Researchers at ETH Zurich and European partners have for the first time induced thousands of tiny, monitored earthquakes deep beneath the Swiss Alps as part of the Fault Activation and Earthquake Rupture (FEAR-2) experiment. Working in the BedrettoLab — a facility carved into a 5.2 km ventilation tunnel beneath about 1.5 km of mountain — teams injected 750 cubic metres of water into boreholes over four days in late April, remotely controlled from Zurich. The injections produced roughly 8,000 seismic events on the targeted fault and on nearby perpendicular faults, with local magnitudes ranging from about -5 to -0.14. The experiment fell just short of its magnitude-1 target; researchers plan another attempt in June to refine injection angles. No surface shaking was detected and scientists say the activity added only a small fraction of natural risk. The project aims to improve understanding of fault mechanics and to guide safer underground activity such as geothermal development, mining and wastewater disposal.

A tiny trans-Neptunian object beyond Neptune, cataloged (612533) 2002 XV93, appears to be encircled by an ultra-thin atmosphere, according to a study led by Ko Arimatsu of Japan’s National Astronomical Observatory published in Nature Astronomy in May 2026. Observers at three Japanese sites monitoring a January 10, 2024 stellar occultation recorded a gradual dimming of starlight — a refractive signature consistent with a gaseous envelope rather than a sharp occultation edge. The putative atmosphere is extremely tenuous, roughly 5 million to 10 million times thinner than Earth’s atmosphere and an estimated 50–100 times thinner than Pluto’s. Possible sources include recent cometary impact or active cryovolcanic outgassing, though alternative explanations such as rings were considered less consistent with the data. Authors call for independent verification — particularly spectroscopic follow-up with facilities like NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope — to confirm composition and persistence. Senior planetary scientists, including Alan Stern, have urged caution pending more observations.

Blue Origin’s uncrewed Blue Moon MK1 lander, Endurance, has completed a full environmental test campaign inside NASA’s large Thermal Vacuum Chamber at Johnson Space Center, agency and industry accounts said in early May 2026. The campaign simulated deep-space vacuum and extreme temperature cycles to validate electronics, thermal systems and structure ahead of an uncrewed Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) demonstration mission that will carry two NASA science payloads. Separately, a full-scale Blue Moon Mark 2 crew cabin mock-up is now operational at Johnson for human-in-the-loop training and design feedback as NASA prepares for orbital rendezvous and docking tests targeted for 2027 and crewed lunar returns in the following years. Blue Origin plans to launch its lander on its New Glenn rocket, but New Glenn’s flight status and schedule remain subject to an FAA investigation of a recent second-stage failure, a factor that could affect timelines. Key qualification steps still required include autonomous navigation, cryogenic propellant handling, precision landing and ascent back to orbit before any crewed missions.

NASA engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California have tested next-generation Mars helicopter rotor blades in a simulated Martian atmosphere and driven rotor-tip speeds beyond Mach 1. During a 137-run campaign concluded in March, teams mounted a three-bladed rotor in JPL’s 25-Foot Space Simulator, evacuated the chamber and backfilled it with carbon dioxide to Martian pressures, then increased rpm and headwinds until tip speeds reached Mach 1.08 at about 3,750 rpm. That regime boosted lift by roughly 30%, a gain that could allow future aircraft to carry heavier science instruments, larger batteries and longer-duration flight systems. A two-bladed SkyFall rotor design reached comparable tip speeds at about 3,570 rpm. The rotors, built by AeroVironment, were tested to assess structural integrity near the sonic edge and to inform designs for the agency’s next-generation Mars aerial vehicles.

A study published online May 7, 2026 in the journal Emotion finds older adults report fewer recent regrets and experience less intense negative emotion when reflecting on past mistakes than younger adults. Researchers led by Julia Nolte surveyed 90 U.S. adults aged 21 to 89, asking participants to list up to five recent regrets (past year) and five long-term regrets, then rate the emotions each evoked and whether they were regrets of commission (actions taken) or omission (missed opportunities). While both age groups reported a similar number of long-term regrets, older participants showed lower levels of “hot” emotions such as anger, embarrassment and irritation and were less likely to undertake active psychological repair. Younger adults reported more regrets of commission and were more likely to plan corrective actions. The authors note the findings could reflect age-related shifts in emotion regulation or generational cohort differences and call for further research to determine underlying mechanisms and broader generalisability.

