Nanoracks launches two cubesats on NG-15 Cygnus
Monday, 22 February 2021 09:26Earlier The NG-15 Cygnus spacecraft has berthed at the International Space Station (ISS), carrying two CubeSats in the Nanoracks External Cygnus Deployer (E-NRCSD). The Cygnus arrived at the ISS after launching from Wallops Flight Facility Pad 0A on February 20, 2021 at 17:36 UTC. In celebration of Black History Month, the NG-15 Cygnus has been named in honor of Katherine Johnson, a NASA mathema
Israel launches research nanosatellite to measure radiation in space
Monday, 22 February 2021 09:26TAU-SAT1, Tel Aviv University's first nanosatellite, was launched into orbit on Saturday Feb. 20 at 07:36 p.m. (Israel time), from the NASA launch facility in Virginia, USA. TAU-SAT1 will conduct several experiments while in orbit, including the measurement of cosmic radiation around earth. TAU scientists are excited with the remarkable scientific and technological achievement, noting that
Cygnus resupply ship bolted to ISS Unity Module
Monday, 22 February 2021 09:26The Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft was berthed to the International Space Station's Earth-facing port of the Unity module at 7:16 a.m. EST Monday morning and subsequently bolted into place. Cygnus will remain at the space station until May, when the spacecraft will depart the station. Following departure, the Cygnus will dispose of several tons of trash during a fiery reentry into Eart
NASA delays new test-firing of moon rocket
Monday, 22 February 2021 09:26NASA has delayed the test-firing of its SLS moon rocket that had been planned for Thursday to check out a faulty valve in the liquid propulsion system. When it happens, the test will ignite four powerful engines on the 212-foot-tall core stage of the Space Launch System rocket for four to eight minutes at the John C. Stennis Space Center in southern Mississippi. NASA is preparing the rocke
Life from Earth could temporarily survive on Mars
Monday, 22 February 2021 09:26Some microbes on Earth could temporarily survive on the surface of Mars, finds a new study by NASA and German Aerospace Center scientists. The researchers tested the endurance of microorganisms to Martian conditions by launching them into the Earth's stratosphere, as it closely represents key conditions on the Red Planet. Published in Frontiers in Microbiology, this work paves the way for unders
Martian moons have a common ancestor
Monday, 22 February 2021 09:26Phobos and Deimos are the remains of a larger Martian moon that was disrupted between 1 and 2.7 billion years ago, say researchers from the Institute of Geophysics at ETH Zurich and the Physics Institute at the University of Zurich. They reached this conclusion using computer simulations and seismic recordings from the InSight Mars mission. Mars's two moons, Phobos and Deimos, have puzzled
China's lunar rover travels 652 meters on far side
Monday, 22 February 2021 09:26The lander and the rover of the Chang'e-4 probe have been switched to dormant mode for the lunar night after working stably for the 27th lunar day, according to the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration. The lander was switched to dormant mode at 1:30 p.m. Friday (Beijing Time) as scheduled, and the rover, Yutu-2 (Jade Rabbit-2), at 1:48 a.m.
The Milky Way may be swarming with planets with oceans and continents like here on Earth
Monday, 22 February 2021 09:26Astronomers have long been looking into the vast universe in hopes of discovering alien civilisations. But for a planet to have life, liquid water must be present. The chances of that finding scenario have seemed impossible to calculate because it has been the assumption that planets like Earth get their water by chance if a large, ice asteroid hits the planet. Now, researchers from the GL
US Space Force faces pop culture ridicule
Monday, 22 February 2021 09:26The U.S. Space Force has a serious role to play in the modern world. Its stated mission is to train and equip personnel to defend U.S. interests in space. Given the increasing military and economic importance of space, the USSF is likely to grow in importance. But a quick internet search shows that for most people, the Space Force is more a meme than a military branch. It has been the subj
Russia's Su-57s conducting captive-carry tests of new air-launched hypersonic missile
Monday, 22 February 2021 09:26Defense industry leaders have long indicated that Russia's advanced fifth-generation Su-57 fighter, equaled by only a handful of other jets in the skies, will have several special weapons designed for it. Russia's stealthy Su-57 is reportedly undergoing tests on its ability to carry a new hypersonic weapon, according to sources inside Russia's military-industrial complex. Russian med
India to upgrade military comms with advanced radios to boost net-centric warfare capability
Monday, 22 February 2021 09:26Indian's armed forces will be equipped with around 5,5000 state-of-the-art software defined radios as the system currently in place has limited or no data transmission capability. India's Defence Ministry has announced that it will replace the army's Combat Net Radio (CNR) with state-of-the-art software defined radios (SDRs), which will be manufactured by Indian companies. Currently, CNR i
Latest progress in China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System
Monday, 22 February 2021 09:26China has been making continuous progress in the satellite navigation and positioning industry with significant moves and industrial applications in more diversified fields. The following facts and figures offer a glimpse of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) and China's latest moves to boost the sector: + China has recently released six documents detailing technical requir
Join ESA’s virtual workshop on 5G plus satnav
Monday, 22 February 2021 07:30The coming of 5G promises much more than simply better-than-wi-fi smartphone connectivity; it should enable a wide range of novel services, including asset tracking, autonomous driving and drone flying as well as the internet of things. Highly precise localisation is needed to make such innovations feasible however. ESA has led a major project assessing the potential of 5G and satellite navigation in combination and next month a webinar will make its initial findings public.
NASA postpones second SLS Green Run test
Monday, 22 February 2021 00:34WASHINGTON — Just days after NASA said it was ready to perform a second static-fire test of the Space Launch System core stage, the agency announced Feb. 22 that the test would be delayed because of a valve problem.
Toast-shaped ThinSats attract educational and government customers
Sunday, 21 February 2021 21:48SAN FRANCISCO – ThinSats are starting to catching on.
The toast-shaped miniature satellites designed primarily as teaching tools have attracted Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding from NASA and the U.S. Space Force.
Still, their most popular application is education.