Mars helicopter Ingenuity approaches 14th flight
Monday, 25 October 2021 07:47
The Mars helicopter Ingenuity is ready for a short Martian flight as early as Saturday to test summer weather conditions that have arrived at its location on the Red Planet after two weeks of no communication because of blockage by the sun.
The flight, Ingenuity's 14th, is brief and simple by design. As weather at Jezero Crater gets warmer, the aircraft's rotors must turn faster to achi Keeping our eyes on New Horizons
Monday, 25 October 2021 07:47
New Horizons remains healthy and continues to send valuable data from the Kuiper Belt, even as it speeds farther and farther from Earth and the Sun. Our team has been extremely busy since I last wrote in the spring. One of the most important activities since then has been ground testing, uploading and flight-testing new software for our Alice ultraviolet spectrometer and our main (Command and Da Technologies and concepts for the satellite navigation systems of the future
Monday, 25 October 2021 07:47
Using the best navigation technologies to bring the greatest benefit to their users - this is the what the Galileo Competence Center at the German Aerospace Center is working towards. Together with DLR's institutes, facilities and partners, products are being developed to ensure the continuous improvement of the European Galileo satellite navigation system. The Galileo Competence Center is now o NASA Mission helps solve a mystery: why are some asteroid surfaces rocky?
Monday, 25 October 2021 07:47
Scientists thought Bennu's surface was like a sandy beach, abundant in fine sand and pebbles, which would have been perfect for collecting samples. Past telescope observations from Earth had suggested the presence of large swaths of fine-grained material smaller than a few centimeters called fine regolith.
But when NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission arrived at Bennu in late 2018, the mission saw a What happens when a meteor hits the atmosphere
Monday, 25 October 2021 07:47
In the heavens above, it's raining dirt. Every second, millions of pieces of dirt that are smaller than a grain of sand strike Earth's upper atmosphere. At about 100 kilometers altitude, bits of dust, mainly debris from asteroid collisions, zing through the sky vaporizing as they go 10 to 100 times the speed of a bullet. The bigger ones can make streaks in the sky, meteors that take our breath a Nanoracks, Voyager Space, and Lockheed Martin to develop commercial space module
Monday, 25 October 2021 07:47
Nanoracks, in collaboration with Voyager Space and Lockheed Martin, has formed a team to develop the first-ever free flying commercial space station. The space station, known as Starlab, will be a continuously crewed commercial platform, dedicated to conducting critical research, fostering industrial activity, and ensuring continued U.S. presence and leadership in low-Earth orbit. Starlab is exp Ten years of Soyuz at Europe's Spaceport
Monday, 25 October 2021 07:47
On 21 October 2011, the first pair of Galileo navigation satellites was launched by a Russian-built Soyuz rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.
The introduction of Russia's Soyuz 2 rocket to Europe's Spaceport was a milestone of strategic cooperation in the space transportation sector between Europe and the Russian Federation, and an exciting new opportunity for ESA.
ESA's SwRI-led team produces a new Earth Bombardment Model
Monday, 25 October 2021 07:47
A team led by Southwest Research Institute has updated its asteroid bombardment model of the Earth with the latest geologic evidence of ancient, large collisions. These models have been used to understand how impacts may have affected oxygen levels in the Earth's atmosphere in the Archean eon, 2.5 to 4 billion years ago.
When large asteroids or comets struck early Earth, the energy release IAI announces new small GEO satellite bus
Monday, 25 October 2021 07:32
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has developed a small geostationary orbit communications satellite bus intended to provide a low-cost spacecraft with an advanced payload to customers that don’t require a larger satellite.
Conference seeks to build interest in space among elected officials
Monday, 25 October 2021 01:13
An international group of elected officials is using a conference this week to build awareness about the importance of space among other politicians.
IAC conference seeks to build interest in space among elected officials
Monday, 25 October 2021 01:13An international group of elected officials is using a conference this week to build awareness about the importance of space among other politicians.
Op-ed | An Orbital Address for All
Monday, 25 October 2021 00:24
For the sake of Earth and humanity, it’s time for private enterprise and governments to co-invest to expand human activity in low Earth orbit.
China launches classified space debris mitigation technology satellite
Sunday, 24 October 2021 09:22
China launched the Shijian-21 satellite from Xichang late Saturday with the stated aim of testing space debris mitigation technologies.
France launches state-of-art military communications satellite
Sunday, 24 October 2021 08:02
Paris created a space force command in July 2019, amongst concerns that rival countries were heavily investing in space technology, seen as a new military frontier.
The satellite "is designed to resist military aggression from the ground and in space, as well as interference," French air and space force spokesman Colonel Stephane Spet told AFP.
The Ariane 5 rocket carrying the Syracuse 4A satellite took off from Kourou, in French Guiana late Saturday, with the mission accomplished 38 minutes and 41 seconds after takeoff.
The satellite can survey its close surroundings and move itself to escape an attack.
"Thanks to its state-of-the-art equipment (anti-jamming antenna and digital transparent processor on board), Syracuse 4A will guarantee a high resistance to extreme jamming methods," launch provider Arianespace wrote in its mission description.
Marc Finaud, an expert in weapons proliferation at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, told AFP the satellite was also protected against the electro-magnetic pulses which would result from a nuclear explosion.
Europe’s data-driven satellite launched
Sunday, 24 October 2021 05:00
One of the largest telecommunications satellites ever built in Europe has been launched and is on its way to geostationary orbit.