Forecasters from NOAA, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and several research groups report growing confidence that El Niño will develop by the Northern Hemisphere summer of 2026 and could strengthen into a very strong or “super” event. Consensus models put the probability of El Niño conditions in summer well above 80–90 percent; the likelihood of the Niño-3.4 index crossing the informal +2.0°C “super” threshold varies across ensembles. NOAA’s operational outlook and research models point to rapidly rising subsurface heat in the equatorial Pacific and favorable westerly wind anomalies, while some ECMWF and experimental GFDL members project extreme anomalies (in some runs up to +3.0°C). A strong El Niño would likely amplify global temperatures, raise heatwave, drought and wildfire risks in places such as Australia, Southeast Asia and the Amazon, and increase flooding risk in parts of South America, East Africa and the southern United States. Tropical cyclone patterns are also expected to shift. Scientists caution that spring predictability limits and model spread leave uncertainty over peak strength and regional fingerprints; agencies will continue monthly monitoring as the situation evolves through 2026–27.

Researchers announced on May 6–7, 2026 that DNA recovered from human remains associated with the ill-fated 1845 Franklin expedition has yielded matches to living descendants, identifying four more crew members. Analyses published in Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports and Polar Record matched mitochondrial and Y-chromosome material from bone and tooth samples to relatives, naming William Orren, David Young and John Bridgens — all from HMS Erebus — and Harry Peglar from HMS Terror. Peglar is the first Terror crew member to be definitively identified by DNA; his remains were found about 200 km from the ship. The work, led by anthropologists including Douglas Stenton and Robert Park, drew on about 50 samples from at least 23 individuals recovered at Nunavut sites and used genealogical leads supplied by amateur researchers and DNA donors. The identifications build on prior DNA successes that have named other crew and help map where survivors died after the ships became icebound off King William Island in 1846 and the final overland trek in 1848.

Scientists at London’s Natural History Museum have described a new genus and species of tiny parasitic wasp, Attenboroughnculus tau, and named it in honour of Sir David Attenborough to mark his 100th birthday on May 8, 2026. The 3.5mm ichneumonid specimen was collected in Chile’s Valdivia province in the 1980s and sat unrecognised in the museum’s collections until a volunteer, Augustijn De Ketelaere, flagged it for study. Principal curator Gavin Broad led the description, published in the Journal of Natural History; the wasp’s species name, tau, refers to a T-shaped abdominal marking. The insect is so distinct that it forms its own genus, and little is known of its biology or host species. The discovery underscores the large backlog of undescribed invertebrates in museum drawers and adds to more than 50 species already named after Attenborough.

NASA’s new NISAR (NASA‑ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite has produced high‑resolution maps showing accelerated subsidence across Mexico City, with preliminary measurements from October 2025 to January 2026 indicating pockets sinking by more than 2 centimetres per month. The joint mission, operational since July 2025, combines L‑ and S‑band radars and a 12‑metre reflector to revisit areas twice every 12 days, enabling near‑real‑time detection even through clouds and vegetation. NASA’s map highlights concentrated blue zones of rapid decline — including areas near Benito Juárez International Airport and landmarks such as the Angel of Independence — while noting some yellow and red signals likely represent background noise that should reduce as more data are collected. Scientists attribute the long‑running phenomenon to intense groundwater pumping from the ancient Lake Texcoco bed and the cumulative weight of urban development, producing uneven “differential subsidence” that has already damaged metro lines, roads, pipes and historic buildings across a metropolis of roughly 20–22 million people. Researchers say continuous NISAR monitoring will be critical for targeting mitigation and infrastructure planning.

NASA’s Curiosity rover became momentarily immobilised by a clingy Martian rock during a routine sampling attempt at the end of April. On April 25 the rover drilled into a slab nicknamed “Atacama” — roughly 1.5 feet across, about six inches thick and some 28–29 pounds — and when the arm retracted the rock remained attached to the drill sleeve, an outcome NASA says had not occurred in the rover’s long mission. Controllers at JPL spent five to six days troubleshooting remotely, constrained by 30–45 minute Mars–Earth signal delays. Teams used sequences of drill vibration, rotation, greater tilt and spinning to free the rock; it finally fell away and shattered on May 1. Hazard-camera and other imagery released by NASA and publicised in media outlets captured the event as GIFs and stitched black-and-white frames. Curiosity was not harmed and has resumed science tasks; the rover, operating since 2012, continues to collect rock powder for onboard instruments such as SAM and CheMin.

NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured a close-up view of Thebe, the second-largest of Jupiter’s inner moons, during a May 1, 2026 flyby. The image was taken by Juno’s Stellar Reference Unit (SRU) from roughly 3,100 miles (5,000 km) with a resolution of about 1.9 miles (3 km) per pixel. Thebe orbits at the outer edge of Jupiter’s faint “gossamer” ring and is believed to contribute dust that helps form and maintain that ring. Although the SRU is primarily a star-tracking camera used for navigation, its high sensitivity in low-light conditions has made it a valuable secondary science instrument on Juno, previously revealing phenomena such as shallow lightning and detailed views of Jupiter’s rings. The mission is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the New Frontiers program, with Scott J. Bolton as principal investigator. The new imagery provides improved surface detail and context for understanding how small moons interact with planetary ring systems.

