explaining its unusual brightness changes. Using eight years of data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and ground observatories, researchers confirmed the companion's presence through a visible wake of dense gas. The discovery, announced at the American Astronomical Society meeting, sheds light on the evolution of massive stars.

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One day after announcing the unprecedented step, NASA has elaborated on plans to return four astronauts from the Crew-11 mission early due to a stable medical issue affecting one crew member. The operation, the first of its kind in 25 years, is scheduled for the coming days aboard their SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.