ESA-DLR Lunar facility prepares for simulated exploration
Thursday, 26 September 2024 19:39
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The European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) inaugurated LUNA, a state-of-the-art lunar analogue facility, on September 25, 2024, in Cologne, Germany. The facility, located near ESA's European Astronaut Centre, is designed to simulate lunar surface conditions to support astronaut training and testing for upcoming lunar missions.
LUNA will serve as a vital tool for Space Force kicks off $1 billion cloud-based satellite operations program
Thursday, 26 September 2024 19:22
Space Force hails progress in missile-warning satellite program
Thursday, 26 September 2024 18:45
Air France plans to connect entire fleet to Starlink Wi-Fi
Thursday, 26 September 2024 18:33
NASA's Artemis science instrument gets tested in moon-like sandbox
Thursday, 26 September 2024 18:01 Write a comment
On Sept. 9 and 10, scientists and engineers tested NASA's LEMS (Lunar Environment Monitoring Station) instrument suite in a "sandbox" of simulated moon regolith at the Florida Space Institute's Exolith Lab at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
Lunar regolith is a dusty, soil-like material that coats the moon's surface, and researchers wanted to observe how the material would interact with LEMS's hardware, which is being developed to fly to the moon with Artemis III astronauts in late 2026.
Designed and built at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, LEMS is one of three science payloads chosen for development for Artemis III, which will be the first mission to land astronauts on the lunar surface since 1972.
The LEMS instrument package can operate both day and night. It will carry two University of Arizona-built seismometers to the surface to perform long-term monitoring for moonquakes and meteorite impacts.
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Completed experiments on International Space Station to help answer how boiling and condensation work in space
Thursday, 26 September 2024 15:37 Write a comment
After a decade of preparation and two years of active experiments in space, a facility that Purdue University and NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland designed, built and tested has completed its test campaign on the International Space Station.
LUNA analog facility – The Moon on Earth
Thursday, 26 September 2024 13:24 Write a comment
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LUNA recreates the Moon's surface on Earth next to ESA’s Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany. The collaborative project between ESA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) will provide a training ground for astronauts and a test centre for technology, equipping partners and users with the knowledge to go forward to the Moon.
Access the related broadcast quality video material: LUNA stock shots, LUNA close-ups, LUNA animation, ESA EAC stock shots, LUNA interviews
Sentinel-2C captures stunning glimpse of the Moon
Thursday, 26 September 2024 13:00 Write a comment
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On 20 September, the Copernicus Sentinel-2C satellite captured its first stunning image of the Moon, achieved by rolling the satellite sideways in a unique manoeuvre. Although Sentinel-2C is primarily designed for Earth observation, this image – intended for calibration and cross-mission comparisons – exceeded expectations. Hubble sees black hole beam boosting stellar eruptions
Thursday, 26 September 2024 13:00 Write a comment
In a surprise finding, astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have discovered that the blowtorch-like jet from a supermassive black hole at the core of a huge galaxy seems to cause stars to erupt along its trajectory. The stars, called novae, are not caught inside the jet, but apparently in a dangerous neighbourhood nearby.
Vodafone and Intelsat Expand Satellite Connectivity for Remote Areas and Emergency Response
Thursday, 26 September 2024 12:52 Write a comment
Vodafone and Intelsat have announced an extended partnership to enhance satellite connectivity services for organizations operating in remote or challenging environments, including disaster zones. This collaboration aims to supplement Vodafone's terrestrial networks with satellite-based broadband services, ensuring businesses, governments, and NGOs can maintain connectivity in underserved region Magnetic Halo in the Milky Way Tied to Powerful Galactic Outflows
Thursday, 26 September 2024 12:52 Write a comment
A study led by the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), with contributions from Radboud University's Marijke Haverkorn, has provided critical new insights into the Milky Way. The research reveals a magnetic halo surrounding our galaxy, challenging existing models of its structure and evolution.
The discovery highlights magnetised structures extending over 16,000 light-years (150 qua WASP-107b reveals new atmospheric features thanks to Webb Telescope
Thursday, 26 September 2024 12:52 Write a comment
New findings about the "popcorn planet" WASP-107b have emerged, thanks to NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). This gas giant, previously noted for its exceptionally low density and puffed-up atmosphere, has provided scientists with even more unexpected details through advanced atmospheric observations.
WASP-107b, a gas planet roughly the size of Jupiter but only one-tenth as massive, The EU vs X: How big could the fines be for Musk?
Thursday, 26 September 2024 12:52 Write a comment
Elon Musk's X is in hot water with the EU for allegedly breaking new content rules - and the world's richest man risks multibillion-dollar fines even he might find prohibitive.
The European Union could decide within months to take action against X, including possible fines, as part of a probe into whether the social platform is breaching a landmark content moderation law, the Digital Servic Hera mission to unlock the secrets of Dimorphos asteroid
Thursday, 26 September 2024 12:52 Write a comment
A new mystery in space is leading to a groundbreaking planetary defense mission aimed at making Earth safer. The European Space Agency's (ESA) Hera mission is now preparing to follow up on a critical experiment that began in 2022.
On September 26, 2022, NASA's DART spacecraft impacted the Dimorphos asteroid at 6.1 km/s. This event altered Dimorphos's orbit around its larger companion, Didy China expands food options for deep-space missions
Thursday, 26 September 2024 12:52 Write a comment
China is preparing to offer a broader variety of food for astronauts in future deep-space exploration missions, as discussed at the Second Frontier Forum of Space Medicine in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, East China.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, a holiday celebrating family unity, the crew of Shenzhou XVIII aboard China's space station had a special treat of "space mooncakes" filled with