SAN FRANCISCO – The Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) welcomed its newest member, Microsoft, June 23 with an announcement highlighting the tech giant’s cybersecurity expertise.

“Space cybersecurity is relatively unknown territory because we’re approaching and doing some things for the first time, fortunately through Space ISAC we have the opportunity to build a foundation for protection from a knowledge pool with deep security expertise,” Frank Backes, chair of the Space ISAC board of directors and Kratos Space Federal senior vice president, said in a statement.

TAMPA, Fla. — Satellite propulsion startup Benchmark Space Systems has secured customers for a new ‘mobility-as-a-service’ business, which similar to a taxi ride will charge them based on the amount of propellant they use.

Burlington, Vermont-based Benchmark said its in-space mobility service significantly reduces upfront propulsion costs for on-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing (OSAM) ventures with indefinite propulsion needs.

SAN FRANCISCO – Iceye is expanding to serve the Japanese market with the support of Makoto Higashi, the former Japan Space Imaging Corp. CEO and president, who will serve as Iceye’s general manager in Japan.

Within a year, Iceye plans to open an office in Tokyo and begin serving Japanese government and commercial customers with a 10-person staff, the company said in a June 23 news release.

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Want to learn more about applications to ESA’s astronaut selection? Watch the replay of this media briefing to get an insight into the total number and spread of applications across all ESA Member and Associate Member states. Vacancies for the positions of astronaut and astronaut (with a physical disability) have closed on 18 June 2021, after a two-and-a-half-month-long application period.

College Station TX (SPX) Jun 23, 2021
Texas A and M University astronomer Nick Suntzeff has been involved with space research for 30 years and spent 20 years in Chile, where he helped co-discover dark matter. Below, he offers his thoughts about UFOs and whether or not we are alone in the universe. b>What can we expect from the government's official UFO report? br> /b> I have no idea what the report will say, but I doubt

London, UK (SPX) Jun 23, 2021
A new analysis of known exoplanets has revealed that Earth-like conditions on potentially habitable planets may be much rarer than previously thought. The work focuses on the conditions required for oxygen-based photosynthesis to develop on a planet, which would enable complex biospheres of the type found on Earth. The study is published today in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Aspiring astronauts from across Europe are awaiting the next step in ESA’s astronaut selection, following the 18 June closure of the Agency’s first application period in 11 years.  

Richmond VA (SPX) Jun 23, 2021
Right above you is the sky - or as scientists would call it, the atmosphere. It extends about 20 miles (32 kilometers) above the Earth. Floating around the atmosphere is a mixture of molecules - tiny bits of air so small you take in billions of them every time you breathe. Above the atmosphere is space. It's called that because it has far fewer molecules, with lots of empty space between t

Beijing (XNA) Jun 23, 2021
Astronauts on board the core module of China's space station have a wide variety of foods specifically designed for them to enjoy during their three-month space journey, according to project leaders. Ji Qiming, assistant director of the China Manned Space Agency, said that there are more than 120 kinds of food and beverages inside the core module, named Tianhe, or Harmony of Heavens. These