Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 03, 2024
BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY) has won a $6 million contract expansion from an international defense customer, increasing the total annual commitment to nearly $18 million. The contract is for BlackSky's subscription-based access to Gen-2 high-frequency satellite imagery services. "BlackSky is setting new standards for space-based intelligence operations as a trusted mission partner

Pasadena CA (JPL) Oct 04, 2024
NASA's Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) technology demonstration has set a new record for laser communications in space by sending a laser signal from Earth to NASA's Psyche spacecraft, which was approximately 290 million miles (460 million kilometers) away. This is the same distance as the farthest separation between Earth and Mars. The milestone, reached on July 29, 2024, conclud

Washington DC (UPI) Oct 3, 2024
The sun released a powerful solar flare to start the month of October, which could lead to supercharged aurora displays over the weekend. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center sun let loose a powerful flare with intensity measured at X7.1, the second strongest on the star's current solar cycle. A coronal mass ejection associated wit

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Oct 04, 2024
Researchers have uncovered living microbes sealed within a 2-billion-year-old rock sample from the Bushveld Igneous Complex (BIC) in South Africa, marking the oldest example of microbial life discovered in ancient rock. The sample was retrieved from 15 meters belowground, with the microbes found tightly packed into fractures, isolated from the outside environment by clay-filled gaps. The r

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 04, 2024
A new analysis from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission reveals that lunar ice deposits are more widespread than previously believed. These ice reserves could serve as critical resources for future lunar missions, providing water for radiation protection, human consumption, and for producing fuel and breathable air. Earlier studies had detected ice in the permanently shadowed

Paris (AFP) Oct 4, 2024
Europe's Hera probe is tentatively scheduled to launch Monday on a mission to inspect the damage a NASA spacecraft made when it smashed into an asteroid during the first test of Earth's planetary defences. In a scene that sounds straight out of science fiction, the spacecraft deliberately crashed into the pyramid-sized asteroid Dimorphos in 2022, roughly 11 million kilometres (6.8 million mi

Paris, France (SPX) Oct 04, 2024
The newly redesigned Zefiro-40 solid rocket motor, serving as the second stage of the Vega-C rocket, successfully underwent its second firing today. The test was conducted by Avio, the prime contractor, at the Salto di Quirra test site in Sardinia, Italy. This marks the final qualification test for the Zefiro-40's upgraded engine nozzle, following an initial test in May 2024. Engineers are

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 04, 2024
Sierra Space, a prominent player in commercial space and defense technology, announced it has been awarded a competitive contract by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) for the Rocket Experimentation for Global Agile Logistics (REGAL) program. This contract will enable Sierra Space to advance logistics and material retrieval from space, setting new standards in global logistics innovation.

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 04, 2024
United Launch Alliance's second Vulcan rocket successfully lifted off from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 7:25 a.m. EDT on Friday, following a short delay due to a countdown sequence issue. The launch, originally set for 6.30 a.m., was rescheduled to 7:25 am after adjusting the countdown sequence. This mission is part of a critical certification process with the

Image: This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image captures the intricate blend of natural, rural and urban landscapes around Kunshan, a city in eastern China.