Berkeley CA (SPX) Aug 24, 2021
An interplanetary mission led by the University of California, Berkeley, to put two satellites - dubbed "Blue" and "Gold" - into orbit around Mars has been officially authorized to prepare for launch in October 2024. The announcement last week by NASA means that by 2026 the spacecraft will likely be exploring the red planet's atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind. Called

Moscow (Sputnik) Aug 24, 2021
The United States may purchase a seat on the Russian Soyuz in the spring of next year, as a precaution, in case of any issues with commercial US spacecraft, Roscosmos Deputy Director General for International Cooperation Sergey Saveliev told Sputnik. "The Americans are leaving this opportunity [acquiring a Soyuz seat in the spring of 2022] as an option, counting on help and assistance from

Washington DC (SPX) Aug 24, 2021
The Sun has a new neighbor that was hiding in plain twilight. An asteroid that orbits the Sun in just 113 days-the shortest known orbital period for an asteroid and second shortest for any object in our Solar System after Mercury-was discovered by Carnegie's Scott S. Sheppard in evening twilight images taken by Brown University's Ian Dell'Antonio and Shenming Fu. The newfound asteroid, cal

Tempe AZ (SPX) Aug 24, 2021
Over the last two decades, scientists have found ice in many locations on Mars. Most Martian ice has been observed from orbital satellites like NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. But determining the grain size and dust content of the ice from that far above the surface is challenging. And those aspects of the ice are crucial in helping scientists determine how old the ice is and how it was depo

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Aug 24, 2021
Gilmour Space Technologies, a premier Australian rocket company pioneering new and innovative hybrid propulsion technologies for launching small satellites, and Exolaunch, a Berlin-based leader in rideshare launch and deployment services for small satellites, has announced a series of agreements for small satellite launch, deployment and in-space transportation services. Under the agreemen

Boston MA (SPX) Aug 24, 2021
In 2019, astronomers spotted something incredible in our backyard: a rogue comet from another star system. Named Borisov, the icy snowball traveled 110,000 miles per hour and marked the first and only interstellar comet ever detected by humans. But what if these interstellar visitors-comets, meteors, asteroids and other debris from beyond our solar system-are more common than we think?

Orlando FL (SPX) Aug 24, 2021
An ingenious idea born out of a research lab at the University of Central Florida has led to a growing operation that is having a direct impact on space exploration. Chances are that some of the equipment landing on the moon and the methods that will be used to grow food or build shelter, will have been tested first on experimental soil developed right at UCF. UCF's Exolith Lab has p

Orlando FL (UPI) Aug 24, 2021
NASA is facing new criticism over a recent agency watchdog report that disclosed spacesuit development is so far behind schedule that a return to the moon would be delayed beyond a 2024 target. Coupled with the high cost, estimated to hit $1 billion eventually, the development issues are serious enough to prompt a congressional hearing, U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., told UPI. "I almost

Video: 00:51:12

Water is life, on Earth and in space. Dutch ESA astronaut André Kuipers recounts his experience living in space for 204 days, and his time looking back on the blue face of ‘Planet Aqua’, comparing notes with divers about what is going on beneath the waves. He goes on to explore how space technology is being used for water management, from orbital tracking of water quality and pollution to spacecraft-grade recycling systems deployed down on the ground, as well as ambitious efforts to identify marine plastic litter using satellites. Produced for SIWI World Water Week with the