Berlin, Germany (SPX) Apr 30, 2025
The Inouye Solar Telescope, the world's largest solar observatory, has reached a critical milestone with the activation of its most advanced instrument to date: the Visible Tunable Filter (VTF), a massive spectro-polarimeter now operational atop Hawaii's Haleakala volcano. With a four-meter primary mirror, the telescope has delivered remarkable solar images since 2022, and the VTF dramatically e

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 30, 2025
NASA's Juno mission has delivered unprecedented insights into the subsurface dynamics of both Jupiter and its volcanic moon, Io. The spacecraft's latest observations have unveiled the temperature structure beneath Jupiter's cloud cover and mapped residual volcanic heat beneath Io's surface. Using its Microwave Radiometer (MWR) and Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM), Juno captured data

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 30, 2025
NASA will once again send its Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSOLO) instrument to the Moon, this time aboard a commercial rover under a new Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Magna Petra Corp. The collaboration aims to study gases trapped beneath the lunar surface, with a focus on rare isotopes such as Helium-3. Following its successful performance during th

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 01, 2025
Those into stargazing would tell you that even just a quick glance at the stars can calm you down, ease your stress, and leave you feeling at peace that you might struggle to find in your hectic life. With everything else getting more frantic and tech-heavy, we're seeing more and more people turning to the old-school vibe of stargazing as a free way to improve your mood. And it actually does won

Washington DC (UPI) Apr 30, 2025
A Firefly Aerospace rocket launched from California crashed into the Pacific Ocean north of Antarctica, failing to place into low-Earth orbit a satellite for Lockheed Martin. This was the latest in Alpha rocket failures for the Texas-based private company. It has two successes, two failures and two partial failures since its debut in September 2021. The mission was called "Missio

Washington DC (UPI) Apr 30, 2025
Two NASA astronauts plan to participate in a 6-hour, 35-minute spacewalk Thursday to upgrade the International Space Station's power generation capabilities and relocate a communications antenna. Expedition 73 Flight Engineers Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers are scheduled to leave the ISS at 8 a.m. EDT, according to NASA. NASA will begin live coverage at 6:30 a.m. on NASA+. They w

Sydney, Australia (SPX) May 01, 2025
Chinese researchers have made a landmark achievement in space navigation by successfully conducting the world's first daytime satellite laser ranging in the Earth-moon region. The breakthrough overcomes long-standing challenges associated with solar interference. The milestone was reached by a team led by Yunnan Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), who on Sunday captured

Image: Copernicus Sentinel-1 captured this radar image over French Guiana – home to Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, where ESA’s Biomass mission is being prepared for liftoff on 29 April onboard a Vega-C rocket.

Video: 01:54:04

ESA’s state-of-the-art Biomass satellite launched aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The rocket lifted off on 29 April 2025 at 11:15 CEST (06:15 local time).

In orbit, this latest Earth Explorer mission will provide vital insights into the health and dynamics of the world’s forests, revealing how they are changing over time and, critically, enhancing our understanding of their role in the global carbon cycle. It is the first satellite to carry a fully polarimetric P-band synthetic aperture radar for interferometric imaging. Thanks to the long wavelength of P-band, around 70 cm, the

On 19 April 2025, ESA marks the 21st anniversary of KUBIK, an incubator for biological samples in space. This versatile and enduring facility has advanced our understanding of biology in space for the last two decades.