Hawkeye 360 deploys next-generation radio frequency sensing satellites
Monday, 01 February 2021 08:48
Write a comment
HawkEye 360 Inc., the first commercial company to use formation-flying satellites to create a new class of radio frequency (RF) data and data analytics, has announced that Cluster 2 - the company's second cluster of satellites - has successfully been deployed into orbit.
After launching aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 this Sunday morning, the trio of satellites was dispensed from Spaceflight In Zero-G and gravity effects in Low Earth Orbits
Monday, 01 February 2021 08:48 Write a comment
A common misconception about astronauts orbiting the earth is that they are in a gravity-free environment. Unfortunately, according to Newtonian physics, gravity is everywhere present in the universe. Generally, the phenomenon of weightlessness is associated with the term, "zero-G" which would apply to situations in which there is an absence of forces on a body.
Weight as we know it is the Earth observation vital in monitoring wetland waters
Monday, 01 February 2021 08:00 Write a comment
Celebrated annually on 2 February, World Wetlands Day aims to raise global awareness about the importance of wetlands for our planet. This year’s theme shines a light on wetlands as a source of freshwater and encourages actions to restore them. From their vantage point of 800 km high, Earth-observing satellites provide data and imagery on wetlands that can be used to monitor and manage these precious resources sustainably.
Entrepreneur purchases SpaceX Crew Dragon mission
Monday, 01 February 2021 00:20 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — An entrepreneur has purchased a SpaceX Crew Dragon mission slated for launch late this year that will include three other people as part of a project that is a mix of charity and commerce.
SpaceX announced Feb.
US billionaire buys SpaceX flight to orbit with 3 others
Sunday, 31 January 2021 21:31 Write a comment
Space tourism: new test flight planned for Virgin Galactic
Sunday, 31 January 2021 19:55 Write a comment
Space tourism company Virgin Galactic said Monday it planned a new test flight for its SpaceShipTwo craft this month after an aborted test in early December.
"The flight window will open on February 13 with opportunities to fly throughout February, pending good weather conditions and technical readiness," Richard Branson's company said.
"Pre-flight preparations are already underway at Spaceport America, New Mexico."
It added the flight would test remedial work completed since the December test when the onboard computer halted ignition of the rocket motor.
SpaceShipTwo had been expected to take its first passengers into space later this year.
So far, 600 people who have paid up to $250,000—Virgin Galactic calls them "future astronauts"—have been waiting for years to take their seat.
SpaceShipTwo's development was delayed by a devastating crash of the first one in 2014 due to a pilot error.
When fully functional, the spacecraft will be taken up by a special plane and released at high altitude.
General Atomics acquires Tiger Innovations
Sunday, 31 January 2021 19:44 Write a comment
SAN FRANCISCO – General Atomics announced the acquisition Feb. 1 of Tiger Innovations, a Herndon, Virginia small business focused primarily on satellite systems, and related hardware and software.
General Atomics plans to integrate Tiger Innovations with its General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) group to “complement GA-EMS’ portfolio of advanced space systems and technologies,” according to a Feb.
An open system for missile-warning satellite data is in the works but faces challenges
Sunday, 31 January 2021 17:41 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — During a deadly wildfire season that ravaged California in 2018, the U.S. Forest Service used data from the Air Force’s overhead missile-warning satellites to help spot new fires and flareups.
Spacewalkers complete 4 years of power upgrades for station
Sunday, 31 January 2021 15:35 Write a comment
A pair of spacewalking astronauts completed a four-year effort to modernize the International Space Station's power grid on Monday, installing one last battery.
Spacewalkers complete 4 years of power upgrades for station (Update)
Sunday, 31 January 2021 15:35 Write a comment
A pair of spacewalking astronauts completed a four-year effort to modernize the International Space Station's power grid on Monday, installing one last battery.
Apes, robots and men: The life and death of the first space chimp
Sunday, 31 January 2021 15:15 Write a comment
On January 31, 1961, an intrepid chimpanzee called Ham was launched on a rocket from Cape Canaveral in the United States, and returned to Earth alive. In this process, he became the first hominin in space.
In the 1950s, it was unclear whether humans could survive outside Earth—both physically and mentally. The science fiction writer and warfare expert Cordwainer Smith wrote about the psychological pain of being in space.
Plants, insects and animals had been taken to high altitudes in balloons and rockets since the 18th century. The Soviet Union sent the dog Laika into orbit on Sputnik 2 in 1957. She died, but from overheating rather than the effects of space travel itself.
While the USSR focused on dogs, the US turned to chimpanzees as they were the most like humans. The stakes became higher when US President John F. Kennedy promised to land humans on the Moon by the end of the 1960s.
Biography of a non-human astronaut
Ham was born in 1957 in a rainforest in the Central African nation of Cameroon, then a French territory.
Apply now for the 2021 YGT opportunities!
Sunday, 31 January 2021 14:55 Write a comment
The 2021 ESA YGT opportunities are now open for applications until 1 March. Positions are available in engineering, science, IT and business services. Find out more and apply now.
See the European Service Modules taking humankind forward to the Moon
Sunday, 31 January 2021 13:57 Write a comment
Live from the Airbus integration halls in Bremen, Germany, get a sneak peek of the two European Service Modules that will power astronauts to the Moon and back as part of NASA’s Orion spacecraft.
Virgin Galactic to resume SpaceShipTwo test flights in mid-February
Sunday, 31 January 2021 12:10 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — Virgin Galactic announced Feb. 1 that the company will launch its SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane in mid-February, two months after a technical problem aborted an earlier launch attempt.
In a statement, Virgin Galactic said the window for its next SpaceShipTwo flight will open Feb.
China’s iSpace suffers failure with second orbital launch attempt
Sunday, 31 January 2021 12:04 Write a comment
HELSINKI — Launch of a Hyperbola-1 rocket by Chinese private firm iSpace ended in apparent failure shortly after liftoff from Jiuquan launch center Monday.