Asteroid-hunting space telescope gets two-year mission extension
Thursday, 01 July 2021 12:40
NEOWISE has provided an estimate of the size of over 1,850 near-Earth objects, helping us better understand our nearest solar system neighbors.
For two more years, NASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) will continue its hunt for asteroids and comets—including objects that could pose a hazard to Earth. This mission extension means NASA's prolific near-Earth object (NEO) hunting space telescope will continue operations until June 2023.
Webb passes key launch clearance review
Thursday, 01 July 2021 12:00
The international James Webb Space Telescope has passed the final mission analysis review for its launch on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
Virgin Orbit launches 7 small satellites from jumbojet
Thursday, 01 July 2021 11:52
Launch company Virgin Orbit sent seven satellites into space on Wednesday from a rocket carried by a jet plane over the Pacific Ocean.
The Cosmic Girl jet, a modified 747, took off at 9:53 a.m. EDT from Mojave Air and Space Port about 90 miles north of Los Angeles.
Just under an hour later, the LauncherOne rocket dropped from the wing of the jet. Seconds after release, the rocket SpaceX launches 88 satellites on rideshare mission
Thursday, 01 July 2021 11:52
SpaceX successfully launched 88 small satellites from Florida on Wednesday after postponing the mission Tuesday because of an airplane in the launch area.
The Falcon 9 rocket on the Transporter-2 rideshare mission lifted off at 3:31 p.m. EDT from Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. SpaceX confirmed all satellites were deployed properly almost 90 minutes after liftoff. Deep Space Atomic Clock moves toward increased spacecraft autonomy
Thursday, 01 July 2021 11:52
Designed to improve navigation for robotic explorers and the operation of GPS satellites, the technology demonstration reports a significant milestone.
Spacecraft that venture beyond our Moon rely on communication with ground stations on Earth to figure out where they are and where they're going. NASA's Deep Space Atomic Clock is working toward giving those far-flung explorers more autonom New funding from UK Space Agency will kickstart space technology projects
Thursday, 01 July 2021 11:52
The call for Grants for Exploratory Ideas, part of the National Space Technology Programme aims to fund short, three-month long projects that support innovative space technology activities, encourage collaboration between industry and academia, and encourage new entrants to the space sector.
Projects could include knowledge transfer, skills development, market studies, and proof of concept OneWeb fully-funded with new $500m investment
Thursday, 01 July 2021 11:52
OneWeb, the global Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications company, has secured further fund-raising on the anniversary of the successful bid by UK Government and Bharti Global (Bharti) to purchase OneWeb from US Chapter 11 to bring its total funding to $2.4 billion. OneWeb has completed its transformation with the exercise of a Call Option by Bharti to invest an additional $500m into the Astronauts demonstrate CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing in space
Thursday, 01 July 2021 11:52
Researchers have developed and successfully demonstrated a novel method for studying how cells repair damaged DNA in space. Sarah Stahl-Rommel of Genes in Space and colleagues present the new technique in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on June 30, 2021.
Damage to an organism's DNA can occur during normal biological processes or as a result of environmental causes, such as UV light. In hu NASA satellites see upper atmosphere cooling and contracting due to climate change
Thursday, 01 July 2021 11:52
The sky isn't falling, but scientists have found that parts of the upper atmosphere are gradually contracting in response to rising human-made greenhouse gas emissions. Combined data from three NASA satellites have produced a long-term record that reveals the mesosphere, the layer of the atmosphere 30 to 50 miles above the surface, is cooling and contracting. Scientists have long predicted this Astra completes SPAC merger and begins trading publicly
Thursday, 01 July 2021 10:42
WASHINGTON — Small launch vehicle company Astra will begin trading on the Nasdaq exchange July 1 after completing its merger with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC).
Astra said June 30 that shareholders of Holicity, a SPAC, had overwhelmingly approved the merger.
Assembly of satellite to track world's water shifts from US to france
Thursday, 01 July 2021 10:26
Set for launch next year, the Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission will help scientists monitor Earth's ocean, as well as the amount of fresh water in its lakes and rivers.
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission took a big step toward launch this week when a team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California shipped the scientific heart of the satellite to Satellites launched to boost connectivity and create jobs
Thursday, 01 July 2021 09:00
Three more nano-satellites have been launched as part of ESA’s efforts to boost the European space industry, fostering innovation and creating jobs.
Global Space Markets Challenge application deadline extended to 30 July
Thursday, 01 July 2021 08:40
Start-up companies and SMEs make a significant contribution to building a globally competitive European space sector. To support these entities in their internationalisation efforts, ESA has organised a Global Space Markets Challenge and further extended the deadline for applications to 30 July.
Foust Forward | The sky isn’t falling (yet)
Thursday, 01 July 2021 08:00
Two years ago, when astronomers gathered at the 234th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in St. Louis, one word was on the minds of many attendees: Starlink. Just a few weeks earlier, SpaceX had launched the first set of 60 Starlink satellites, and the unexpected appearance of the satellites in twilight skies as a bright string of pearls dismayed astronomers.
Russia races Tom Cruise and Musk for first movie in space
Thursday, 01 July 2021 06:34
Six decades after Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit Earth, earning Moscow a key win in the Cold War, Russia is again in a space race with Washington.
This time though the stakes are somewhat glitzier.
On October 5, one of Russia's most celebrated actresses, 36-year-old Yulia Peresild is blasting off to the International Space Station (ISS) with film director Klim Shipenko, 38.
Their mission? Shoot the first film in orbit before the Americans do.
If their plan falls into place, the Russians are expected to beat Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise and Hollywood director Doug Liman, who were first to announce their project together with NASA and Space X, the company of billionaire Elon Musk.
"I really want us to be not only the first but also the best," Peresild told AFP, with the clock ticking down to the planned October 5 blast-off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The Call—the Russian project's working title—was announced in September last year, four months after the Hollywood project.
But apart from its grand ambitions, little is known about the film.