Last SpaceX launch of 2022 carries Israeli reconnoissance satellite into orbit
Saturday, 31 December 2022 06:54
An Israeli reconnaissance satellite was carried into orbit during the final SpaceX launch of the year.
The EROS-3 Earth-imaging satellite was launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 11:38 p.m. Thursday. The first stage detached successfully and landed on a SpaceX pad eight minutes after launch.
The rocket was launched in retrograde, aga University students test futuristic flight hardware in NASA facility
Saturday, 31 December 2022 06:54
The scene inside a NASA test facility sometimes looks a lot like the set of a science fiction movie. That's certainly the case with a 1 megawatt electric machine with an integrated power electronics system university students are now testing with NASA support.
This innovative hybrid electric technology isn't fictional. It's reality, and it could someday help single-aisle commercial aircraf New rockets, more spacecraft to take flight in 2023 from Space Coast
Friday, 30 December 2022 16:56
It's slated to be a busy year of rocket launches from the Space Coast with a pace that could introduce some new names and set new records.
Launch pads at both Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station have been hitting a pace of more than one launch a week, finishing up 2022 with 57 rockets that made it to space.
That pace could be in line to nearly double as more launch service providers set up shop in Brevard County, said Frank DiBello, President and CEO of Space Florida, the state's aerospace economic development agency.
"How many can we sustain? We're building and investing, not just us alone, but the Space Force and NASA," he said. "And commercial contractors are investing in infrastructure that should be able to support 100 launches a year. That was our plan. I think we want the capability to be able to do two, two-plus a week."
A big chunk of that will come from SpaceX, which continues to roll out its Falcon 9 rockets like dominoes, but 2023 should also treat the Space Coast to several appearances of the powerhouse Falcon Heavy.
Two CubeSats to shed light on space weather disturbances
Friday, 30 December 2022 15:59
Two CubeSats, or small satellites, are on a quest to provide insight on space weather disturbances and the subsequent impact on communication signals. The dynamic duo, the Plasma Enhancements in the Ionosphere-Thermosphere Satellite (petitSat) and Scintillation Prediction Observations Research Task (SPORT), arrived at the International Space Station on Nov. 27, 2022, as part of SpaceX's 26th commercial resupply mission for NASA. Both CubeSats deployed from the space station on Dec. 29, 2022, at 8:55 a.m. EST.
Scientists on both missions are most interested in studying a layer in Earth's upper atmosphere known as the ionosphere.
China looks to build space partnerships with Gulf nations
Friday, 30 December 2022 12:44
China is aiming to grow cooperation with emerging space nations including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The post China looks to build space partnerships with Gulf nations appeared first on SpaceNews.
NASA: New topography satellite masts unfurl successfully
Friday, 30 December 2022 12:24
NASA said on Wednesday that the large mast and antenna panels on its new Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite successfully unfurled last week over a four-day process.
The satellite, also known as SWOT, was designed to capture precise measurements of the height of water in Earth's freshwater bodies and the ocean. It will also collect data on lakes and reservoirs larger than 15 ac SpaceX completes record year with Israeli imaging satellite launch
Friday, 30 December 2022 12:16
SpaceX capped off the busiest year in its two-decade history Dec. 30 with a Falcon 9 launch of a commercial Israeli imaging satellite.
The post SpaceX completes record year with Israeli imaging satellite launch appeared first on SpaceNews.
ESA to hire more staff after budget increase
Friday, 30 December 2022 00:21
Fresh off of securing a significant budget increase, the European Space Agency plans to hire 200 new employees in 2023 to help it implement new projects.
The post ESA to hire more staff after budget increase appeared first on SpaceNews.
Cubesat launched on Artemis 1 trying to fix propulsion system
Thursday, 29 December 2022 12:01
A cubesat launched on Artemis 1 missed its original chance to go into orbit around the moon but could still carry out its primary mission if engineers fix its thrusters in the coming weeks.
China sends second Shiyan-10 test satellite sent into orbit with its final launch of 2022
Thursday, 29 December 2022 11:16
China has conducted its 64th and final launch of the year, sending the Shiyan-10 (02) into orbit from Xichang spaceport.
The post China sends second Shiyan-10 test satellite sent into orbit with its final launch of 2022 appeared first on SpaceNews.
NASA, SpaceX to Study Hubble Telescope Reboost Possibility
Thursday, 29 December 2022 09:33
he non-exclusive SpaceX study regarding the possibilities of reboosting the Hubble Space Telescope is ongoing. On Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, NASA issued a Request for Information to seek additional information about commercial capabilities available to reboost a satellite in orbit, using Hubble as a demonstration, at no cost to the government.
There are no plans at this time for NASA to cond Falcon 9 rocket launches 54 Starlink satellites
Thursday, 29 December 2022 09:33
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 54 Starlink Internet satellites launched from Florida on Wednesday as part of a mission to begin populating a new orbital shell authorized by federal regulators.
The rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 4:34 a.m. The mission was SpaceX's 60th of the year, nearly double the total from last year. One more launch is scheduled for the end of Researchers discover solar wind-derived water in lunar soils
Thursday, 29 December 2022 09:33
Due to its crucial importance in future space exploration, the abundance, distribution and origin of lunar surface water have received a lot of attention recently.
A joint research team from the National Space Science Center (NSSC) and the Institute of Geology and Geophysics (IGG), both affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), have discovered that the Chang'e-5 lunar soil gra Chinese commercial space company to launch stackable satellites
Thursday, 29 December 2022 09:33
China's private company GalaxySpace is accelerating the research and development of flat-panel stackable satellites, for rapid construction of a satellite internet constellation.
GalaxySpace said the design enables dozens of satellites to be stacked on top of each other like tablet personal computers and be launched at the same time on a single rocket. It can greatly improve the use effici SPIDER launches from Antarctica
Thursday, 29 December 2022 09:33
A team of scientists including physicist Johanna Nagy at Washington University in St. Louis successfully launched a balloon-borne experiment studying the early universe on Dec. 21. The instrument, called SPIDER, was carried aloft by a scientific balloon from its launch pad in Antarctica.
Nagy, an assistant professor of physics in Arts and Sciences, is one of a team of scientists who will u