Copernical Team
SpaceX finally manages Kennedy Space Center launch with record-tying booster
After two days of scrubs, SpaceX pulled out some Friday night lights sending up another batch of Starlink satellites from Florida's Space Coast using a first-stage booster for a record-tying 19th time.
A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-A at 8:21 p.m. carrying 23 of SpaceX's internet satellites. Two previous launch attempts were called off with about two minutes left on the countdown clock, the most recent because of an "issue with the transporter erector's cradle arms."
But despite venturing two hours deep into a four-hour window, the launch took off without a hitch.
The first-stage booster equaled the total number of flights by two of SpaceX's other boosters, one of which, though, was destroyed when it toppled over at sea.
This booster's resume includes two human spaceflights, the Inspiration4 orbital mission flown by billionaire Jared Issacman and the first private spaceflight for Axiom Space on its Ax-1 mission to the International Space Station. It has also flown the GPS III Space Vehicle 04, GPS III Space Vehicle 05, Nilesat 301, OneWeb Launch 17, ARABSAT BADR-8 and 11 Starlink missions.
SpaceX is building a spy satellite network for US, news agency says
Elon Musk's SpaceX is building a network of hundreds of spy satellites under a classified contract with a U.S. intelligence agency, Reuters reported, citing five people familiar with the program.
SpaceX's Starshield business unit is building the network as part of a $1.8 billion contract signed in 2021 with the National Reconnaissance Office, Reuters said. The new spy system comprises of hundreds of satellites bearing Earth-imaging capabilities that can operate as a swarm in low orbits, according to the news agency.
The contract signals a strengthening relationship between the billionaire's space company and the US government's national security agencies, Reuters said.
SpaceX and the NRO did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent after regular business hours. The NRO said last year that it planned to quadruple its orbiting spacecraft by 2033.
2024 Bloomberg L.P. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Gaia maps largest ever collection of quasars in space and time
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Astronomers have created the largest yet cosmic 3D map of quasars: bright and active centres of galaxies powered by supermassive black holes. This map shows the location of about 1.3 million quasars in space and time, with the furthest shining bright when the Universe was only 1.5 billion years old.
The new map has been made with data from ESA’s Gaia space telescope. While Gaia’s main objective is to map the stars in our own galaxy, in the process of scanning the sky it also spots objects outside the Milky Way, such as quasars and other galaxies.
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Loathed by scientists, loved by nature: sulfur and the origin of life
Many artists have tried to depict what Earth might have looked like billions of years ago, before life made its appearance. Many scenes trade snow-covered mountains for lava-gushing volcanoes and blue skies for lightning bolts pummeling what's below from a hazy sky.
But what did early Earth actually look like? This question has been the subject of intense scientific research for decades. Aerospacelab Achieves Milestone with Quadruple Satellite Launch
Aerospacelab has successfully doubled its number of satellites in orbit by launching four new satellites. The launch took place at Vandenberg Space Force Station in California, USA, at 2:05 pm PT on March 4th aboard a Falcon 9 rocket as part of SpaceX's Transporter-10 mission.
Shortly after takeoff from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E), the satellites were confirmed to be in good condition Webb finds ethanol, other icy ingredients for making planets
What do margaritas, vinegar, and ant stings have in common? They contain chemical ingredients that NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has identified surrounding two young protostars known as IRAS 2A and IRAS 23385. Although planets are not yet forming around those stars, these and other molecules detected there by Webb represent key ingredients for making potentially habitable worlds.
An in Algorithms help chart the origins of heavy elements
The origin of heavy elements in our universe is theorized to be the result of neutron star collisions, which produce conditions hot and dense enough for free neutrons to merge with atomic nuclei and form new elements in a split-second window of time. Testing this theory and answering other astrophysical questions requires predictions for a vast range of masses of atomic nuclei. Los Alamos Nation Chinese scientists push for Solar Polar Orbiter
Yang Mengfei, a prominent spacecraft scientist and advisor, has urged for state backing in developing a satellite designed for solar observations from a unique solar polar orbit. This initiative aims to deepen our understanding of solar phenomena that significantly influence earthly technologies and natural occurrences.
Yang, a senior researcher at the China Academy of Space Technology and U.S. Space Force Invests $15M in Defense Unicorns for Strategic Space Software Enhancements
In a significant boost to national security and space capabilities, Defense Unicorns, a pioneering open-source software and Artificial Intelligence (AI) provider, has secured a $15 million funding boost from the U.S. Space Force. This Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI), in collaboration with the Program Executive Office Assured Access to Space (AATS), aims to enhance and expand secure software UTS and Space Machines Company Forge Pioneering Partnership for Space Sustainability
In an ambitious move marking a new chapter for Australia's space industry, the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has joined forces with Space Machines Company (SMC), aiming to enhance space sustainability. This collaboration is set against the backdrop of Australia's goal to expand its space economy from AU$4 billion to AU$12 billion by 2030, alongside creating 20,000 jobs.
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