India launches cut-price mission to land on Moon
Friday, 14 July 2023 10:39India launched a rocket on Friday carrying an unmanned spacecraft to land on the Moon, its second attempt to do so as its cut-price space program seeks to reach new heights.
The heavyweight LVM3-M4 rocket lifted off from Sriharikota in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh carrying the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, as thousands of enthusiasts clapped and cheered.
"Chandrayaan-3... has begun its journey to the Moon. Health of the spacecraft is normal," the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Twitter.
The world's most populous nation has a comparatively low-budget aerospace program that is rapidly closing in on the milestones set by global space powers.
Only Russia, the United States and China have previously achieved a controlled landing on the lunar surface.
India's last attempt to do so ended in failure four years ago, when ground control lost contact moments before landing.
India launches Chandrayaan-3 lunar landing mission
Friday, 14 July 2023 10:25India successfully launched a robotic lunar lander July 14, setting up the nation for its second attempt to soft-land on the moon.
The promise of direct-to-device
Friday, 14 July 2023 09:30Direct-to-device could be revolutionary for space connectivity, but a market for it remains fraught with unknowns as early services begin testing the waters.
Infographic: ESA Technology CubeSats, the first 10 years
Friday, 14 July 2023 08:25The future, by the box: 10 years of ESA Technology CubeSats
Friday, 14 July 2023 08:20Imagine building yourself a small satellite out of standardised 10-cm boxes. Such humble nanosatellites are called CubeSats, first devised as an educational tool but increasingly performing valuable work in space. ESA’s CubeSat Systems Unit has been utilising CubeSats for a decade now to test out innovative new technologies – resulting in seven missions to date with many more on the way.
The sound of Aeolus will blow you away
Friday, 14 July 2023 08:00After almost five years, ESA’s Aeolus wind satellite has completed its mission. Now, you can listen to the Life of Aeolus – an incredible wind orchestral piece that has been composed using data spanning Aeolus’ entire life in orbit around Earth.
Lunar solar power satellite
Friday, 14 July 2023 07:47Earth from Space: Ethiopian painting
Friday, 14 July 2023 07:00ESA moves ahead with In-Orbit Servicing missions
Friday, 14 July 2023 06:45Isn’t it strange that when satellites run out of fuel or a single component breaks down, we just discard them? ESA and European industry have joined forces to make sure that our satellites can live on.
Japan rocket engine explodes during test: official
Friday, 14 July 2023 05:14A Japanese rocket engine exploded during a test on Friday, an official said, in the latest blow to the country's space agency. The Epsilon S - an improved version of the Epsilon rocket that failed to launch in October - blew up "roughly 50 seconds after ignition", science and technology ministry official Naoya Takegami told AFP. The testing site in the northern prefecture of Akita was
Rocket Lab readies launch of seven satellites from New Zealand
Friday, 14 July 2023 05:14California-based Rocket Lab plans to launch seven miniature satellites that will gather data on Earth's atmosphere to improve weather forecasting, replace a decommissioned technology spacecraft and send twin navigation satellites into space. This mission, which Rocket Lab calls Baby Come Back, will involve a launch on an Electron rocket as early as Friday from New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula
China's methane-fueled rocket achieves global first with successful orbital insertion
Friday, 14 July 2023 05:14The first successful orbital mission of a methane-fueled rocket has been accomplished by China, a significant breakthrough in the utilization of low-cost and environmentally friendly liquid propellants for carrier rockets. The rocket, known as ZQ 2 or Rosefinch 2, launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center located in China's northwestern Gobi Desert on Wednesday morning. The Beijing
Webb Telescope catches glimpse of possible first-ever 'dark stars'
Friday, 14 July 2023 05:14Austin TX (SPX) Jul 14, 2023 Stars beam brightly out of the darkness of space thanks to fusion, atoms melding together and releasing energy. But what if there's another way to power a star? A team of three astrophysicists - Katherine Freese at The University of Texas at Austin, in collaboration with Cosmin Ilie and Jillian Paulin '23 at Colgate University - analyzed images from the James
Uniting Europe: DLR Spearheads Responsive Satellite Deployment Network
Friday, 14 July 2023 05:14The rapidly expanding realm of information technology is ever-dependent on unobstructed access to space-based data and communication networks, bringing the need for technical mechanisms that can safeguard, repair, reinforce, or develop essential space infrastructures to the forefront. Ensuring new satellites can be placed and activated in orbit within a matter of hours or days is of prime
CASIC plans new satellite network by 2030
Friday, 14 July 2023 05:14China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), a leading Chinese space contractor has revealed plans to create an expansive remote-sensing satellite network by the end of this decade. The announcement, made on Thursday, is an impressive testament to the ongoing advancements in China's space exploration and surveillance capabilities. Managed by CASIC Space Engineering Development