Lucy snaps its first views of Trojan Asteroid targets
Friday, 14 April 2023 10:46
Some of the asteroids NASA's Lucy mission will visit are still more than 330 million miles (530 million kilometers) away from the spacecraft, which is more than three times the average distance between Earth and the Sun. But despite the great distance and the comparatively small sizes of these asteroids, Lucy caught views of four of them recently.
From March 25 to 27, 2023, Lucy used its h Curiosity gets a major software upgrade
Friday, 14 April 2023 10:46
Years in the making, a major software update that has been installed on NASA's Curiosity rover will enable the Mars robot to drive faster and reduce wear and tear on its wheels. Those are just two of about 180 changes implemented during the update, which required the team to put Curiosity's science and imaging operations on hold between April 3 and April 7.
"The flight software is essentia NRO awards contract extensions to Hawkeye 360 and Maxar’s Aurora Insight for radio-frequency data
Thursday, 13 April 2023 22:05
HawkEye 360 and Maxar Technologies have been awarded contract extensions by the National Reconnaissance Office for commercial radio-frequency (RF) data.
The post NRO awards contract extensions to Hawkeye 360 and Maxar’s Aurora Insight for radio-frequency data appeared first on SpaceNews.
Saltzman: Space Force has to better define relationship with commercial industry
Thursday, 13 April 2023 20:08
As space technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, the role of commercial industry in national defense has become a hot topic, the chief of space operations of the U.S.
South Korea’s KSLV-2 rocket set to launch May 24
Thursday, 13 April 2023 20:04
South Korea’s homegrown KSLV-2 rocket is slated to launch May 24, carrying a 180-kilogram technology demonstration satellite and seven cubesats.
NOAA looks to update weather satellite and ground systems
Thursday, 13 April 2023 19:53
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is soliciting proposals for research and development on microwave weather sensors, ground systems and technology to reduce interference from 5G networks.
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover gets a major software upgrade
Thursday, 13 April 2023 19:28
The update brings loads of improvements, the most significant being new driving capabilities.
Years in the making, a major software update that has been installed on NASA's Curiosity rover will enable the Mars robot to drive faster and reduce wear and tear on its wheels.
A rocket-powered spaceplane completes a successful test flight
Thursday, 13 April 2023 18:31
Access to space is getting easier and more accessible as more and more platforms are coming online that can significantly decrease the cost of getting into Earth's orbit or even beyond. Now, another company has taken a step forward in making inexpensive, reusable access to space a reality. Dawn Aerospace, which operates out of the U.S., New Zealand, and the Netherlands, has successfully tested a prototype spaceplane.
This isn't Dawn's first success, as the company already has satellite propulsion systems in orbit on 15 different satellites. It isn't even its first successful space plane test—they had previously completed some testing using jet engines. However, it is the first time the company has successfully tested a rocket-powered plane.
The series of three tests happened at the end of March at the Glentanner Aerodrome in New Zealand, where the plane successfully fired its rocket engine. Clocking it at over 170 knots and 6,000 ft of altitude may not seem like much, but it is a first step for the technology.
Wobbling star found in Gaia-Hipparcos data confirmed to host exoplanet
Thursday, 13 April 2023 18:12
Data from ESA’s star-mapping Gaia spacecraft has allowed astronomers to image a gigantic exoplanet using Japan's Subaru Telescope. This world is the first confirmed exoplanet found by Gaia’s ability to sense the gravitational tug or ‘wobble’ a planet induces on its star. And the technique points the way to the future of direct exoplanet imaging.
Boeing unveils WGS-11 design with new military payload
Thursday, 13 April 2023 18:02
A new version of the U.S. military’s Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) satellite unveiled by Boeing on April 13 has a new payload that the company designed under a U.S.
Draper completes initial milestones for NASA CLPS mission
Thursday, 13 April 2023 16:19
Draper has completed the first milestones of a NASA award to perform the first commercial landing on the far side of the moon in 2025.
Space Systems Command’s Tetra-1 begins mission operations
Thursday, 13 April 2023 11:00
Millennium Space Systems announced the handoff April 13 of the Tetra-1 microsatellite to the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command for the start of mission operations.
ESCAPADE confident in planned 2024 New Glenn launch
Thursday, 13 April 2023 10:42
The head of a NASA Mars mission flying on Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket says he is confident the vehicle will be ready in time for a launch next year.
Waking up Juice
Thursday, 13 April 2023 10:30
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It takes a while for a new mission to wake up after the rigours of launch, but before it’s fully in flight configuration it’s still exposed to the harsh realities of space. During this critical period, known as the ‘Launch and Early Orbit Phase’ or ‘LEOP’, teams at ESA’s mission control in Darmstadt, Germany, have to work fast to establish contact with the fledgling mission, and ensure its solar arrays are correctly powering the mission.
Once ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, Juice, separates from its Ariane 5 rocket, there will be two key moments to look out for.
Kepler Communications raises $92 million for optical data relay network
Thursday, 13 April 2023 10:11
Canadian small satellite operator Kepler Communications said April 13 it has raised $92 million to start deploying an optical data-relay constellation next year.