Champaign IL (SPX) Jun 06, 2023
Researchers have detected complex organic molecules in a galaxy more than 12 billion light-years away from Earth - the most distant galaxy in which these molecules are now known to exist. Thanks to the capabilities of the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope and careful analyses from the research team, a new study lends critical insight into the complex chemical interactions that occur i

Baltimore MD (SPX) Jun 06, 2023
Among the most fundamental questions in astronomy is: How did the first stars and galaxies form? NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is already providing new insights into this question. One of the largest programs in Webb's first year of science is the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey, or JADES, which will devote about 32 days of telescope time to uncover and characterize faint, distant ga

Beijing (XNA) Jun 06, 2023
In recent developments from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the primary rocket engine designed for future manned lunar missions has undergone its sixth trial run. This round of testing brings the cumulative operation time of the 130-tonne class liquid oxygen kerosene rocket engine to an impressive 3,300 seconds, establishing a new record for China. This achievement

Pasadena CA (JPL) Jun 06, 2023
There's a special sort of hopeful-nervousness I feel on a weekend with a challenging drive. It's how I felt this last weekend, waiting for our rover to try and execute the 11 meter drive that was supposed to get us off a large rock precluding any arm activities over the weekend. Well, we did get off the rock (yay!) but our wheels still slipped in the surrounding sand and ended the drive early in

Boca Raton FL (SPX) Jun 06, 2023
Terran Orbital Corporation, a premier player in the satellite-based solutions market, reported the successful accomplishment of the CAPSTONE's primary mission - navigating to and within the Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) and performing the initial successful test of the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System (CAPS) alongside the NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). As a bonus, CAPSTONE a

Kennedy Space Center FL (UPI) Jun 06, 2023
After some delays over the weekend, SpaceX has successfully launched its Crew Resupply Mission 28 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The initial launch was postponed due to unfavorable weather conditions, particularly high winds in the booster recovery zone. The mission was successfully executed at 11:47 a.m. EDT Monday, with weather conditions deemed 60% favorable for liftoff. Spac

Video: 02:42:59

Watch the replay of the high-level conference organised in cooperation with the Federal Chancellery of the Republic of Austria to discuss the geo-political, economic and societal potential of Europe’s future role in space exploration endeavours.

The aim of the conference is to open the debate in Europe following the release of the High Level Advisory Group (HLAG) on the future of human and robotic space exploration for Europe.

ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and the Chancellor of Austria Karl Nehammer take part, as well as Ministers, heads of space agencies and other prominent guests.

The plenary conference is followed by

Video: 00:12:38

Innovation is triggered by many drivers. One of these is the constant need for ESA to develop innovative solutions, such as unique spacecraft technologies.

In this first video, Nicolas recalls how he and his team had to think outside the box to find a solution for ESA to communicate with Ulysses. The spacecraft was flying around the north pole of the Sun, which is much farther in deep space than satellites had been launched up to that point.

The success of this solution motivated the decision to build ESA’s first deep-space communications antennas in New Norcia, in Australia, thus enabling many ESA scientific firsts in deep-space exploration.

The antennas would, some decades after,