Paris (AFP) June 25, 2024
The world is unprepared for the increasing ferocity of wildfires turbocharged by climate change, scientists say, as blazes from North America to Europe greet the northern hemisphere summer in the hottest year on record. Wildfires have already burned swathes through Turkey, Canada, Greece and the United States early this season as extreme heatwaves push temperatures to scorching highs. Wh

Cape Canaveral (AFP) June 25, 2024
The United States on Tuesday launched a new satellite expected to significantly improve forecasts of solar flares and coronal mass ejections - huge plasma bubbles that can crash into Earth, disrupting power grids and communications. A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying the satellite into orbit took off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:26 pm (2126 GMT), the US space agency a

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jun 26, 2024
Russia's resurgence on the global stage is a complex interplay of strategic policy decisions, geopolitical maneuvers, and the exploitation of international political dynamics. This resurgence, particularly since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict, has reshaped global power structures and has the potential to redefine the 21st century's geopolitical landscape. Central to this development are t

Seoul (AFP) June 26, 2024
North Korea test-fired what appeared to be a hypersonic missile on Wednesday, but the launch ended in a mid-air explosion, an official from Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The early morning launch came just hours after Pyongyang sent another flurry of trash-bearing balloons southward, this time forcing a three-hour halt to flights in and out of South Korea's Incheon airport. The miss

Washington DC (UPI) Jun 25, 2024
The final GOES-U satellite successfully launched Tuesday from Cape Canaveral in Florida to aid efforts to track and forecast weather amid changing climate conditions across the globe. Launch time was at 5:26 p.m. EDT with 2.8 million pounds of propellent fueling all 27 Merlin engines at 5.1 million pounds of thrust. The mission launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch

ESA is committed to deliver on the promise of Zero Debris by 2030. To ensure compliant satellites can be designed and built in time, ESA is supporting industry during this technologically challenging transition.

On 25 June 2024, three major European space industry players each signed a contract with ESA to develop large low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite platforms that conform to Zero Debris standards.

ESA scientists have been exploring how a future Moon base might be built from materials on the lunar surface. Inspired by LEGO building, they have used dust from a meteorite to 3D-print 'space bricks' to test the idea. ESA's space bricks are on display in selected LEGO Stores from 20 June to 20 September, helping to inspire the next generation of space engineers.

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 26, 2024
Astrobotic has unveiled its Lunar Surface Proving Ground (LSPG) at its Mojave, CA facility. The 100mx100m high-fidelity 3D test field replicates the Moon's surface topography and optical properties. The LSPG's terrain is based on a map of the Moon's South Pole, scanned by Astrobotic's LunaRay system. This site will support various test campaigns, including precise lunar landing technologie

Washington DC (UPI) Jun 25, 2024
China's Chang'e-6 mission successfully returned to Earth early Tuesday, bringing with it the first-ever samples retrieved from the far side of the moon. The Chang'e-6 return capsule successfully landed in the Siziwang Banner area of China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 2:07 p.m. local time, the China National Space Administration said in a statement. "This marks the comple

Washington DC (UPI) Jun 25, 2024
The final GOES-U satellite successfully launched Tuesday from Cape Canaveral in Florida to aid efforts to track and forecast weather amid changing climate conditions across the globe. Launch time was at 5:26 p.m. EDT with 2.8 million pounds of propellent fueling all 27 Merlin engines at 5.1 million pounds of thrust. The mission launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch