...the who's who,
and the what's what 
of the space industry

Space Careers

news Space News

Search News Archive

Title

Article text

Keyword

delta rocket
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

There's still work to be done, but United Launch Alliance has announced a path forward to finally get its new Vulcan Centaur rocket to its first launch.

The company sent an update Saturday announcing it had figured out what went wrong, and what needs fixing at its Alabama test facility that resulted in a fireball that damaged a test article of the Centaur V upper stage this spring.

"Centaur's thin-walled pressure stabilized tanks require minor reinforcement at the top of the forward dome prior to flight," the company stated in a press release.

That means the Centaur currently mated to the Vulcan first stage at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station that is tapped to fly on that rocket's first mission has to head back to Alabama to get that reinforcement.

The first and second stages recently completed a Flight Readiness Firing test at Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41, and ULA said results of that hot fire hit all of the test objectives.

But now teams will de-stack the combined rocket and send Centaur V to ULA's Decatur, Alabama facility for the fix while the booster will be stored at ULA's Horizontal Integration Facility at Canaveral waiting for its return.

NASA's Roman and ESA's Euclid will team up to investigate dark energy
High-resolution illustration of the Euclid and Roman spacecraft against a starry background. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, ESA/ATG medialab

A new space telescope named Euclid, an ESA (European Space Agency) mission with important contributions from NASA, is set to launch in July to explore why the universe's expansion is speeding up. Scientists call the unknown cause of this cosmic acceleration "dark energy." By May 2027, NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will join Euclid to explore this puzzle in ways that have never been possible before.

"Twenty-five years after its discovery, the universe's accelerated expansion remains one of the most pressing mysteries in astrophysics," said Jason Rhodes, a senior research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Rhodes is a deputy project scientist for Roman and the U.S. science lead for Euclid. "With these upcoming telescopes, we will measure dark energy in different ways and with far more precision than previously achievable, opening up a new era of exploration into this mystery.

Germany is building a tiny rover that will roam the surface of Phobos
Artist's impression of the IDEFIX rover on Phobos, with the MMX spacecraft in the background. Credit: DLR

At this very moment, eleven robotic missions are operating in orbit or on the surface of Mars, more than at any point during the past 60 years. These include the many orbiters surveying the red planet from orbit, the handful of landers and rovers, and one helicopter (Ingenuity) studying the surface.

In the coming years, many more are expected, reflecting the growing number of nations participating in the exploration process. Once there, they will join in the ongoing search for clues about the planet's formation, evolution, and possible evidence that life once existed there.

However, there's also the mystery concerning the origin of Phobos and Deimos, Mars' two satellites. While scientists have long suspected that these two moons began as asteroids kicked from the Main Belt that were captured by Mars' gravity, there is no scientific consensus on this point.

Miura 1 during June launch attempt

Spanish launch vehicle startup PLD Space has postponed a suborbital test flight to September after weather and a technical glitch scrubbed earlier launch attempts.

The House Appropriations Committee recommends nearly $1 billion in cuts from the U.S.

German startup Airmo has raised 5.2 million euros in pre-seed funding, including investment and a European Space Agency contract.

The post Airmo raises 5.2 million euros for climate-monitoring constellation appeared first on SpaceNews.

The Miura 1 is a small sub-orbital launch vehicle that stands just 12 metres (40 feet) tall and is capable of placing objects in
The Miura 1 is a small sub-orbital launch vehicle that stands just 12 metres (40 feet) tall and is capable of placing objects in space.

The maiden flight of Spain's Miura 1 rocket, twice suspended in recent weeks, has now been delayed until September over fears its launch could start a wildfire, its developer said Tuesday.

Built by private Spanish startup PLD Space, the had initially been scheduled for take-off from El Arenosillo, a coastal military base in the southwestern province of Huelva, on May 31, but was called off due to .

It was then aborted for a second time on June 17 due to a last-minute technical problem.

After talks with the National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA), "PLD Space.

Andrew Pemberton has been named Chief Executive Officer of SpaceNews, Inc., the world's largest space-industry trade media brand.

The post SpaceNews names new CEO Andrew Pemberton  appeared first on SpaceNews.

Euclid ready for Falcon 9

Tuesday, 27 June 2023 11:21
Image:

After being secured to the SpaceX Falcon 9 adaptor, on Friday 23 June, Euclid was mounted on top of the Payload Attach Fitting (PAF). Before launch, Euclid on the PAF will be encapsulated in the Falcon 9 rocket. ESA’s new cosmological mission Euclid is getting ready for lift-off with a target launch date of 1 July 2023 from Cape Canaveral in Florida (USA).

ESA's Euclid mission is designed to explore the dark Universe and uncover the great cosmic mystery of dark matter and dark energy. The space telescope will create the largest, most accurate 3D map of the Universe

Jindabyne, Australia (SPX) Jun 27, 2023
In a recent announcement, Astroscale, a pioneering leader in space sustainability, has disclosed detailed plans for the final phase of its groundbreaking End-of-Life Services by Astroscale-demonstration (ELSA-d) mission. This heralds a new milestone in the ongoing global effort to effectively manage space debris and ensure orbital sustainability. The ELSA-d mission has been dedicated to te
Baltimore MD (SPX) Jun 27, 2023
A team of international scientists has used NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to detect a new carbon compound in space for the first time. Known as methyl cation (pronounced cat-eye-on) (CH3+), the molecule is important because it aids the formation of more complex carbon-based molecules. Methyl cation was detected in a young star system, with a protoplanetary disk, known as d203-506, which is l
West Lafayette IN (SPX) Jun 27, 2023
Adranos Inc., a Purdue-originated company that grew from a doctoral project into an impactful company, has been acquired by a major Costa Mesa, California-based defense products company, Anduril Industries. Terms of the deal were settled, and the acquisition was announced on Sunday (June 25) in The Wall Street Journal that Anduril Industries is to purchase Adranos, manufacturer of solid ro

Nanophotonics: Coupling light and matter

Tuesday, 27 June 2023 10:51
Munich, Germany (SPX) Jun 24, 2023
The interaction of light and matter on the nanoscale is a vital aspect of nanophotonics. Resonant nanosystems allow scientists to control and enhance electromagnetic energy at volumes smaller than the wavelength of the incident light. As well as allowing sunlight to be captured much more effectively, they also facilitate improved optical wave-guiding and emissions control. The strong coupl
Cairo (XNA) Jun 27, 2023
Two China-funded prototype satellites of the MisrSat II satellite project were delivered to the Egyptian side on Sunday, making Egypt the first African country with the capacity to assemble, integrate and test satellites. During the delivery ceremony held at the Egyptian Space Agency near the country's New Administrative Capital, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mash
Beijing (XNA) Jun 27, 2023
GalaxySpace, a private satellite maker in Beijing, has carried out sea-based tests to verify the capability of its Mini Spider Constellation, China's first low-orbit broadband internet network. The company said in a news release sent to China Daily on Friday that the tests took place in mid-June aboard the CETC 1 comprehensive testing ship in the South China Sea and demonstrated the commun
Page 761 of 1957