Peregrine spectrometer, over and out
Friday, 19 January 2024 17:00
Yesterday, Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander returned to Earth, burning up upon its reentry through the atmosphere. Although the spacecraft was not able to land on the lunar surface, ESA’s Exospheric Mass Spectrometer, the heart of a joint NASA and ESA instrument onboard destined to sniff the Moon’s surface, was able to demonstrate full functionality in space.
Week in images: 15-19 January 2024
Friday, 19 January 2024 13:08
Week in images: 15-19 January 2024
Discover our week through the lens
Earth from Space: Columbia Glacier, Alaska
Friday, 19 January 2024 08:00
NenuFAR Radio Telescope sheds light on formation of Universe's first stars
Thursday, 18 January 2024 20:56
Paris, France (SPX) Jan 18, 2024
The NenuFAR Cosmic Dawn project, an ambitious initiative dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of the universe's earliest epochs, has recently achieved a significant milestone in its exploration of the Cosmic Dawn. This period, critical to our understanding of the universe, marks the formation of the first stars. Utilizing the capabilities of the NenuFAR radio telescope, researchers have establi
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Mapping the Milky Way as GUSTO nears record flight duration for balloon over Antarctica
Thursday, 18 January 2024 20:56
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 18, 2024
High above the frozen expanse of Antarctica, a remarkable scientific endeavor is unfolding in the skies. The Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory (GUSTO), a significant player in the field of astrophysical study, has now been afloat for over 15 days. Launched from McMurdo, Antarctica, on December 31 at 7:30 p.m. local time, GUSTO embarked on a mission to map extensive
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L3Harris Secures $919M SDA Contract for Missile-Tracking Satellites
Thursday, 18 January 2024 20:56
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 17, 2024
L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) has been awarded a substantial contract by the Space Development Agency (SDA), valued at up to $919 million. This contract entrusts L3Harris with the task of designing and constructing 18 infrared space vehicles. These vehicles are part of the SDA's Tranche 2 (T2) Tracking Layer program, which aims to provide near-global coverage for missile warning and tracking.
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Lockheed Martin secures $890M SDA contract for advanced missile tracking satellites
Thursday, 18 January 2024 20:56
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 17, 2024
The Space Development Agency (SDA) has taken a significant step in enhancing national defense capabilities by awarding Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), a renowned leader in aerospace and defense technology, a substantial contract valued at $890 million. This agreement marks a pivotal moment in the advancement of the Tranche 2 (T2) Tracking Layer satellite constellation, designed to bolster missile t
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SpaceX delays Axiom-3 launch of all-European private crew to ISS
Thursday, 18 January 2024 20:56
Washington DC (UPI) Jan 17, 2024
The SpaceX launch of the private Axiom-3 mission to the International Space Station was scrubbed until Thursday, the company said on social media just before noon on Wednesday.
The flight, the third private industry flight carrying four astronauts the orbiting laboratory was scheduled to blast off late Wednesday afternoon.
"Now targeting Thursday, Jan. 18 for [the] launch of the
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Samples from a Wild comet reveal a surprising past
Thursday, 18 January 2024 20:56
St. Louis, MO (SPX) Jan 18, 2024
Eighteen years after NASA's Stardust mission returned to Earth with the first samples from a known comet, the true nature of that icy object is coming into focus. Stardust collected material from Wild 2, a comet that likely formed beyond Neptune and currently orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter.
Painstaking analyses of the microscopic samples, recently described in the journal Geochemi
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ARMADAS showcases autonomous space construction robots for NASA
Thursday, 18 January 2024 20:56
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 18, 2024
NASA's innovative approach to building large-scale infrastructure in space has reached a new milestone with the Automated Reconfigurable Mission Adaptive Digital Assembly Systems (ARMADAS). This cutting-edge project, developed by a dedicated team at NASA's Ames Research Center, is geared towards meeting the critical needs of future long-duration and deep-space missions.
Christine Gregg, th
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European crew poised for private mission to International Space Station
Thursday, 18 January 2024 20:56
Kennedy Space Center, United States (AFP) Jan 17, 2024
An all-European crew including Turkey's first astronaut are poised to blast off to the International Space Station in a mission with Axiom Space, as countries hungry for a taste of space turn increasingly to the private sector.
The launch, Axiom's third, is scheduled to see the four-member crew lift off in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule fixed to the top of a Falcon 9 rocket at 4:49 pm local ti
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China's Tianzhou 7 docks with Tiangong Space Station
Thursday, 18 January 2024 20:56
Beijing (XNA) Jan 18, 2024
China's Tianzhou 7 cargo spacecraft has successfully completed its journey to the Tiangong space station, docking without any issues. Launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province, Tianzhou 7, aboard a Long March 7 rocket, lifted off at 10:27 pm. The launch was a spectacle of precision and technological prowess, as the rocket placed Tianzhou 7 into its designated low-Earth or
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Turkey's first astronaut set to boost Erdogan's ambitions
Thursday, 18 January 2024 20:56
Istanbul (AFP) Jan 17, 2024
When Turkey's first astronaut blasts off for the International Space Station (ISS) this week, he will embody his country's pride and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's grand geopolitical ambitions.
Alper Gezeravci, a 43-year-old fighter pilot and colonel in Turkey's air force, was due to take off Wednesday from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for a two-week mission.
But l
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Experiment could test quantum nature of large masses for the first time
Thursday, 18 January 2024 20:56
London, UK (SPX) Jan 17, 2024
An experiment outlined by a UCL (University College London)-led team of scientists from the UK and India could test whether relatively large masses have a quantum nature, resolving the question of whether quantum mechanical description works at a much larger scale than that of particles and atoms.
Quantum theory is typically seen as describing nature at the tiniest scales and quantum effec
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SpaceX and ESA collaborate on ISS mission featuring advanced german science experiments
Thursday, 18 January 2024 20:56
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jan 18, 2024
On January 18, 2023, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Swedish astronaut, Marcus Wandt, will embark on a pioneering journey to the International Space Station (ISS). This mission, known as Muninn, will mark the first time an ESA astronaut participates in a commercial mission organized by the U.S. launch service provider Axiom, aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
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