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To the Moon! 3 crew leave China's space station for Earth after 90 days
Thursday, 16 September 2021 07:15
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Three astronauts who lived for 90 days on China's space station departed Thursday in preparation for returning to Earth.
The national space agency said Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo boarded the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft and undocked from the space station at 8:56 a.m. Thursday (0056 GMT).
State broadcaster CCTV aired footage of the astronauts securing packages inside their spacecraft, which is due to parachute to a location in the Gobi Desert near the Jiuquan launch center on Friday.
Path set for commercial communications around the Moon
Thursday, 16 September 2021 07:13 Write a comment
ESA confirmed a contract signature yesterday with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) to be the main customer for their Lunar Pathfinder satellite launching in 2024 that will provide communications services around the Moon.
Contest winners, health worker orbiting world in SpaceX 1st
Thursday, 16 September 2021 06:49 Write a comment
The four people on SpaceX's first private flight are fairly ordinary, down-to-Earth types brought together by chance.
They'll circle Earth for three days at an unusually high altitude—on their own without a professional escort—before splashing down off the Florida coast.
SpaceX launches 4 amateurs on private Earth-circling trip
Thursday, 16 September 2021 06:44 Write a comment
SpaceX's first private flight streaked into orbit Wednesday night with two contest winners, a health care worker and their rich sponsor, the most ambitious leap yet in space tourism.
Space Force backs development of commercial orbital debris removal systems
Thursday, 16 September 2021 02:22 Write a comment
A Space Force general endorsed the development of commercial systems for removing space debris, saying they can address congestion in Earth orbit without the policy concerns a government-run alternative might have.
SpaceX sends all-civilian crew into orbit
Thursday, 16 September 2021 01:27 Write a comment
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying four space tourists blasted off Wednesday night from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the first mission to orbit the globe with an all-civilian crew. A huge fireball illuminated the sky as the rocket's nine engines began to pull away from Earth at 8:02 pm (0002 GMT Thursday). Around 12 minutes later, the Dragon capsule separated from the rocket's send stage as the crew entered orbit, while the re-usable first stage made its way back to Earth for a vertical landing on a sea barge. SpaceX launches Crew Dragon on first private mission
Wednesday, 15 September 2021 23:43 Write a comment
SpaceX successfully launched a Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying four nonprofessional astronauts on its first private crewed mission Sept. 15, a long-awaited milestone in the commercialization of spaceflight.
SpaceX aiming for night launch of 4 on 1st private flight
Wednesday, 15 September 2021 19:09 Write a comment
SpaceX aimed to blast a billionaire into orbit Wednesday night with his two contest winners and a health care worker who survived childhood cancer.
It's the first chartered passenger flight for Elon Musk's SpaceX and a big step in space tourism by a private company.
Space SPACs struggle to lift off
Wednesday, 15 September 2021 17:26 Write a comment
None of the companies that recently completed SPAC deals have seen a dramatic increase in share price. Meanwhile, share SPAC redemptions are growing, indicating a lack of enthusiasm.
California continues to burn
Wednesday, 15 September 2021 15:00 Write a comment
While wildfires are a natural part of California’s landscape, a severe drought, coupled with extreme temperatures, have sustained several major fires for much of August. As of 14 September, more than 7000 wildfires have been recorded, burning over 900 000 hectares across the state.
Combined tests start for Ariane 6 at Europe’s Spaceport
Wednesday, 15 September 2021 13:45 Write a comment
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Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana is performing the first combined test in preparation for the inaugural flight of Ariane 6 Image: Space men at work
Wednesday, 15 September 2021 11:06 Write a comment
If you are spacewalking and you know it, raise your hand.
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet (left) and JAXA astronaut Aki Hoshide (right) performed a spacewalk on Sunday 12 September to prepare another section of the International Space Station for its solar panel upgrade.
The new solar arrays, called IROSA or ISS Roll-Out Solar Array, are being gradually installed over the existing arrays to boost the International Space Station's power system.
Thomas and NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough prepared and installed two IROSA solar panels across three spacewalks in June. The arrays were taken from their storage area outside the Space Station and passed from spacewalker to spacewalker to the worksite. There the rolled arrays were secured, unfolded, connected and then unfurled.
Aki and Thomas prepared the P4 truss for its IROSA installation. This is the same area as where Thomas and Shane installed two IROSA's but closer to the main body of the Space Station, in an area called the 4A channel. Only one new solar array will be installed here, on a later spacewalk.
While Sunday's extravehicular activity or EVA was already the fourth spacewalk during Thomas' Alpha mission, it was his first with Aki and the first time a spacewalking pair did not feature a US or Russian astronaut.
Commercial spaceflight industry sees Inspiration4 as a pathfinder but not a model
Wednesday, 15 September 2021 11:06 Write a comment
SpaceX’s first fully commercial Crew Dragon mission is being closely watched by both NASA and other companies in the commercial human spaceflight sector, who see it as a pathfinder for future missions but not necessity a model for them.
‘Taiwan must secure a strategic position in space industry’s supply chain’: president
Wednesday, 15 September 2021 11:01 Write a comment
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Sept. 14 the country “must secure a strategic position in the space industry’s supply chain” by leveraging its competitive edge in semiconductor and precision engineering.