Ariane 6 reaches orbit with long-awaited first flight
Tuesday, 09 July 2024 19:10
Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket powers into space
Tuesday, 09 July 2024 18:55
Europe's Ariane 6 rocket successfully launches for first time
Tuesday, 09 July 2024 18:35
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Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket blasted off for the first time smoothly on Tuesday, carrying with it the continent's hopes of regaining independent access to space.
The much-delayed inaugural flight of the European Space Agency's most powerful rocket yet launched from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 4pm local time (1900 GMT).
Crews on the ground at the launch site, which is surrounded by jungle on the South American coast, applauded as the rocket soared into clear skies.
Ariane 6's first launch, which was originally planned for 2020, is hoped to bring an end to a difficult time for European space efforts.
Since the last flight of its workhorse predecessor, Ariane 5, a year ago, Europe has been unable to launch satellites or other missions into space without relying on rivals such as Elon Musk's US firm SpaceX.
ESA chief Josef Aschbacher said it was a "very important moment for Europe".
Ariane 6 first liftoff
Tuesday, 09 July 2024 18:30 Write a comment
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Europe’s new rocket Ariane 6 powered Europe into space taking with it a varied selection of experiments, satellites, payload deployers and reentry demonstrations that represent thousands across Europe, from students to industry and experienced space actors.
This inaugural flight, designated VA262, is a demonstration flight to show the capabilities and prowess of Ariane 6 in escaping Earth's gravity and operating in space. Nevertheless, it had several passengers on board.
Ariane 6 was built by prime contractor and design authority ArianeGroup. In addition to the rocket, the liftoff demonstrated the functioning of the launch pad and operations on ground at
MIT engineers find a way to protect microbes from extreme conditions
Tuesday, 09 July 2024 15:49 Write a comment
Microbes that are used for health, agricultural, or other applications need to be able to withstand extreme conditions, and ideally the manufacturing processes used to make tablets for long-term storage. MIT researchers have now developed a new way to make microbes hardy enough to withstand these extreme conditions.
Their method involves mixing bacteria with food and drug additives from a Chinese Scientists Develop Novel Rosa Roxburghii Varieties via Space Breeding
Tuesday, 09 July 2024 15:49 Write a comment
Chinese researchers have successfully cultivated new varieties of rosa roxburghii, derived from 528 plantlets grown from 28.2 grams of seeds that spent 186 days aboard the Shenzhou XV manned spaceship.
Rosa roxburghii, also known as Cili or "thorn pear" in Chinese, is a yellowish, spiny fruit noted for its high vitamin C content and numerous nutritional benefits.
For the first time, Airbus Secures Major Contract for Bundeswehr's Advanced Military Satellite System
Tuesday, 09 July 2024 15:49 Write a comment
The German Bundeswehr has selected Airbus for the SATCOMBw 3 prime contract, a next-generation secure military satellite system project, worth euro 2.1 billion. This contract encompasses geostationary satellites, ground segment, launch, and operation for a 15-year period, with deployments expected by the decade's end.
Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, remarked, "After t Blue Origin and Stoke Space Join US Space Force OSP-4 Launch Contract
Tuesday, 09 July 2024 15:49 Write a comment
The U.S. Space Force's Small Launch and Targets Division at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a segment of Space Systems Command's (SSC) Assured Access to Space (AATS) program, announced the addition of Blue Origin and Stoke Space Technologies Inc. to the Orbital Services Program (OSP)-4 Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract.
OSP-4, part of the Rocket Sy NASA moon rocket stage for Artemis II moved, prepped for shipment
Tuesday, 09 July 2024 15:23 Write a comment
NASA is preparing the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket core stage that will help power the first crewed mission of NASA's Artemis campaign for shipment. On July 6, NASA and Boeing, the core stage lead contractor, moved the Artemis II rocket stage to another part of the agency's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The move comes as teams prepare to roll the massive rocket stage to the agency's Pegasus barge for delivery to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in mid-July.
Prior to the move, technicians began removing external access stands, or scaffolding, surrounding the rocket stage in early June. NASA and Boeing teams used the scaffolding surrounding the core stage to assess the interior elements, including its complex avionics and propulsion systems. The 212-foot core stage has two huge propellant tanks, avionics and flight computer systems, and four RS-25 engines, which together enable the stage to operate during launch and flight.
The stage is fully manufactured and assembled at Michoud. Building, assembling, and transporting is a joint process for NASA, Boeing, and lead RS-25 engines contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies company.
Ariane 6 takes flight
Tuesday, 09 July 2024 14:33 Write a comment
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Ariane 6 launches to the sky on 9 July 2024.
Europe’s newest heavy-lift rocket, it is designed to provide great power and flexibility at a lower cost than its predecessors. The launcher’s configuration – with an upgraded main stage, a choice of either two or four powerful boosters and a new restartable upper stage – will provide Europe with greater efficiency and possibility as it can launch multiple missions into different orbits on a single flight, while its upper stage will deorbit itself at the end of mission.
Ariane 6 VA262
Tuesday, 09 July 2024 14:33 Write a comment
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Launch of Ariane 6 VA262 on 9 July 2024 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
This is Europe’s newest heavy-lift rocket, designed to provide greater power and flexibility at a lower cost than its predecessors. The launcher’s configuration – with an upgraded main stage, a choice of either two or four powerful boosters and a new restartable upper stage – will provide Europe with greater efficiency and possibility as it can launch multiple missions into different orbits on a single flight, while its upper stage will be able to deorbit itself at the end of missions.
Ariane 6 from above in the final hours before liftoff
Tuesday, 09 July 2024 13:41 Write a comment
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Ariane 6 from above in the final hours before liftoff Germany's Integral Role in the Ariane 6 Launch Program
Tuesday, 09 July 2024 13:13 Write a comment
The Ariane 6, Europe's new launcher, is set for its maiden voyage on 9 July 2024. This rocket aims to provide Europe with reliable and cost-effective access to space, succeeding the Ariane 5 while offering greater flexibility. Germany stands as the second-largest contributor to the European Space Agency's (ESA) Ariane 6 program, with the German Space Agency at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) i Artemis IV Set to Launch with Modernized RS-25 Engines
Tuesday, 09 July 2024 13:13 Write a comment
Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) company, has successfully upgraded the four RS-25 engines that will propel NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for the Artemis IV mission. This mission will feature the first flight of the advanced Block 1B configuration of the SLS rocket and will be the last to use engines from the space shuttle era.
The upgraded Artemis IV engin Orion and SLS Gearing Up for Major Artemis Missions
Tuesday, 09 July 2024 13:13 Write a comment
NASA's Artemis program, aimed at returning humans to the Moon and beyond, is making significant strides with key developments in the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. These advancements are vital as the space agency prepares for a series of increasingly ambitious missions to explore cislunar space and establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon.
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