SpaceX continues Starlink deployment with latest launch
Tuesday, 04 May 2021 19:17
WASHINGTON — SpaceX continued the deployment of its Starlink broadband megaconstellation May 4 with the second launch of 60 satellites in less than a week.
A Falcon 9 lifted off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A at 3:01 p.m.
Study calls on U.S. to change how it buys space technology, reduce congestion in low orbits
Tuesday, 04 May 2021 18:17
WASHINGTON — The Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress released a new report May 4 calling on the U.S. government to accelerate the procurement of commercial space technologies and manage growing congestion in low-Earth orbit.
Europe’s Galileo braces for more emergency in-orbit maneuvers
Tuesday, 04 May 2021 17:07
TAMPA, Fla. — Europe is preparing for more emergency in-orbit maneuvers in an increasingly crowded space environment, after its Galileo satellite navigation constellation had to dodge debris for the first time March 6.
The GSAT0219 satellite’s operations were suspended a day before the move, enabling it to steer clear of an inert Ariane 4 rocket fragment in medium Earth orbit (MEO).
AST SpaceMobile adds public company expertise to leadership team
Tuesday, 04 May 2021 14:58
TAMPA, Fla. — AST SpaceMobile, which became a public company in April to develop a cellphone-compatible satellite broadband constellation, is expanding its leadership team.
The Texas-based company appointed Brian Heller as executive vice president, general counsel and secretary, and Scott Wisniewski as executive vice president and chief strategy officer.
Wine that went to space for sale with $1 million price tag
Tuesday, 04 May 2021 13:37
The wine is out of this world. The price is appropriately stratospheric.
Christie's said Tuesday it is selling a bottle of French wine that spent more than a year in orbit aboard the International Space Station.
Firefly Aerospace raises $75 million Series A round
Tuesday, 04 May 2021 12:51
WASHINGTON — Firefly Aerospace, nearing the first launch of its Alpha rocket, announced May 4 it raised $75 million in a Series A round that values the company at more than $1 billion.
The company said the Series A round was led by DADA Holdings, with participating from Astera Institute, Canon Ball LLC, Reuben Brothers Limited, SMS Capital Investment LLC, Raven One Ventures, The XBTO Ventures and other investors.
Parker discovers natural radio emission in Venus' atmosphere
Tuesday, 04 May 2021 10:20
During a brief swing by Venus, NASA's Parker Solar Probe detected a natural radio signal that revealed the spacecraft had flown through the planet's upper atmosphere. This was the first direct measurement of the Venusian atmosphere in nearly 30 years—and it looks quite different from Venus past. A study published today confirms that Venus' upper atmosphere undergoes puzzling changes over a solar cycle, the Sun's 11-year activity cycle. This marks the latest clue to untangling how and why Venus and Earth are so different.
Born of similar processes, Earth and Venus are twins: both rocky, and of similar size and structure.
EU space regulation ready to take off with the creation of the EUSPA
Tuesday, 04 May 2021 10:20
The Agency welcomes the European Parliament's position expressed today, confirming the political agreement on the Space Regulation reached in December 2020 and the creation of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme. The EU Space Programme, with the largest budget ever for Space - euro 14.88 billion, encompasses all EU space activities under one roof and will allow for an effective an Advanced weapons able to 'destroy US satellites' warns Space Chief
Tuesday, 04 May 2021 10:20
Previously, the annual threat assessment report of the US Intelligence community released on 13 April cited a diverse array of threats, magnified by rapidly evolving technology, and warned of the broad national security challenges posed by China and Russia.
A United States Space Force general has warned that space has become a "warfighting domain", just like air, land, and sea, with the ne NanoAvionics adds satellite twin to Aurora Insight global wireless spectrum mission
Tuesday, 04 May 2021 10:20
NanoAvionics, a leading smallsat bus manufacturer and mission integrator, has successfully established communications with "Bravo," the second nanosatellite the company built and launched for Aurora Insight, a U.S. business analytics company for the wireless industry.
"Bravo" was sent into low Earth orbit (LEO) on 28 April onboard an Arianespace Vega rocket by Italian rocket maker Avio. It Northrop Grumman Solar Arrays to Power Airbus OneSat Spacecraft
Tuesday, 04 May 2021 10:20
Northrop Grumman has been awarded a contract by Airbus Defence and Space for the design, development and production of 24 ship sets of solar arrays to support the OneSat satellite product line. The solar arrays will power the OneSat communication satellites in geosynchronous orbit.
The solar array technology features the Northrop Grumman Compact Telescoping Array (CTA) design that utilizes US Aerospace Company Blue Origin to Begin Selling Tickets for Tourist Trips in Space
Tuesday, 04 May 2021 10:20
The US aerospace company Blue Origin announced on Thursday that it will soon begin selling tickets to individuals interested in travelling to space.
"It's time. You can buy the very first seat on New Shepard. Sign up to learn how at blueorigin.com. Details coming May 5th," Blue Origin said via Twitter.
The company's New Shepard rocket - named after US astronaut Alan Shepard - is desi Oxygen production from three-body photodissociation of water using light
Tuesday, 04 May 2021 10:20
The provenance of oxygen on Earth and other solar planetary bodies is a fundamental issue. It is widely accepted that the prebiotic pathway of oxygen production in the Earth primitive atmosphere was via vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photodissociation of CO2 and subsequent recombination of two O atoms.
In contrast, the photodissociation of H2O, one of the dominant oxygen carriers, has long been A giant piece of space junk is hurtling towards Earth. Here's how worried you should be
Tuesday, 04 May 2021 10:16
A large piece of space debris, possibly weighing several tonnes, is currently on an uncontrolled reentry phase (that's space speak for "out of control"), and parts of it are expected to crash down to Earth over the next few weeks.
If that isn't worrying enough, it is impossible to predict exactly where the pieces that don't burn up in the atmosphere might land. Given the object's orbit, the possible landing points are anywhere in a band of latitudes "a little farther north than New York, Madrid and Beijing and as far south as southern Chile and Wellington, New Zealand".
The debris is part of the Long March 5B rocket that recently successfully launched China's first module for its proposed space station. The incident comes roughly a year after another similar Chinese rocket fell to Earth, landing in the Atlantic Ocean but not before it reportedly left a trail of debris in the African nation of Cote D'Ivoire.
Nelson sworn in as NASA administrator
Tuesday, 04 May 2021 01:53
WASHINGTON — Former senator Bill Nelson formally became NASA’s 14th administrator in a short ceremony May 3.
Vice President Kamala Harris gave the oath of office to Nelson at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington. Only a handful of guests and a media pool were in attendance, and the swearing-in ceremony was not broadcast live on NASA TV.