Week in images: 06-10 November 2023

Discover our week through the lens

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The Astrobotic Peregrine lunar lander, due to launch to the Moon later this year, carrying the PITMS instrument on the payload deck on its left side.

PITMS stands for Peregrine Ion-Trap Mass Spectrometer, and it is a device that will sniff out molecules close to the Moon's surface to chart the composition of the lunar exosphere, the particles buzzing around its surface that don't quite make up an atmosphere.

The Peregrine lander is aiming for a lunar touchdown in Sinus Viscositatis near the Gruithuisen volcanic domes, on the northern lunar hemisphere. It is the first time that a spacecraft will land

ESA’s Hera asteroid mission has completed acoustic testing, confirming the spacecraft can withstand the sound of its own lift-off into orbit. Testing took place within the Agency’s Large European Acoustic Facility at the ESTEC Test Centre in the Netherlands. This is Europe’s largest and most powerful sound system, fitted with a quartet of noise horns that can generate more than 154 decibels of extreme noise.

Hot on the heels of the first Earth Observation Commercialisation Forum, now is a good time to take a look at the all-embracing support that ESA gives to the commercial sector in Europe. With funding programmes, business guidance for companies, and multiyear contracts, ESA provides a vital springboard for continued growth in commercial Earth observation.

Image: JIVE

Image: Human Inspirator (HICE)

Space Coast FL (SPX) Nov 09, 2023
For the first time in three years, SpaceX returned the Falcon 9 booster supporting a Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission back onto Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS). The boosters for nineteen out of twenty-nine CRS launches landed on a drone ship offshore, which brought the rocket back to Florida for refurbishment and reuse. This mission marks the tenth C

Paris (ESA) Nov 10, 2023
In a significant step toward ensuring Europe's continued presence in low Earth orbit, the European Space Agency (ESA), in partnership with aerospace titan Airbus and space infrastructure pioneer Voyager Space, has penned a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the development of the Starlab space station. This collaboration was spotlighted during ESA's Space Summit in Seville, Spain, marking a p

San Jose CA (SPX) Nov 10, 2023
Momentus Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTS), a pioneer in the space transport sector, has announced a significant partnership with the Paris-based New Space company, RIDE! Space, aiming to streamline satellite launch services. This collaboration is set to include the deployment of Gaindesat and Djibouti payloads scheduled for a joint mission in 2024. Since its inception in 2020, RIDE! Space has committed

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Nov 10, 2023
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has successfully completed a series of pivotal Thermal Vacuum tests on the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM), paving the way for enhanced broadband communications in the strategically significant Northern polar region. This two-satellite constellation is an integral component of a collaborative effort involving the U.S. Space Force and Space Norwa