Tokyo (AFP) Dec 28, 2023
Japan's space agency announced Thursday it will launch its next-generation H3 rocket in February after two failed attempts early this year. The rocket, billed as a flexible and cost-effective new flagship, is scheduled to lift off between 9:22 am and 1:06 pm (0022 and 0406 GMT) on February 15 from the southern island of Tanegashima, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said in a

Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 29, 2023
When NASA's Curiosity Mars rover isn't on the move, it works pretty well as a sundial, as seen in two black-and-white videos recorded on Nov. 8, the 4,002nd Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The rover captured its own shadow shifting across the surface of Mars using its black-and-white Hazard-Avoidance Cameras, or Hazcams. Instructions to record the videos were part of the last set of c

Moscow (AFP) Dec 28, 2023
Russian and US space agencies have agreed to keep working together to deliver crews to the International Space Station (ISS) until at least 2025, Russian corporation Roscosmos said Thursday. The space sector - including its so-called cross-flights that involve sending crews from different nationalities on one spacecraft - is a rare area of cooperation remaining between Moscow and Washingto

Washington DC (UPI) Dec 28, 2021
NASA's Juno spacecraft is preparing for a close flyby of Jupiter's moon Io, which scientists hope will lend insight into the structure of the volcanically active moon. Juno is expected to pass within about 930 miles of Io's surface on Saturday. During the flyby, Juno will use three instruments to examine the moon. "The pass is expected to allow Juno instruments to generate a fire

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 28, 2023
Today, SpaceX is scheduled to launch the USSF-52 mission using the Falcon Heavy rocket, with liftoff planned for 8:07 p.m. ET from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. This mission is a collaborative effort between Space Systems Command (SSC) and SpaceX, aimed at advancing the U.S. Space Force's capabilities in space. The mission has faced delays leading up to today'

Beijing (XNA) Dec 27, 2023
China launched a Kuaizhou 1A carrier rocket on Monday morning from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country's northwestern Gobi Desert, placing four satellites in orbit, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp said. The State-owned space contractor said in a news release that the solid-propellant rocket blasted off at 9 am and placed four satellites that are part of the Tianmu

Beijing (XNA) Dec 27, 2023
China launched two satellites into orbit on Tuesday morning for its Beidou Navigation Satellite System, according to the China Satellite Navigation Office. The satellites were carried by a Long March 3B rocket that lifted off at 11:26 am from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province and were deployed into a medium-Earth orbit. They are the 13th group of third-generation Beid

Washington DC (SPX) Dec 27, 2023
Research on the International Space Station is helping scientists to understand how fire spreads and behaves in different environments and learn how to prevent and extinguish fires in space. Combustion investigations contribute to the safety of crew members, equipment, and spacecraft by guiding selection of spacecraft cabin materials, improving understanding of

Paris (ESA) Dec 27, 2023
Wrapping presents is all part of the Christmas experience - here's a notable example from ESA's technical centre ESTEC. This is the ESA Young Professionals Satellite, YPSat, seen fully wrapped in multi-layer insulation blankets, exactly as it will be when it launches aboard the inaugural Ariane 6 mission next year. YPSat is a project run in its entirety by ESA Young Professionals to give t

Wenchang (XNA) Dec 27, 2023
The Long March-7 Y8 carrier rocket, tasked with sending China's space station cargo craft Tianzhou-7 into orbit, was transported to the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern province of Hainan on Thursday. The rocket will undergo assembly and testing together with Tianzhou-7, which arrived earlier, the China Manned Space Agency said on Thursday. At present, all testing syst