Teams preparing Ariane 6 for its inaugural flight successfully completed for the first time a launcher preparation and countdown sequence, on 18 July at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Globally, more than 70% of the freshwater withdrawn from Earth’s surface or from underground is used to irrigate crops. The need to produce more food for a growing population against the backdrop of climate change is challenging enough, but satellites reveal that extracting water doesn’t just affect the local environment – there are knock-on consequences for many aspects of the Earth system.

Satellites will soon be used to keep an independent eye on airborne planes, under a deal agreed between ESA and Spire Global, a company that provides space-based data, analytics and space services.

Image: Rhodes wildfire forces thousands to flee

New measurements by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope’s Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) has detected water vapour in the inner disc of the system PDS 70, located 370 light-years away. This is the first detection of water in the terrestrial region of a disc already known to host two or more protoplanets.

Launching soon on one of the next cargo missions to the International Space Station is the Multi-Needle Langmuir Probe that will measure the “weather” in the upper atmosphere. The experiment is part of ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen’s Huginn mission climate science.

A robotic arm – entirely developed and built in Europe – that enables a satellite to change and control its orbit fuel efficiently has passed its qualification review for launch into space on the OneSat range of satellites.

Image: New Galileo station goes on duty

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jul 20, 2023
For many decades, the aircraft industry has predominantly relied on aluminium for manufacturing. Today, however, the drive for more sustainable, climate-friendly air travel necessitates innovative solutions. In a groundbreaking development, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), in partnership with Premium AEROTEC, Airbus, and Aernnova, has presented a prototype for an entirely new approach to aircr

Pittsburgh PA (SPX) Jul 21, 2023
A research group in Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute is creating the next generation of explorers - robots. The Autonomous Exploration Research Team has developed a suite of robotic systems and planners enabling robots to explore more quickly, probe the darkest corners of unknown environments, and create more accurate and detailed maps. The systems allow robots to do all thi