ESA is launching a competition which initiates a first phase of activities for European companies to eventually demonstrate a complete cargo delivery service to and from space stations in low-Earth orbit by 2028.

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2023’s highlight was the highly anticipated launch of Juice, Europe’s Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer. The Juice spacecraft was placed on course to Jupiter on the second-to-last Ariane 5 launch vehicle in April. After an eight-year journey, Juice will begin observing the giant gas planet and its three large ocean-bearing moons – Ganymede, Calisto and Europa.

The Euclid space telescope was launched in July with the aim of unravelling the enigmas of ‘dark matter’ and ‘dark energy’. Euclid’s first images were released in November, revealing razor-sharp astronomical images with detail never before seen by a telescope across such a

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope recently trained its sights on weird and enigmatic Uranus, an ice giant that orbits on its side. What Webb found is a dynamic world with rings, moons, storms and other atmospheric features – including a seasonal polar cap. The image expands upon a two-colour version released earlier this year, adding additional wavelength coverage for a more detailed look.

Galileo Second Generation is on the way with new and enhanced navigation satellites that will offer novel signals, services and even more precise positioning. But all the work being done to make it happen hinges on this single item at ESA’s Navigation Laboratory at ESTEC. The G2 test user receiver is designed to quantify the improvements the Second Generation will bring compared to current satellite navigation systems and will be used to verify the performance of early receivers processing the first G2 signals in space.

Cleveland OH (SPX) Dec 15, 2023
Global tensions were high in the fall of 1941 as U-boats harassed ships in the Atlantic and German forces pushed deep into the Soviet Union. There was a critical need for the United States to get the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA)'s new engine laboratory (today, NASA's Glenn Research Center) in operation as soon as possible. It was especially important to complete its Altitud

Washington (AFP) Dec 18, 2023
The American company Blue Origin plans to launch its rocket Big Shepard Monday for the first time since an accident more than a year ago, as the firm founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos heads back into space. The launch window from the pad in west Texas opens at 8:30 am local time (14H30 GMT), said Blue Origin, which plans to live stream the event. This mission known as NS-24 will not carr

Boston MA (SPX) Dec 18, 2023
More than 2,000 years ago, the Greek mathematician Euclid, known to many as the father of geometry, changed the way we think about shapes. Building off those ancient foundations and millennia of mathematical progress since, Justin Solomon is using modern geometric techniques to solve thorny problems that often seem to have nothing to do with shapes. For instance, perhaps a statistici

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Dec 18, 2023
D-Orbit has recently announced the signing of two significant launch service contracts with South Korean space startup TelePIX, signaling a notable collaboration in the realm of space technology. Under these contracts, TelePIX will utilize D-Orbit's renowned expertise to embark on a mission critical for the future of satellite operations: the launch and in-orbit testing of its On-Board Pro

Beijing (AFP) Dec 16, 2023
The founder of leading Chinese AI firm SenseTime and an influential computer scientist has suddenly passed away, the company said in a statement Saturday. "It is with an extremely heavy heart that we announce to everyone the sorrowful news: Our beloved founder... Tang Xiao'ou, due to illness that could not be treated, left us forever at 23:45 on December 15, 2023," SenseTime said in an onlin

Lausanne, Switzerland (SPX) Dec 18, 2023
For most of us, the countless bright spots in the nighttime sky all seem to be stars. But in fact, some of those spots are actually planets, or distant suns, or even entire galaxies located billions of light years away. Just what you're looking at depends on how far it is from Earth. That's why measuring the exact distance to celestial objects is such an important goal for astronomers - and one