University Park PA (SPX) Oct 25, 2023
New analysis of data from the Curiosity rover reveals that much of the craters on Mars today could have once been habitable rivers. "We're finding evidence that Mars was likely a planet of rivers," said Benjamin Cardenas, assistant professor of geosciences at Penn State and lead author on a new paper announcing the discovery. "We see signs of this all over the planet." In a study pub

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Oct 25, 2023
Freelancer.com (ASX: FLN) has announced a national innovation challenge open to all Australians. The Australian Space Agency, in collaboration with NASA's Artemis program, is embarking on an ambitious journey to design Australia's first lunar rover. The ELO2 Big Dipper Lunar Regolith Acquisition Challenge is an open invitation for innovators and enthusiasts to be a part of this groundbreaking mi

Moffett Field CA (SPX) Oct 25, 2023
NASA's Starling CubeSats are zipping through low Earth orbit in the agency's latest test of robotic swarm technologies for space. The four Starling spacecraft, launched in July 2023, are testing a group of small satellites ability to coordinate and cooperate independently without real-time updates from mission control. NASA invites the public to follow the Starling mission live in NASA's E

Lancaster PA (SPX) Oct 25, 2023
Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. (ACT), a renowned entity in the realm of thermal management solutions, recently reached a milestone in space technology by completing its Thermal Management System (TMS) for NASA's Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER). The project journeyed from its initial conceptual stages through to the final development of flight-critical hardware, fulfi

Jiuquan (XNA) Oct 25, 2023
China will launch an extension module at an appropriate time and upgrade the basic configuration of the space station from the current T shape to a cross shape, announced a senior official from the China Manned Space Agency at a press conference on Wednesday. The extension module will install space science experiment cabinets and large extra-vehicular experiment equipment in multiple field

London (AFP) Oct 25, 2023
The UK Space Agency and a US spaceflight services company have signed an initial agreement as they bid to send British astronauts into orbit for two weeks, the agency said Wednesday. The memorandum of understanding with Houston-based Axiom Space sets out plans for a flight that would see British astronauts conduct a two-week mission in space. "On this future flight, the UK astronauts wou

Guildford UK (SPX) Oct 25, 2023
A groundbreaking six-year study by the Universities of Surrey and Swansea has confirmed the feasibility of low-cost, lightweight solar panels capable of generating power in space. The research provides compelling evidence supporting the commercial potential of space-based solar farms. The study, the first of its kind, tracked a satellite through over 30,000 orbits to monitor the performanc

Jiuquan (XNA) Oct 25, 2023
China is able and ready to invite foreign astronauts to participate in China's space station flight missions, announced a senior official from the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) at a press conference on Wednesday. "We extend an invitation to the world and welcome all countries and regions committed to the peaceful use of outer space to cooperate with us and participate in the Chinese spa

Jiuquan (XNA) Oct 25, 2023
The final all-systems rehearsal for China's upcoming manned Shenzhou XVII spaceflight took place on Tuesday morning, according to China Central Television. Organized by the Beijing Aerospace Control Center - the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the Xi'an Satellite Control Center and spacecraft tracking ships simulated all the processes for the spaceflight, the State broadcaster said, addin

Jiuquan, China (AFP) Oct 25, 2023
China will send its youngest-ever crew of astronauts to the Tiangong space station this week, officials said Wednesday, as Beijing pursues plans for a manned mission to the Moon by the end of the decade. Tiangong is the crown jewel of Beijing's space programme, which has also landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon and made China the third country to put humans in orbit. The station i