Houston TX (SPX) Nov 26, 2021
Seven Earth-sized planets orbit the star TRAPPIST-1 in near-perfect harmony, and U.S. and European researchers have used that harmony to determine how much physical abuse the planets could have withstood in their infancy. "After rocky planets form, things bash into them," said astrophysicist Sean Raymond of the University of Bordeaux in France. "It's called bombardment, or late accretion,

Umea, Sweden (SPX) Nov 26, 2021
Comets have an environment of plasma which contains a large number of ions with low energies. It is necessary to understand these low-energy ions' properties in order to understand the physical processes occurring around the comet. As low-energy ions are difficult to measure Sofia Bergman devised a new method to analyze measurements of these ions around comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in h

Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 26, 2021
As we head into a long weekend for the Thanksgiving holiday in the US, Curiosity will take advantage of some extra time at the Zechstein drill location to conduct even more science. The team has been busy these past two days planning 6 sols (plus a soliday) on Mars, which will give the rover plenty of work to do while the team takes a break from planning later this week. While most of us w

Long Beach CA (SPX) Nov 26, 2021
Rocket Lab USA will provide the first major update on the development of the Neutron launch vehicle on December 2, 2021 at 8:00 am EST. The virtual event will be streamed live via Rocket Lab's YouTube channel, which can be accessed at that time at https://youtu.be/A0thW57QeDM. Join Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck as he reveals new details about Neutron's unique design, materials, pro

Wuhan (XNA) Nov 26, 2021
The China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Limited (CASIC) said that it completed the construction of an intelligent satellite production line and a rocket industrial park in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. Located in the Wuhan National Aerospace Industry Base, both the production line and the industrial park went into operation, said Liu Shiquan, general manager of the CASIC.

Turin, Italy (SPX) Nov 26, 2021
Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales 67% and Leonardo 33%, has inaugurated a new Friction Stir Welding facility at one of its production sites in Turin, which will double production capacity of pressurized modules, for the production of the future orbiting and surface infrastructures. The only company in Europe to use this type of processing for pressurized habitation module

London, UK (SPX) Nov 26, 2021
Astroscale Holdings Inc. ("Astroscale"), the market leader in satellite servicing and long-term orbital sustainability across all orbits, today announced it closed its Series F round with additional funding of U.S. $109 million from a group of new investors led by THE FUND Limited Partnership in Japan, with participation from international investors including Seraphim Space Investment Trust plc

Kourou, French Guiana (SPX) Nov 26, 2021
Engineering teams have completed additional testing confirming NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is ready for flight, and launch preparations are resuming toward Webb's target launch date of Wednesday, Dec. 22, at 7:20 a.m. EST. Additional testing was conducted this week to ensure the observatory's health following an incident that occurred when the release of a clamp band caused a vibrati

Image: Galileos attached to upper stage as launch draws near

Europe’s next two Galileo satellites have been attached to the dispenser on which they will ride to orbit, and the launcher fairing that will protect them during the first part of the ascent to orbit has been closed around the pair.