Curious comet's rare close approach
Thursday, 02 February 2023 10:19
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) today makes its closest approach to Earth before likely leaving our Solar System forever. At billions of years old and not seen since Neanderthals roamed, the green comet continues to intrigue as it grows an apparent third tail and unexpectedly - but intriguingly - failed to wow scientists when observed in x-ray light.
Grab a pair of (good) binoculars and under dark s Boeing gets $1.6 bn contract for US ballistic missile upkeep
Thursday, 02 February 2023 10:19
Boeing has been awarded a $1.6 billion contract to provide guidance subsystem support for US Minuteman III Intercontinental ballistic missiles, the Pentagon said Wednesday.
Work will be performed at Hill Air Force Base in the state of Utah, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 1, 2039, the Department of Defense said in a statement.
The Minuteman III, which has been in service for 50 y SpaceX successfully launches 53 Starlink satellites
Thursday, 02 February 2023 10:19
SpaceX successfully launched 53 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit early Thursday from Florida's Kennedy Space Center.
The two-stage Falcon 9 rocket with the stack of satellites mounted on top lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at 2:58 a.m. EST, after its launch time had been pushed from 19 minutes earlier.
The first-stage booster, which previously supported four other miss Thin, lightweight layer provides radiation barrier for perovskites in space
Thursday, 02 February 2023 10:19
An ultrathin protective coating proves sufficient to protect a perovskite solar cell from the harmful effects of space and harden it against environmental factors on Earth, according to newly published research from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Funded by the U.S. Department of Defense's Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund (OECIF), DARPA team begins work on field deployable whole blood equivalent
Thursday, 02 February 2023 10:19
Bleeding is the most common cause of potentially survivable death in trauma, in both military and civilian settings. Whole blood is recognized as the resuscitation fluid of choice; however, it has limited viability, requires cold storage, and is not always available due to logistical challenges and donor dependence.
Despite the Department of Defense's (DoD) extensive and highly effective b Esri signs Space Act Agreement with NASA
Thursday, 02 February 2023 10:19
The science community at large is undertaking critical work, researching solutions to the world's most pressing challenges, many of which require a geographic approach. The ability of scientists and researchers to make informed decisions related to these challenges-from natural disasters to climate change mitigation-relies heavily on accessible, authoritative geospatial data. To support these ef Latest milestone brings NTS-3 Vanguard closer to 2023 launch
Thursday, 02 February 2023 10:19
The Department of the Air Force's Navigation Technology Satellite-3, or NTS-3, Vanguard program has reached another major milestone in preparation for the satellite's launch in late 2023.
Industry partner L3Harris Technologies, the spacecraft prime contractor, recently delivered the NTS-3 space vehicle to an Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, integration and test facility at Kirtland Meteorites reveal likely origin of Earth's volatile chemicals
Thursday, 02 February 2023 10:19
Meteorites have told Imperial researchers the likely far-flung origin of Earth's volatile chemicals, some of which form the building blocks of life.
They found that around half the Earth's inventory of the volatile element zinc came from asteroids originating in the outer Solar System - the part beyond the asteroid belt that includes the planets Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus. This material i Electrons in the fast lane
Thursday, 02 February 2023 10:19
Ever wondered what makes your computer and your other electronic gadgets slow or fast in their performance? It is the time it takes electrons, some of the tiniest particles of our microcosm, to stream out from minute leads inside the transistors of electronic microchips and to form pulses. Methods to speed up this process are central for advancing electronics and their applications to ultimate p Virgin Orbit raises $10 million as financial stopgap
Thursday, 02 February 2023 10:09
Virgin Orbit said Feb. 1 it raised $10 million from another Virgin affiliate, a move that provides only a short-term fix to its financial difficulties.
OneWeb secures $50 million Canadian satellite capacity deal
Wednesday, 01 February 2023 23:04
TAMPA, Fla. — Remote communications provider Galaxy Broadband said Feb. 1 it is buying capacity from OneWeb for $50 million in a multi-year deal to offer low Earth orbit broadband services to more sites across Canada.
Space Coast bustling with 4 crew launches on tap from SpaceX, Boeing
Wednesday, 01 February 2023 17:50
Before summer, 14 more humans could launch from U.S. soil as SpaceX has three missions set to lift off from Kennedy Space Center on Crew Dragons while Boeing looks to send its CST-100 Starliner up to the International Space Station for the first time with people on board.
"We're heading into, I would say one of the busiest increments in the history of station," said Kathryn Lueders, NASA's associate administrator for the Space Operations Mission Directorate at press conference last week. "We have a string of critical missions coming up."
That includes not only crewed flights from the Space Coast, but a replacement Soyuz capsule to be sent up from Russia to the station for one damaged by micrometeorites and resupply missions from SpaceX, Northrop Grumman and Russia in the next four months.
The first crewed flight, though, coming no earlier than Feb. 26 is the Crew-6 mission flying on SpaceX's Crew Dragon Endeavour taking up NASA astronaut and mission commander Stephen Bowen, flying for the fourth time, and first timers pilot Woody Hoburg of NASA, United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
South Korea picks Vega C to launch satellite grounded by Russian sanctions
Wednesday, 01 February 2023 16:27
South Korea has selected Arianespace’s Vega C rocket to launch a multipurpose imaging satellite, KOMPSAT-6, that has remained grounded due to sanctions imposed on Russia for invading Ukraine.
Space Development Agency issues draft solicitation for 72 satellites
Wednesday, 01 February 2023 14:33
In a Jan. 31 draft solicitation, the agency seeks input from vendors interested in bidding for 72 satellites and supporting ground systems
What future for the Space Launch System?
Wednesday, 01 February 2023 14:04
Does a successful first flight finally mean that SLS will return astronauts to Earth’s moon more than 50 years after astronauts last visited? Does it earn SLS a future among the United States’ fleet of launch vehicles?