World's 1st space tourist signs up for flight around moon
Wednesday, 12 October 2022 12:20Solar Orbiter speeds towards its next rendezvous with the Sun
Wednesday, 12 October 2022 12:00The ESA-led Solar Orbiter mission arrives at its next close approach to the Sun on 12 October 2022 at 19:12 UTC (21:12 CEST). This sequence of images shows the progress of the ESA/NASA spacecraft as it heads inwards on its voyage of discovery. The sequence begins on 20 September and finishes on 10 October.
The sequence was taken by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) using the Full Sun Imager (FSI) telescope, and shows the Sun at a wavelength of 17 nanometers. This wavelength is emitted by gas in the Sun’s atmosphere with a temperature of around one million
Ariane 6 assembly timelapse
Wednesday, 12 October 2022 11:00At Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, a test model of the Ariane 6’s central core has been assembled for the first time. Ariane 6 is the first Ariane rocket to be assembled horizontally, which is simpler and less costly than more traditional vertical assembly. One of the P120C boosters can be seen from different angles during installation, before the rocket’s central core is moved to its launchpad and placed upright in its mobile gantry. With the central core and boosters in place, combined tests validate compatibility between all components of the complete launch system.
First kinetic impact test succeeds in shifting asteroid orbit
Wednesday, 12 October 2022 10:08The kinetic impact of NASA’s DART spacecraft with the Dimorphos asteroid around its larger Didymos parent body has succeeded in shifting its orbit, meaning humankind’s first planetary defence test has been successful. Observations are continuing of the debris plume caused by the collision for as long as possible, as the asteroid system gradually recedes from Earth.
Mexico denies Russia space deal will aid spying
Wednesday, 12 October 2022 09:47Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday denied that a space cooperation agreement signed with Russia last year would help Moscow spy on North America. The pact was inked before Russia's invasion of Ukraine and "now a scandal is being made because there's talk that Mexico is allowing Russian satellites to be used to spy on Mexican and North American airspace," Lopez Obrador to
Memories of Minerva – Samantha Cristoforetti returns to Earth
Wednesday, 12 October 2022 09:00ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti is returning to Earth alongside NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins, marking the end of her second mission to the International Space Station, Minerva. Watch Crew-4's return live on ESAwebTV2 from 23:00 CEST (22:00 BST) 12 October.
Seasonal changes in Antarctic ice sheet flow dynamics detected for the first time
Wednesday, 12 October 2022 08:00Certain estimates of Antarctica’s total contribution to sea-level rise may be over, or even underestimated, after researchers detected a previously unknown source of ice loss variability. In a new paper published in The Cryosphere, researchers using Copernicus Sentinel-1 data, found that glaciers feeding the George VI Ice Shelf speed up by approximately 15% during the Antarctic summer. This is the first time that such seasonal cycles have been detected on land ice flowing into ice shelves in Antarctica.
Navigation at Ministerial Council 2022
Wednesday, 12 October 2022 07:56The ESA Council at Ministerial level, CM22, is a time for critical decisions. In November 2022, ESA’s Member States, Associate States and Cooperating States will come together to strengthen Europe’s space sector and ensure it continues to serve European citizens.
Japanese rocket launch fails in blow for space agency
Wednesday, 12 October 2022 06:53The launch of a Japanese rocket taking satellites into orbit to demonstrate new technologies failed after blast-off on Wednesday because of a positioning problem, the country's space agency said.
It was Japan's first failed launch in nearly two decades, and the only one for an Epsilon rocket, a solid-fuel model that has flown five successful missions since its 2013 debut.
The unmanned craft took off from Uchinoura Space Center in the southern Kagoshima region, with its lift-off livestreamed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
But a self-destruct signal was sent to the rocket less than 10 minutes later because of "positioning abnormalities", said Yasuhiro Funo of JAXA, who led the project.
The livestream was halted and presenters wearing hard-hats told viewers there had been a problem with the launch.
NASA kicked asteroid off course in test to save Earth
Wednesday, 12 October 2022 03:20NASA on Tuesday celebrated exceeding expectations during a mission to deflect a distant asteroid, in a sci-fi like test of humanity's ability to stop an incoming cosmic object from devastating life on Earth. The fridge-sized Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) impactor deliberately smashed into the moonlet asteroid Dimorphos on September 26, pushing it into a smaller, faster orbit around
Japan space rocket ordered to self-destruct after failed launch
Wednesday, 12 October 2022 03:20Japan's space agency said it sent a self-destruct order to its Epsilon rocket after a failed launch on Wednesday because of a problem that meant the craft could not safely fly. The unmanned rocket, on its sixth mission, was taking satellites into orbit to demonstrate "innovative" technologies. "The rocket can't continue a safe flight, because of the danger it would create if it falls on
Japan becomes first in Asia to get Starlink connection
Wednesday, 12 October 2022 03:20Japan on Tuesday became the first country in Asia to receive Internet access from the Starlink satellite system from the SpaceX company controlled by Tesla founder Elon Musk. Starlink is led by SpaceX, which envisions the system as part of a constellation of satellites that would deliver broadband Internet across the globe. A service map from Starlink shows most of central and no
Yahsat invests in direct-to-cell enabler eSAT Global
Tuesday, 11 October 2022 21:02Emirati fleet operator Yahsat said Oct. 11 it has invested in Californian startup eSAT Global, which is developing a chip that would enable phones to connect to its satellites in geostationary orbit.
Jumping on the direct-to-cell bandwagon
Tuesday, 11 October 2022 20:59More satellite operators are considering providing services directly to standard mobile phones following early product launches, big-name announcements, and progress startups are making for their dedicated constellations.
The post Jumping on the direct-to-cell bandwagon appeared first on SpaceNews.
NASA taps KSAT and SpaceLink for communications studies
Tuesday, 11 October 2022 20:10NASA has awarded contracts to KSAT Inc. and SpaceLink as part the space agency’s campaign to begin investigating commercial sources for future space communications services.
The post NASA taps KSAT and SpaceLink for communications studies appeared first on SpaceNews.