Tokyo (AFP) Jan 20, 2024
Japan on Saturday became only the fifth nation to achieve a soft Moon landing, but the craft's long-term fate was in doubt after space agency officials said its solar cells were not generating power. With the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), Japan followed the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India in landing on the lunar surface. After initial uncertainty, space

ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt from Sweden blasted into space tonight from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, at 21:49 GMT (22:49 CET, 16:49 local time). A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) crew of four astronauts from launch pad 39A.

Video: 00:10:19

ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt launched together with the rest of the Axiom-3 crew at 22:49 CET on 18 January 2024, from launch pad 39A, NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA. 

Marcus will start his Muninn mission when he enters the International Space Station on Saturday 20 January, where he will spend up to 14 days conducting science and testing technology that can one day help people on Earth. 

You can follow Marcus mission on his social media: 

https://twitter.com/astro_marcus

https://www.instagram.com/esaastro_marcus/

And learn more about his Muninn mission on ESA Muninn page: 

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/muninn

Image: The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Alaska’s Columbia Glacier, one of the fastest changing glaciers in the world.

Week in images: 15-19 January 2024

Discover our week through the lens

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 17, 2024
The Space Development Agency (SDA) has taken a significant step in enhancing national defense capabilities by awarding Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), a renowned leader in aerospace and defense technology, a substantial contract valued at $890 million. This agreement marks a pivotal moment in the advancement of the Tranche 2 (T2) Tracking Layer satellite constellation, designed to bolster missile t

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 17, 2024
L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) has been awarded a substantial contract by the Space Development Agency (SDA), valued at up to $919 million. This contract entrusts L3Harris with the task of designing and constructing 18 infrared space vehicles. These vehicles are part of the SDA's Tranche 2 (T2) Tracking Layer program, which aims to provide near-global coverage for missile warning and tracking.

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 18, 2024
High above the frozen expanse of Antarctica, a remarkable scientific endeavor is unfolding in the skies. The Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory (GUSTO), a significant player in the field of astrophysical study, has now been afloat for over 15 days. Launched from McMurdo, Antarctica, on December 31 at 7:30 p.m. local time, GUSTO embarked on a mission to map extensive

Paris, France (SPX) Jan 18, 2024
The NenuFAR Cosmic Dawn project, an ambitious initiative dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of the universe's earliest epochs, has recently achieved a significant milestone in its exploration of the Cosmic Dawn. This period, critical to our understanding of the universe, marks the formation of the first stars. Utilizing the capabilities of the NenuFAR radio telescope, researchers have establi

Cambridge UK (SPX) Jan 18, 2024
Researchers have discovered the oldest black hole ever observed, dating from the dawn of the universe, and found that it is 'eating' its host galaxy to death. The international team, led by the University of Cambridge, used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to detect the black hole, which dates from 400 million years after the big bang, more than 13 billion years ago. The