NASA inspector general warns of further delays in returning humans to the moon
Tuesday, 16 November 2021 10:31
NASA’s plans to return humans to the moon, which it already pushed back to at least 2025, could be further delayed, the agency’s inspector general warned Nov. 15.
Latest Vega launch paves way for Vega-C
Tuesday, 16 November 2021 09:27
Arianespace announced liftoff of Vega’s twentieth flight from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana at 9:27 GMT (10:27 CET; 06:27 local time). Vega delivered three CERES payloads for the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.
No US return to the Moon before 2026: audit
Tuesday, 16 November 2021 08:06
The return of humans to the Moon, already postponed last week by NASA from 2024 to 2025, will actually take place in 2026 "at the earliest", according to a government audit published on Monday.
The Artemis program to return Americans to the Moon is encountering "technical difficulties and delays heightened by the Covid-19 pandemic and weather events," NASA's auditing body, the Office of Inspector General, said in a report.
"NASA's goal to land astronauts on the Moon's South Pole in late 2024 faces multiple significant challenges including major technical risks, an unrealistic development schedule, and lower-than requested funding levels," the report said.
First, the new space suits needed for the mission will not be ready "until May 2025 at the earliest," it said, noting "technical challenges and lack of funding.
Russia admits destroying satellite with space missile strike
Tuesday, 16 November 2021 08:00
Russia's space agency said on Tuesday its "main priority" was the safety of the International Space Station's crew, after the US accused Moscow of putting the astronauts under threat with a missile strike.
US officials on Monday denounced Russia for conducting a "dangerous and irresponsible" missile test that blew up one of its own satellites, creating a debris cloud that forced the ISS crew to take evasive action.
The move reignited concerns about a growing arms race in space, encompassing everything from laser weapons to satellites capable of shunting others out of orbit.
In its first comments following the US accusations, Russia's Roscosmos space agency did not deny there had been a missile strike.
Rocket Lab to acquire space hardware company Planetary Systems Corporation
Tuesday, 16 November 2021 06:15
Rocket Lab USA, a global leader in launch services and space systems, reports it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Planetary Systems Corporation (PSC), a Maryland-based spacecraft separation systems company, for $42 million in cash and 1,720,841 shares of the Company's common stock, plus the potential for an additional 956,023 shares of common stock for a performance earnout based on NASA receives 11th consecutive clean financial audit opinion
Tuesday, 16 November 2021 06:15
For the 11th straight year, NASA has received an unmodified, or "clean," opinion from an external auditor on its fiscal year 2021 financial statements.
The rating is the best possible audit opinion, certifying that NASA's financial statements conform with accepted accounting principles for federal agencies and accurately present the agency's financial position.
"NASA is committed to Astroscale launches Docking Plate to capture defunct satellites
Tuesday, 16 November 2021 06:15
Bremen, Germany (SPX) Nov 16, 2021
Astroscale today revealed a universal docking device the company hopes will become standard fitment on all future low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Following on from the COP26 climate conference, Paris Peace Forum Net Zero Space Declaration, and the G7 statement on space sustainability, Astroscale calls on operators to prepare their spacecraft with a Docking P NASA may not land people on moon again until 2027, new audit says
Tuesday, 16 November 2021 06:15
Despite U.S. goals to land people on the moon again by 2024, delays of several years are likely, according to a NASA watchdog audit released Monday.
Former Vice President Mike Pence set that 2024 goal in a 2019 speech, giving NASA just five years to accomplish the feat.
While NASA reinforced the practicality of that goal for a long time, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said Tuesda CO2 cold traps offer potential Lunar resource
Tuesday, 16 November 2021 06:15
The existence of carbon dioxide (CO2) cold traps on the Moon has been confirmed, offering a potential resource for future exploration of the lunar surface, according to a new paper by Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Norbert Schorghofer.
"After water, carbon is probably the most important resource on the Moon. It can be used for the production of rocket fuel, but also for bioma Curiosity helping make Mars safer for astronauts
Tuesday, 16 November 2021 06:15
A radiation sensor aboard the spacecraft is providing new data on the health risks humans would face on the surface. Could lava tubes, caves, or subsurface habitats offer safe refuge for future astronauts on Mars? Scientists with NASA's Curiosity Mars rover team are helping explore questions like that with the Radiation Assessment Detector, or RAD.
Unlike Earth, Mars doesn't have a magneti Still lots to do at the Zechstein drill locale
Tuesday, 16 November 2021 06:15
We are in the midst of the Zechstein drilling campaign. The SAM team are eagerly waiting for the results of their weekend EGA analysis on the drilled sample. Depending on the results, we might move onto characterizing the dumped sample with our contact science instruments and ChemCam in the next plan.
Anticipating the return to contact science within the nex LeoLabs Australia's Space Tracking Centre releases first images of Russian space debris field
Tuesday, 16 November 2021 06:15
As reported, the Russian Federation tested a probable 'Nudol' direct ascent anti-satellite missile yesterday at 150250Z from Pllesetk, Russia with the target a defunct Russian satellite called Cosmos 1408. The US Space Command has reported there is a large debris cloud of up to 1000 pieces forming around Cosmos 1408's area of orbit.
LeoLabs Australia Managing Director and former Air Commod NASA Administrator Statement on Russian ASAT Test
Tuesday, 16 November 2021 06:15
On Monday Moscow Standard Time, the International Space Station (ISS) Flight Control team was notified of indications of a satellite breakup that may create sufficient debris to pose a conjunction threat to the station. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson released the following statement about the incident:
"Earlier today, due to the debris generated by the destructive Russian Anti-Satellite (A The first black hole image: A gravitomagnetic monopole as an alternative explanation
Tuesday, 16 November 2021 06:15
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has recently mapped the central compact object of the galaxy M87 with an unprecedented angular resolution. Though the remarkable breakthrough has been interpreted based on theory that M87 contains a rotating or "Kerr" black hole.
New research published in EPJ C by Chandrachur Chakraborty and Qingjuan Yu at the Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics Blue Canyon Technologies selected by Ball Aerospace to supply spacecraft bus for NASA Solar Cruiser Program
Tuesday, 16 November 2021 06:15
Small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider Blue Canyon Technologies LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies Corporation, was selected by Ball Aerospace to develop a standardized X-SAT Venus ESPA-class microsatellite bus and several custom components to enable an upcoming one-of-a-kind mission with NASA for the Solar Cruiser project.
As the largest planned so