Paris, France (SPX) Apr 14, 2025
The ALEK structure, part of ESA's uncrewed Space Rider vehicle, has successfully completed an extensive battery of mechanical qualification tests at the agency's facilities. Over a two-month campaign, ALEK was subjected to a full suite of stress simulations replicating the extreme conditions of launch aboard a Vega-C rocket. The initial phase of testing focused on vibration endurance. Tech

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 14, 2025
Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman gave insights into a new, soon-to-be-released International Partnership Strategy to unify like-minded nations' efforts in the space domain during his keynote at the 40th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, April 9. Saltzman described this strategy as a critical evolution in response to growing threats and rapid technological advancements, dec

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 15, 2025
Northrop Grumman Corporation's Space Logistics LLC has achieved a significant milestone in commercial satellite servicing, successfully completing the first-ever undocking between two commercial spacecraft in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO). The Mission Extension Vehicle-1 (MEV-1) disengaged from Intelsat's IS-901 satellite, marking the conclusion of a five-year mission that extended the operat

San Antonio TX (SPX) Apr 15, 2025
NASA's Lucy spacecraft is 6 days and less than 50 million miles (80 million km) away from its second close encounter with an asteroid; this time, the small main belt asteroid Donaldjohanson. This upcoming event represents a comprehensive "dress rehearsal" for Lucy's main mission over the next decade: the exploration of multiple Trojan asteroids that share Jupiter's orbit around the Sun. Lu

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 15, 2025
NASA's Artemis II rocket has taken another step toward launch readiness with the installation of a major structural component. On April 12, technicians at the Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building successfully placed the launch vehicle stage adapter atop the core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The operation, conducted by NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program, invol

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Apr 15, 2025
As human space missions extend in duration and complexity, maintaining astronaut health has become a top priority. A recent review in Wearable Electronics explores how flexible wearable technologies are emerging as vital tools in aerospace medicine, offering continuous, real-time health monitoring in the demanding environment of space. These adaptable devices are built with integrated sens

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Apr 14, 2025
Unexpectedly high levels of methane have been detected in Sweden's Lake Siljan, raising new questions about greenhouse gas emissions from freshwater systems. A team from Chalmers University of Technology made the discovery using a novel measurement technique, revealing unusually concentrated and persistent leaks never previously recorded in a lake setting. The findings prompt broader investigati

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 10, 2025
Brig. Gen. (ret) James E. "Woody" Haywood has been named Senior Advisor to the Service Acquisition Executive (SASAE) at Space Systems Command (SSC), taking on a pivotal role in driving integration and interoperability across the military space enterprise. The appointment by Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration (ASAF(SA&I)), si

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 14, 2025
As plans to establish long-term human presence on the Moon and Mars accelerate, researchers are developing new techniques to enable construction in hostile, low-gravity environments. One such breakthrough effort is underway at The University of Texas at Dallas, where Dr. Wei Li is creating a virtual lunar welding platform to support the assembly of large-scale structures in space. Dr. Li,

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 15, 2025
Expedition 72 astronauts kicked off the week investigating how extended spaceflight alters human vision, while simultaneously conducting other scientific studies, maintaining vital systems, and preparing for an upcoming crew return. Prolonged exposure to microgravity can impair vision, posing a potential risk to astronauts on long-duration missions to the Moon or Mars. NASA's CIPHER study,