Lunar cubesats encounter technical problems
Friday, 10 February 2023 23:02
Write a comment
One NASA-funded lunar cubesat has recovered from a communications glitch while engineers are developing backup plans for another cubesat that has suffered a propulsion problem.
Inmarsat remains open to ordering its own LEO constellation
Friday, 10 February 2023 21:51 Write a comment
Inmarsat says it is still considering deploying a low Earth orbit constellation of its own despite comments to the contrary by one of its executives this week.
Juice's odyssey of exploration: Jupiter's icy moons
Friday, 10 February 2023 17:45 Write a comment
A grand odyssey of exploration is about to begin. Humankind's next bold mission to the outer solar system, ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, Juice, is poised to explore giant planet Jupiter and its largest moons. These intriguing worlds have piqued our curiosity ever since Galileo first raised his telescope to the planet and discovered its four largest moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, three of which are thought to harbor underground oceans.
Early space probes visiting the Jovian system have raised more questions than answers. But thanks to Juice, many of those answers are now within reach. ESA is launching the spacecraft in April 2023 on an eight-year journey to the distant planet.
To uncover the hidden secrets of these mysterious worlds, Juice is equipped with the most powerful science instruments ever sent to the outer solar system. The spacecraft will face many dangers along the way: radiation, extreme temperatures, and the vast gravitational pull of Jupiter, all while operating hundreds of millions of kilometers from Earth. But in the safe hands of ESA's operators to guide it safely through these challenges, the dangers will be worth it for the science that Juice is destined to uncover.
Loft Orbital creates new subsidiary for government and defense
Friday, 10 February 2023 17:37 Write a comment
Space infrastructure startup Loft Orbital has formed a new subsidiary, Loft Federal, focused on the U.S.
Letter | Steer clear of “collision avoidance”
Friday, 10 February 2023 17:24 Write a comment
In the story “Amazon gets key FCC approval for more than 3,000 LEO broadband satellites” (Feb. 8), the term “collision avoidance” is misused.
Europe shoots for the moon with role in NASA programme
Friday, 10 February 2023 15:10 Write a comment
European astronauts could walk on the Moon for the first time in the coming years, in exchange for the continent taking on a key role in an ambitious NASA space programme.
The US space agency's Artemis programme aims to return humans to the Moon for the first time since the historic Apollo missions, which ended in 1972.
For the first time, the European Space Agency (ESA) and European aerospace giant Airbus have been entrusted with supplying vital "service modules" (ESMs) for NASA's Orion spacecraft.
In exchange, Europe has three guaranteed seats on the mission's flights, probably from 2027, although discussions are ongoing to try to get earlier spots.
The role of the Europeans is vital—they are providing "half of the spacecraft that will take people to the Moon and, of course, back to Earth safely," said Marc Steckling, Airbus's head of space exploration.
Week in images: 06-10 February 2023
Friday, 10 February 2023 13:10 Write a comment
Week in images: 06-10 February 2023
Discover our week through the lens
India’s SSLV rocket succeeds in second try
Friday, 10 February 2023 12:55 Write a comment
India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) put three satellites into low Earth orbit Feb.
House and Senate plan new NASA authorization bills
Friday, 10 February 2023 11:55 Write a comment
The chair of the Senate Commerce Committee says she will push for a multiyear NASA authorization bill, mirroring plans by her House counterpart.
Blue Origin wins first NASA business for New Glenn
Friday, 10 February 2023 10:49 Write a comment
Blue Origin has won its first NASA award for its New Glenn rocket, with the agency selecting the large rocket to launch a pair of Martian smallsats.
Women and girls in science: the team helping to take us to Mars
Friday, 10 February 2023 09:00 Write a comment
ESA celebrates the International Day of Women and Girls in Science this 11 February, and highlights the story of the first all-female Systems Team in ESA’s Concurrent Design Facility, the place where ideas for new space missions, systems and structures take definite shape.
Can you spot it?
Friday, 10 February 2023 08:48 Write a comment
Image:
Can you spot it? Juice on final stretch for launch to Jupiter
Friday, 10 February 2023 08:10 Write a comment
ESA’s mission to explore Jupiter and its largest moons has safely arrived at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, where final preparations for its April launch are now underway.
The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer – better known as Juice – arrived on 8 February at Félix Eboué airport in Cayenne by a special Antonov Airlines An-124 cargo flight from Toulouse, France, where prime contractor Airbus completed a nearly decade-long process of concept, design, testing and construction. Now, the spacecraft will undergo final testing and inspection by engineers from ESA and Airbus before it is fueled up and mounted on
Earth from Space: Swedish landscape
Friday, 10 February 2023 08:00 Write a comment
Image:
Agricultural fields that surround the cities of Lund and Malmö in Sweden are pictured in this image, captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission. SpaceX ignites giant Starship rocket in crucial pad test
Friday, 10 February 2023 07:33 Write a comment
SpaceX is a big step closer to sending its giant Starship spacecraft into orbit, completing an engine-firing test at the launch pad on Thursday.
Thirty-one of the 33 first-stage booster engines ignited simultaneously for about 10 seconds in south Texas. The team turned off one engine before sending the firing command and another engine shut down—"but still enough engines to reach orbit!" tweeted SpaceX's Elon Musk.
Musk estimates Starship's first orbital test flight could occur as soon as March, if the test analyses and remaining preparations go well.