Mars is discontinuing its Pop-Tarts-branded BuzzBallz cocktails, launched a month ago in Frosted S'mores and Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon flavors at 15% alcohol, after more than 30 public health groups objected that the products could appeal to underage drinkers. Mars said it regrets the partnership and will not pair Pop-Tarts with alcohol brands again; the deal originated under former Pop-Tarts owner Kellanova before Mars acquired it in December 2025.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-09-30
Skywatchers can spot every planet in the solar system at some point during October, according to CNET's monthly sky guide. Mercury's best viewing falls around Oct. 12 during its elongation, while Venus becomes visible after sunset only by Oct. 31. Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus are visible on most or all nights throughout the month.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-29
A visit to the British Interplanetary Society's London headquarters, the world's oldest space advocacy group founded in 1933, finds members like 71-year-old fellow Jerry Stone still preoccupied with the prospect of human missions to Mars. The society's library holds decades' worth of books and speculative literature on Martian exploration, propulsion systems and colonization schemes.
noemamag.com
· 2026-09-27
Scientists are exploring how yeast could help produce construction materials for future Mars settlements, offering an alternative to transporting heavy machinery and resources from Earth. The approach would use biological processes to convert available materials into usable building components on-site.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-25
Airbus is using a Steam Deck handheld PC to operate its prototype ExoMars rover during development and testing at its Stevenage, UK facility. The setup was shown in a video by YouTuber Tom Scott, with the Deck's thumbsticks, triggers and face buttons used to drive the rover, which is intended to operate autonomously once on Mars.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-09-23
NASA's Curiosity rover team identified organic compounds in ancient clay deposits on Mars that resemble molecules thought to have contributed to life's origins on Earth. The discovery earned the mission's chemistry lab team recognition at the Gizmodo Science Fair for providing strong chemical evidence of Mars's past potential habitability.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-21
Elegoo is running a month-long promotion discounting nearly its entire catalog of FDM and resin 3D printers, along with filament and resin consumables. Highlights include the Neptune 4 Plus at $269 (37% off), the Mars 5 Ultra resin printer at $259, and the large-format OrangeStorm Giga at $2,299. The sale, timed to celebrate Elegoo's maker community, runs through late September but stock may run out before it officially ends.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-09-18
Rocket Lab has filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office challenging NASA's decision to award Blue Origin a contract worth roughly $700 million to build, launch and operate a Mars Telecommunications Network spacecraft. Rocket Lab argues NASA's selection violated eligibility criteria set by Congress in the funding legislation and that its own technical proposal was reviewed unfairly.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-14
Scientists at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, led by Jishen Qiu, developed a method to convert Martian sand into a low-grade concrete by mixing it with pig-derived gelatin, engineered yeast coated in mussel-like proteins, and water. Mars' cold, low-pressure atmosphere naturally freeze-dries the mixture, causing water to sublimate and leaving behind a porous, foam-like solid strong enough for construction.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-10
Scientists have applied a decorrelation stretch method originally developed by NASA to enhance Mars imagery, using it instead to uncover faded rock art on Earth. The technique works by remapping the original colors of an image into an expanded range rather than just boosting contrast, making subtle pigment differences visible to the human eye.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-10
Japan's space agency has launched the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission, aiming to collect at least 10 grams of material from Phobos, one of Mars' two moons. The spacecraft will spend a year traveling to Mars, three years gathering samples in orbit, and another year returning to Earth, with samples expected to arrive in 2031.
wired.com
· 2026-09-04
NASA has selected Blue Origin to build the Mars Telecommunications Network, a deal potentially worth $700 million. The orbiter is due to be operational by December 31, 2028, relaying science data, imagery, navigation details, and mission-critical communications for spacecraft near and on Mars.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-01
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