A landslide on Aug. 10, 2025, in Tracy Arm fjord, southeast Alaska, produced a landslide‑generated tsunami with a run‑up of about 481 metres — the second‑largest wave on record. Researchers led by Dan Shugar at the University of Calgary reconstructed the event using satellite imagery, seismic records, eyewitness accounts and numerical modelling. They estimate roughly 64 million cubic metres of rock plunged into the fjord in under a minute, generating a long‑period seismic signal equivalent to a magnitude‑5.4 event and a seiche that oscillated inside the fjord for about 36 hours. The collapse followed rapid retreat and thinning of the South Sawyer Glacier, which had been buttressing the slope; investigators say debuttressing by glacier loss was a key factor. The tsunami struck in the early morning, and no fatalities were reported, but the fjord is a frequent cruise destination and several operators have since altered itineraries. Authors of the Science paper warn similar fjords worldwide — including parts of British Columbia, Greenland, New Zealand and Chile — may face rising risks as glaciers and permafrost continue to degrade.

NASA has redefined Artemis III as a low-Earth-orbit rendezvous and docking demonstration no earlier than late 2027, after concluding both commercial human landing systems are not yet ready for a lunar descent. The change, announced in congressional testimony and reflected in NASA mission updates in May 2026, responds to development setbacks at SpaceX (Starship HLS) and Blue Origin (Blue Moon). SpaceX has struggled to demonstrate reliable Starship orbital performance and the critical on-orbit refuelling needed for a lunar sortie, while Blue Origin’s Mark 1 Blue Moon completed thermal-vacuum testing but faces integration questions following a recent New Glenn anomaly. The slip converts Artemis III from a surface landing to an in-orbit interoperability test of Orion and one or both commercial landers; it preserves a still-ambitious goal of a crewed lunar landing in 2028 but raises doubts that the schedule can be met. Congressional budget pressures and prior Government Accountability Office findings on schedule risk add financial and programmatic uncertainty for NASA and its international partners.

NASA on May 5, 2026 released a trove of more than 12,000 photographs taken by the Artemis II crew during their April lunar flyby, publishing 12,217 images to public archives including the Johnson Space Center gateway. The pictures were captured during the 10-day mission that launched April 1 and splashed down April 10, carrying Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen aboard the Orion spacecraft. The images include dramatic “Earthset” and far-side lunar views, detailed shots of craters, ridges and lava flows, long-exposure star trails, a solar eclipse seen from lunar distance, and candid interior crew photos. Cameras cited in the release include Nikon D5 and Z9 bodies and consumer devices. NASA said the full dataset — previously limited by in-flight transmission constraints until crewmember SD cards returned to Earth — will support scientific study of lunar topography and help planners preparing for Artemis III and future lunar landings, while providing unprecedented public access to deep-space astronaut photography.

A new study by Marcelo de Oliveira Souza at the State University of Northern Rio de Janeiro suggests early, imprecise orbital estimates of near‑Earth asteroid 2001 CA21 could reveal geometric ‘fast lanes’ between Earth and Mars, potentially cutting round‑trip mission durations to months rather than years. Published in Acta Astronautica in April 2026, the paper shows that while some early asteroid trajectories imply extremely high‑energy paths (one theoretical 34‑day outbound leg would demand ~32.5 km/s launch speeds), the 2031 Mars opposition offers feasible profiles using near‑term technology. Souza identifies two complete round‑trip mission archetypes tied to the asteroid’s early orbital plane: a high‑energy 153‑day mission (departure ~27 km/s, 33‑day outbound, 30 days surface, ~90‑day return) and a lower‑energy 226‑day option (~16.5 km/s). The approach uses preliminary asteroid geometry as a design constraint, not a gravity assist, and remains theoretical: feasibility depends on spacecraft mass, propulsion capabilities, entry‑descent/braking technologies and safety limits for arrival velocities. The method could narrow trajectory searches for future Mars missions but requires significant advances in launch performance and landing systems to be operationally useful.

