APOD: 2026 October 3 – Selfie at Vera Rubin Ridge - NASA Science

• NASA announced Wednesday that the PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA) is moving to the next phase of development. • This space telescope is the first selection in a new class of astrophysics missions called Probe Explorers.

• SpaceX launched 130 payloads into orbit on October 1 as part of the second leg of a planned three-mission series. • The Transporter-18 mission lifted off at 2:32 p.m. ET and included a prototype satellite powered by Google AI.

• Scientists developed and experimentally demonstrated a new method to identify W states, which are a complex form of multi-photon quantum entanglement. • This technique solves a 25-year-old challenge by providing a way to measure multi-photon systems that were previously too difficult to identify.

• Scientists discovered that a 2-billion-year-old chemical signature previously linked to a global carbon cycle shift may have been caused by local magma and microbes. • The signature was likely produced by a combination of hydrocarbons and methane-eating microbes rather than a planet-wide event.

• SpaceX launched a crew of four astronauts from the U.S., Canada, and Russia to the International Space Station on Thursday. • The crew reached their destination using an express flight that lasted only eight hours.

• Readers of The Scientist shared their predictions for the 2026 Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine, Physics, and Chemistry. • The Nobel Committee will announce the official laureates between October 5 and October 12.

• ScienceDaily published a collection of environmental research updates covering climate data errors, chemical weaknesses, and energy breakthroughs. • Reported stories include a critical Atlantic Ocean current weakening and a new hydrogen process that converts waste heat into clean fuel.

• Scientists released an annual health check report warning that seven of Earth's nine life support systems have already been breached. • The report states that the planet is rapidly running out of time to reverse these damages.

• The JUICE spacecraft returned to Earth on Sept. 28 to perform a gravity assist, which uses a planet's pull to increase a vehicle's velocity. • This maneuver provided the spacecraft with a speed boost of 8,000 mph to help it continue its voyage toward Jupiter.

• Scientists mapped cat cancer genetics on a large scale on September 26, 2026, and discovered surprising similarities to human tumors. • The research identified genetic patterns in feline cancers that mirror those found in human oncology.

• NASA announced a new telescope concept called PRIMA that is being considered for a launch in 2033. • The mission aims to study the origins of planets and galaxies by peering deeper into the infrared universe than the James Webb Space Telescope.