Eutelsat joins the 'Net Zero Space' initiative to combat space debris
Sunday, 14 November 2021 02:41On the occasion of the Paris Peace Forum, Eutelsat Communications has announced it will join the "Net Zero Space" initiative which has been launched with the support of several leading players in the space industry. The ambition of this international alliance is to create a sustainable outer space environment in 2030 by initiating immediate action to contain and mitigate the generation of in-orb
UK Space Agency funds further research into new laser-based satellite communications system
Sunday, 14 November 2021 02:41The UK Space Agency has awarded almost Pounds 650,000 to Northumbria University to continue world-leading work to develop the first commercially available laser-based inter-satellite communications system. Currently satellites use radio frequency to transmit data, but this is limited in terms of speed, capacity and data security. However, researchers at Northumbria University are working
Arianespace signs Net Zero Space agreement, reflecting its proactive commitment to sustainable space
Sunday, 14 November 2021 02:41At the fourth Paris Peace Forum, Arianespace became one of the first companies to sign the Net Zero Space charter, designed to reduce space debris by 2030 and foster more sustainable use of space for humanity. This agreement is the result of an international effort by many players in the space sector, including Eutelsat Planet, Astroscale and the French space agency, CNES. The aim of
ISS changes orbit to avoid collision with Chinese debris
Sunday, 14 November 2021 02:41The station was hit by space debris earlier this year. A piece of space junk struck the Canadian remote robotic system, but the incident did not affect the operation of the device or the ISS in general. The International Space Station had to perform a manoeuvre in order to avoid a collision with space junk, left by the Chinese Fengyun-1C satellite, the Russian State Space Corporation Rosco
Astrophysics decadal survey recommends NASA terminate SOFIA
Saturday, 13 November 2021 18:49The future of NASA’s SOFIA airborne observatory remains in limbo after the astrophysics decadal survey gave the program, proposed for termination by NASA, a vote of no-confidence.
Op-Ed | It’s now time to protect Earth’s orbital environment
Saturday, 13 November 2021 16:00A group of nearly 40 parliamentarians from 15 nations call on companies and countries to support a new initiative to address the growing space debris problem.
SpaceX launches Starlink satellites after upgrading user antennas
Saturday, 13 November 2021 15:42SpaceX successfully deployed another 53 Starlink satellites Nov. 13 in its first dedicated launch for the broadband constellation in two months.
SpaceX launches 53 Starlink satellites into orbit
Saturday, 13 November 2021 15:01SpaceX expanded its constellation of low Earth orbit satellites on Saturday with the launch of 53 Starlink satellites from Florida.
A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 7:19 a.m. EST and deployed the satellites about 16 minutes after launch.
Blue Origin astronaut dies in plane crash
Friday, 12 November 2021 22:38A biomedical entrepreneur who flew on Blue Origin’s second crewed suborbital spaceflight died in a plane crash Nov. 11.
Mynaric starts trading on Nasdaq
Friday, 12 November 2021 21:33German laser communications company Mynaric performed an initial public offering of shares on the Nasdaq exchange Nov. 12, raising up to $75.9 million to fund its growth.
Space companies forge alliance to reduce in-orbit debris by 2030
Friday, 12 November 2021 19:20Ten companies and organizations from across the space industry have vowed to devise concrete measures for reducing the amount of in-orbit debris by 2030.
An 'earthgrazer' flew 'a whopping 186 miles' over two states, then vanished, NASA says
Friday, 12 November 2021 16:01A space object with an intimidating name—"earthgrazer"—zoomed over Georgia and Alabama this week, offering witnesses a glimpse of something rare, NASA says.
"Earthgrazers" are fireball meteors with a trajectory so shallow that they skim long distances across the upper atmosphere, NASA says.
"Very rarely, they even 'bounce off' the atmosphere and head back out into space," NASA Meteor Watch wrote on Facebook.
The fireball appeared Tuesday, Nov. 9, around 6:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, officials say, and was "detected by three NASA meteor cameras in the region."
It entered the atmosphere "at a very shallow angle—only 5 degrees from the horizontal."
In fact, it was flying for so long that NASA had to recalculate its data to determine how far it traveled across the planet.
"The meteor was first seen at an altitude of 55 miles above the Georgia town of Taylorsville, moving northwest at 38,500 miles per hour," NASA says. Taylorsville is about 55 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta.
"Its path was so long that our automated software could not handle all the data. So we ran another analysis code this morning (Nov.
Throwing a Cosmic Kiss – Matthias Maurer's journey to the International Space Station
Friday, 12 November 2021 15:30ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer and NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron liftoff to the International Space Station in the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft “Endurance”.
Collectively known as “Crew-3”, the astronauts were launched from launchpad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA at 02:03 GMT/03:03 CET Thursday 11 November.
The spacecraft docked to the International Space Station at 00:32 CET Friday, 12 November/23:32 GMT Thursday, 11 November, marking the official start of Matthias's first mission.
Crew-3 will spend around six months living and working aboard the orbital outpost before returning to Earth. It is the first space mission for Matthias, who’s become the
Here we GO, Matthias
Friday, 12 November 2021 14:25After a series of delays due to weather and a minor crew medical issue, ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer was finally launched to the International Space Station on 11 November. But not before reading some final words of support, shared by ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano, as Matthias waited to drive to the launchpad.
Alongside NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron, Matthias lifted off on board Space X Crew Dragon “Endurance” at 03:03 CET Thursday 11 November and arrived ahead of schedule to the Station in the early hours of 12 November.
It is the first space
U.S. government contracts lift BlackSky’s financial performance
Friday, 12 November 2021 14:12U.S. government contracts are boosting the financial performance of Earth observation company BlackSky, executives said Nov. 12 during the company’s first earnings call since going public.