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower, produced by debris from Halley’s Comet, reaches its broad peak overnight on May 5–6, 2026. The shower is active from April 19 to May 28, with the best viewing during the pre-dawn hours when the radiant in Aquarius climbs highest. Observers in the Southern Hemisphere and tropical latitudes can see the most activity — under ideal, dark-sky conditions rates may reach 50–60 meteors per hour — while northern-hemisphere viewers typically see far fewer, often around 10 per hour or less. Viewing in 2026 will be hampered by a bright waning gibbous moon (roughly 81–84% illuminated) that rises after midnight and will wash out many fainter meteors. For those unable to travel, multiple free livestreams from sites including Chile’s Atacama, Mauna Kea (Hawaii), New Zealand, Japan and the U.K. provide remote viewing. Simple tips: head to a dark location, give your eyes 20–30 minutes to adapt, face away from the Moon toward the eastern horizon before dawn, and allow at least an hour for intermittent bursts. The shower often produces bright, long-persisting “Earthgrazers,” and activity will taper through late May.

NASA has awarded a $6.9 million Phase III SBIR contract to Seattle-based startup Interlune to develop and validate a flight-ready payload to prospect and extract volatile gases from lunar regolith. Announced in May 2026, the 18-month program will produce engineering units and flight hardware for the Prospect Moon system, which integrates a robotic arm and scoop, particle-sorting, heating and gas-capture hardware, multispectral imaging and a compact mass spectrometer derived from NASA’s MSOLO technology. The payload is designed to collect, sort and heat regolith to release and measure solar-wind-implanted gases including helium-3 and hydrogen. NASA says the instrument’s heritage and adaptability to multiple CLPS lander designs will help transition the technology to commercial missions; Interlune targets integration by fall 2027 and a possible 2028 launch on a commercial lunar lander. Interlune is conducting near-term demonstrations — including a Crescent Moon camera ride on Astrolab’s FLIP rover — and says it has commercial and government purchase commitments related to helium-3. NASA’s SBIR/STTR program is also soliciting broader proposals under a 2026 BAA with appendices closing May 21.

On May 4, 2026 Ireland formally signed the Artemis Accords at a ceremony held at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., becoming the 66th signatory to the U.S.-led framework for lunar and deep-space activities. Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Peter Burke signed on behalf of Dublin at an event hosted by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and attended by Ireland’s Ambassador to the U.S., Geraldine Byrne Nason, and State Department officials. Ireland — a member of the European Space Agency — committed to the Accords’ principles of peaceful, transparent exploration, data sharing, deconfliction of activities, and preservation of historic sites. The agreement is a diplomatic alignment rather than a binding treaty or immediate operational commitment; follow-on funding, contracts and agency partnerships would be required to translate the signature into concrete participation in Artemis missions. Irish companies and research institutions with growing space-sector capabilities could gain access to procurement and collaboration opportunities under the Artemis framework. The signing reflects the continuing expansion of the Accords since 2020 as NASA advances its lunar programme.

Blue Origin’s uncrewed Blue Moon Mark 1 (MK1), nicknamed Endurance, completed environmental testing inside NASA’s Thermal Vacuum Chamber A at Johnson Space Center, NASA and company statements said on May 4–5, 2026. The campaign verified MK1’s structural and thermal resilience and evaluated avionics, cryogenic propellant systems and autonomous guidance under simulated lunar vacuum and temperature extremes. The work was conducted under a reimbursable Space Act Agreement that gave Blue Origin access to one of the world’s largest thermal vacuum facilities. MK1 is a cargo demonstrator for NASA’s Artemis campaign and the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative; it is slated to deliver two NASA payloads to the Moon’s south pole this year — Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies and a Laser Retroreflective Array — and to demonstrate precision landing, cryogenic propulsion and autonomous descent control. Lessons from MK1 will feed development of a larger, crew-capable Blue Moon MK2. Blue Origin has signalled production work on a second MK1 at its Florida Lunar Plant 1 as the firm advances toward a late-2026 lunar delivery timeline.

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have, for the first time, directly characterised the surface of a rocky exoplanet. Observations published in Nature Astronomy on May 4, 2026, show LHS 3844 b — a super‑Earth about 30% larger than Earth and 48.5 light‑years away — is a dark, airless world with a dayside temperature near 1,000 K (≈725°C). The team, led by Laura Kreidberg (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy) and Sebastian Zieba (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian), used JWST’s Mid‑Infrared Instrument (MIRI) to measure thermal emission between 5–12 micrometres during secondary eclipses observed in 2023–24. Spectral analysis rules out an Earth‑like, silica‑rich crust and favours basaltic or mantle‑like materials rich in iron and magnesium. The data are consistent with two scenarios: a geologically fresh basaltic surface from recent volcanism (though volcanic gases such as SO2 were not detected) or an old, space‑weathered regolith similar to Mercury or the Moon. Follow‑up JWST observations are planned to refine surface texture and composition and to test whether the surface is solid rock or loose regolith.