Hera asteroid mission launch kit

Everything you'd ever want to know about ESA's first planetary defence mission

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Sep 17, 2024
The ATLID atmospheric lidar, the final instrument aboard the EarthCARE satellite launched in May, has now been successfully activated. EarthCARE, a joint mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), aims to provide more precise measurements of clouds, aerosols, and radiation. Researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 16, 2024
MDA (TSX: MDA), a leading partner in the fast-growing space industry, announced the construction of a new 185,000 square foot extension to its satellite manufacturing facility in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec. This expansion will make it the largest facility in its satellite class, capable of producing up to two MDA AURORATM digital satellites daily. The first project to come out of the

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Sep 16, 2024
The Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has successfully launched its first operational satellite-ground laser communication system. The 500mm aperture laser communication ground system began its regular operation on Sunday from the Pamir Plateau. According to Wang Jianping, director of the Kashgar Ground Station, this system marks a major milestone

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 16, 2024
Momentus Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTS), a U.S. space infrastructure company, has been selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Strategic Technology Office to join the Bringing Classified Innovation to Defense and Government Systems (BRIDGES) consortium. Through this consortium, Momentus will be sponsored for a facility clearance, allowing it to work directly with Department of Def

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 17, 2024
Capella Space Corp., a U.S.-based space technology company specializing in data and satellite solutions, announced it has secured a $15 million award from the U.S. Air Force through the AFWERX Ventures Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) program. This initiative is designed to drive private sector innovation and support U.S. Air Force mission objectives. The funding will be used to furthe

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 15, 2024
Boeing [NYSE: BA] has revealed plans for the 2026 launch of a satellite, Q4S, designed to demonstrate quantum entanglement swapping capabilities in orbit. This pioneering, Boeing-funded mission is a key step toward the creation of a global quantum internet, linking quantum sensors and computers with secure, advanced communication systems. Quantum sensors, far more precise than current tech

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 17, 2024
A previously unpublished manuscript by Apollo 14 Astronaut Edgar Mitchell, stored in a bank vault for nearly four decades, has now been made available by Pen-L Publishing. This manuscript draws critical comparisons between the growing militarization of space and present-day realities, raising concerns over the increasing potential for nuclear conflict in space. Mitchell's work explores the

Lemont, IL (SPX) Sep 16, 2024
How are stars born, and how do they die? How do they produce the energy that keeps them burning for billions of years? How do they create the elements we observe today? Definitive answers to these questions continue to elude scientists in their quest to understand the processes that shape the chemical makeup of the universe. Although the exact details of the reaction processes are unclear,

Paris, France (SPX) Sep 16, 2024
On 4 September 2024 at 16:39 UTC (18:39 CEST), the small asteroid 2024 RW1 entered Earth's atmosphere near the Philippines, creating a bright fireball witnessed by people across the region. The event, though spectacular, was not unexpected, thanks to the swift and coordinated efforts of global astronomers, including teams from ESA's Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre (NEOCC), who tracked the