SpaceX takes aim at satellite mobility operators with Starlink expansion
Sunday, 07 March 2021 21:13TAMPA, Fla. — SpaceX is seeking regulatory permission to connect moving vehicles to its rapidly expanding Starlink constellation, branching the broadband network out of fixed homes and offices.
The company is asking the FCC for authorization similar to the blanket license it already has for up to a million end-user customer Earth stations.
Telespazio reshapes for emerging space integration opportunities
Sunday, 07 March 2021 19:24TAMPA, Fla. — European space mission integrator Telespazio is regrouping to go after emerging international initiatives, which it believes will help nearly double revenues in the next five years.
The joint venture between aerospace giants Thales Group of France and Italy’s Leonardo recently made its first acquisition under this strategy, buying the space activities of Italy-based Vitrociset to strengthen its support services.
Space Force planning for a future of smaller, cheaper satellites
Sunday, 07 March 2021 19:16WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force procurement arm, the Space and Missile Systems Center, for more than a year has been helping the Pentagon’s Space Development Agency accelerate the procurement of small satellites.
The close collaboration between SMC and SDA may come as a surprise to those who have followed the politics of the Defense Department’s space organizations.
Op-ed | Do not cancel space station’s new culture of commercial cooperation
Sunday, 07 March 2021 14:49I am not into conspiracies. Kennedy was shot by a lone gunman. The World Trade Center was taken down by terrorists. And yes, we really did go to the moon.
ESA and Mattel help to close the ‘Dream Gap’
Sunday, 07 March 2021 13:57ESA and international toy manufacturer Mattel are taking further steps to raise awareness of the importance of female role models during times of pandemic and beyond.
How would rain be different on an alien world?
Sunday, 07 March 2021 13:40On Titan, Saturn's largest moon, it rains on a regular basis. As with Earth, these rains are the result of liquid evaporating on the surface, condensing in the skies, and falling back to the surface as precipitation. On Earth, this is known as the hydrological (or water) cycle, which is an indispensable part of our climate. In Titan's case, the same steps are all there, but it is methane that is being exchanged and not water.
In recent years, scientists have found evidence of similar patterns involving exoplanets, with everything from molten metal to lava rain! This raises the question of just how exotic the rains may be on alien worlds.
An astronaut’s guide to out-of-Earth manufacturing
Sunday, 07 March 2021 12:50Improvising new stuff from the stuff you have is part of an astronaut’s job description – think Apollo 13’s crew refitting CO2 filters to save their own lives, or stranded Mark Watney in The Martian, feeding himself on the Red Planet. Now plans are underway to manufacture items in orbit, and ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst argues this could make a big difference to living and working in space.
NSF report estimates Arecibo cleanup cost at up to $50 million
Sunday, 07 March 2021 12:07WASHINGTON — A report by the National Science Foundation estimates it will cost up to $50 million to clean up the damage from the collapsed Arecibo radio telescope, but that it is still too soon to determine whether or how to rebuild the famous observatory.
Studying Near-Earth Asteroids with Radar
Sunday, 07 March 2021 11:53Some observatories - like the recently collapsed Arecibo Telescope in Puerto Rico - examine nearby objects by bouncing radio light off of them. A new study has now improved how we analyze these observations to learn about near-Earth asteroids. There's plenty we can learn about the universe from passive radio astronomy, in which we observe the radio signals emitted by distant sources. But w
New 'Eyewear' to Deepen the View of NASA's Roman Space Telescope
Sunday, 07 March 2021 11:53NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will be able to explore even more cosmic questions, thanks to a new near-infrared filter. The upgrade will allow the observatory to see longer wavelengths of light, opening up exciting new opportunities for discoveries from the edge of our solar system to the farthest reaches of space. "It's incredible that we can make such an impactful change to th
Will this solve the mystery of the expansion of the universe
Sunday, 07 March 2021 11:53The universe was created by a giant bang; the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago, and then it started to expand. The expansion is ongoing: it is still being stretched out in all directions like a balloon being inflated. Physicists agree on this much, but something is wrong. Measuring the expansion rate of the universe in different ways leads to different results. So, is something wrong
USTC detects a sharp rise in detection rate of broad absorption line variations
Sunday, 07 March 2021 11:53Gas around black holes and interstellar medium distribution are key factors in understanding the growth of supermassive black holes and the evolution of their host galaxies. However, as a crucial parameter, gas density is hard to be determined reliably, because the general method is not applicable to all quasars. Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of
Women making the Webb Space Telescope a reality
Sunday, 07 March 2021 09:00On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2021, and as excitement builds for the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) in October, ESA is highlighting women that play an important role in Europe’s contribution to Webb.
Perseverance makes its first drive on Mars
Saturday, 06 March 2021 00:38WASHINGTON — NASA’s Perseverance rover has started moving on the Martian surface as project scientists prepare to send the rover toward the remnants of a river delta in search of signs of past life.
At a March 5 press briefing at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, project officials said that the rover made its first movements since landing in Jezero Crater Feb.
Lawmakers ask Biden administration to keep oversight committees in the loop on space activities
Friday, 05 March 2021 23:47WASHINGTON — The top House Republicans on the committee that oversees civil and commercial space are asking the Biden administration to update lawmakers on its plans regarding space security and space traffic management.
Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), ranking member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology; and Rep.