China launches the Tianzhou 4 cargo spacecraft
Tuesday, 10 May 2022 01:10
In the latest stage in its space station program, China launched the Tianzhou 4 cargo spacecraft early on Tuesday morning, to transport fuel and supplies to its Tiangong space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency, or CMSA.
In a brief statement, the agency said that a Long March 7 carrier rocket blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province at 01:56 am, JWST entering “home stretch” of commissioning
Tuesday, 10 May 2022 00:19
The James Webb Space Telescope is operating better than expected as the spacecraft enter the final stages of commissioning, project officials said May 9.
The post JWST entering “home stretch” of commissioning appeared first on SpaceNews.
Globalstar agrees terms with “global customer” for terrestrial connectivity
Monday, 09 May 2022 21:20
Globalstar has signed a term sheet with a “large, global customer” to start deploying some of its spectrum for terrestrial use “in the U.S. and beyond,” the satellite operator said May 5.
The post Globalstar agrees terms with “global customer” for terrestrial connectivity appeared first on SpaceNews.
Webb telescope's first full color, scientific images coming in July
Monday, 09 May 2022 16:40
Get ready for a summer blockbuster.
The James Webb Space Telescope will produce "spectacular color images" of the cosmos in mid-July—its first observations dedicated to its mission of scientific discovery, an astronomer overseeing the project said Monday.
The successor to Hubble has spent the last five months aligning its instruments in preparation for the big reveal, with scientists deliberately remaining coy about where the cameras will be pointed.
"We'd really like it to be a surprise," Klaus Pontoppidan, a scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore told reporters, adding that the secrecy was partly due to the first targets not yet being finalized.
NASA and its partners the European Space Agency (ESA) and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) formed a committee to create a ranked list of objects, which they now intend to work through.
South Korea’s new president seeks independent space agency, deeper US space cooperation
Monday, 09 May 2022 14:52
South Korea’s newly elected president Yoon Suk-yeol will take office May 10 with a set of ambitious space projects aimed at making the country a major space power by 2035.
The post South Korea’s new president seeks independent space agency, deeper US space cooperation appeared first on SpaceNews.
Op-ed | A comprehensive triad for space resilience – more than just numbers
Monday, 09 May 2022 14:05
To meet the threat to U.S. space systems, DoD needs to broaden its approach to resilience to fully embrace reconstitution.
The post Op-ed | A comprehensive triad for space resilience – more than just numbers appeared first on SpaceNews.
MIRI’s sharper view hints at new possibilities for science
Monday, 09 May 2022 13:30
Image:
Click here to download the images used in this gif.
The James Webb Space Telescope is aligned across all four of its science instruments, as seen in a previous engineering image showing the observatory’s full field of view. Now, we take a closer look at that same image, focusing on Webb’s coldest instrument: the Mid-Infrared Instrument, or MIRI.
The MIRI test image (at 7.7 microns) shows part of the Large Magellanic Cloud. This small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way provided a dense star field to test Webb’s performance.
Here, a close-up of the MIRI image is compared
MIRI and Spitzer comparison image
Monday, 09 May 2022 13:30
Image:
Click here to download the gif.
The James Webb Space Telescope is aligned across all four of its science instruments, as seen in a previous engineering image showing the observatory’s full field of view. Now, we take a closer look at that same image, focusing on Webb’s coldest instrument: the Mid-Infrared Instrument, or MIRI.
The MIRI test image (at 7.7 microns) shows part of the Large Magellanic Cloud. This small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way provided a dense star field to test Webb’s performance.
Here, a close-up of the MIRI image is compared to a past image
What does micrometeoroid damage do to gossamer structures like Webb's sunshield?
Monday, 09 May 2022 13:23
Tiny little bullets flood the solar system, each micrometeoroid a potential hazard. New research has found that the James Webb Space Telescope's thin sunshields, and future inflatable spacecraft, may be at risk.
A micrometeoroid is a tiny bit of space junk usually weighing less than a gram. Some of them are the leftover bits of the countless collisions that have occurred over the past 4.5 billion years of the history of the solar system. Most, however, come from the dust cloud that initially collapsed to form our solar system, and never got to be a part of a larger body.
CACI to launch experimental satellite to demonstrate alternative to GPS navigation
Monday, 09 May 2022 12:58
CACI International is funding an experiment to demonstrate space technologies for military use, including an alternative to GPS navigation.
The post CACI to launch experimental satellite to demonstrate alternative to GPS navigation appeared first on SpaceNews.
Last chance to register for ESA’s Living Planet Symposium
Monday, 09 May 2022 11:54
ESA’s Living Planet Symposium is fast approaching. Taking place on 23–27 May in Bonn, Germany, the symposium gives you the opportunity to network with the most eminent scientists in the field of Earth science, learn more about Earth science and innovative concepts such as New Space and, if you’re lucky, rub elbows with a few ESA astronauts.
This is your last chance to register to one of the largest Earth observation conferences in the world!
Momentus receives approvals for first tug launch
Monday, 09 May 2022 09:55
In-space transportation company Momentus has secured all the regulatory approvals for its first mission, set to launch later this month.
The post Momentus receives approvals for first tug launch appeared first on SpaceNews.
Forward to the Moon: interactive publication
Monday, 09 May 2022 07:45
As Artemis sets its sights on the Moon, powered by the European Service Module (ESM), all eyes will again turn to the night sky. This interactive publication encourages us to look up at our natural satellite and think about how the Moon has inspired us, from Ancient Greece to the 21st century, to develop our understanding of astronomy, physics and our place in the Solar System.
How space is connecting cars
Monday, 09 May 2022 07:00
Today’s connected cars are dynamic, updateable devices – and, because they can be updated, they are well equipped to become tomorrow’s cars. ESA is working with European carmakers to ensure that connected vehicles harness the full potential of space.
Experiments measure freezing point of extraterrestrial oceans to aid search for life
Monday, 09 May 2022 04:37
Researchers from the University of Washington and the University of California, Berkeley have conducted experiments that measured the physical limits for the existence of liquid water in icy extraterrestrial worlds. This blend of geoscience and engineering was done to aid in the search for extraterrestrial life and the upcoming robotic exploration of oceans on moons of other planets.
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