NASA preparing for Orion splashdown to conclude Artemis 1
Friday, 09 December 2022 11:06
NASA’s Orion spacecraft is in the home stretch of the Artemis 1 uncrewed test flight as the agency prepares for the vehicle’s ultimate test: reentry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
China launches 14 satellites with new solid rocket from mobile sea platform
Friday, 09 December 2022 09:24
China launched its new Jielong-3 rocket from a mobile sea platform in the Yellow Sea Friday, successfully sending 14 satellites into orbit.
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SpaceX gives rival's internet satellites ride to orbit
Friday, 09 December 2022 08:44
SpaceX launched internet satellites for a competitor Thursday, stepping in to help after the London-based OneWeb company halted its flights with Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.
The Falcon rocket blasted off at sunset with 40 mini satellites bound for polar orbit. They will expand OneWeb's constellation to just over 500, nearly 80% of the planned total of about 630 satellites.
Elon Musk's SpaceX has more than 3,200 Starlink satellites in orbit, providing high-speed, broadband internet to remote corners of the world.
Deep-space optical communication demonstration project forges ahead
Friday, 09 December 2022 08:25
Researchers report new results from the NASA Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) technology demonstration project, which develops and tests new advanced laser sources for deep-space optical communication. The ability to perform free-space optical communication throughout the solar system would go beyond the capabilities of the radio communication systems used now and provide the bandwidth necessary for future space missions to transmit large amounts of data, including high-definition images and video.
The demonstration system consists of a flight laser transceiver, a ground laser transmitter and a ground laser receiver. The downlink transmitter has been installed on the Psyche spacecraft, which will travel to a unique metal asteroid also called Psyche, which orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter.
Malcolm. W. Wright, from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, will present the functional and environmental test results of the DSOC downlink flight laser transmitter assembly and ground uplink transmitter assembly at the Optica Laser Congress, 11-15 December 2022.
Earth from Space: Fucino, Italy
Friday, 09 December 2022 08:00
Tucked away in the Fucino Valley, in central Italy, lies the Fucino Space Centre, where Telespazio will manage the early orbit activities of the Meteosat Third Generation Imager, set to launch on 13 December from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
SpaceX launches 40 satellites in first of three missions for OneWeb
Thursday, 08 December 2022 23:31
SpaceX successfully launched 40 satellites for OneWeb’s rival broadband constellation Dec. 8 on a Falcon 9 rocket.
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SpaceX requests permission for direct-to-smartphone service
Thursday, 08 December 2022 21:51
SpaceX could provide “full and continuous” direct-to-smartphone services across much of the globe with less than a third of the 7,500 Gen 2 Starlink satellites approved last week, the company said in a request to add the capability to the broadband constellation.
Dawn Aerospace raises $20 million for propulsion and spaceplane work
Thursday, 08 December 2022 21:22
Dawn Aerospace has raised $20 million to expand its line of in-space propulsion products and continue spaceplane development.
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SES government unit rebranded as SES Space & Defense
Thursday, 08 December 2022 21:00
The U.S.-based subsidiary of satellite operator SES has been renamed to reflect the company’s focus on the national security market.
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Collins Aerospace selected to develop new space station spacesuit
Thursday, 08 December 2022 20:42
NASA has selected Collins Aerospace to develop a next-generation spacesuit for the International Space Station, replacing aging suits that have become a safety concern.
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Rare Apollo mission moon rock back in Cyprus after 50 years
Thursday, 08 December 2022 20:35
NASA's Orion lunar spacecraft heads home with splashdown set for Sunday
Thursday, 08 December 2022 20:33
NASA's Orion spacecraft is heading home after exiting the lunar sphere of influence.
Orion completed the return powered flyby burn that put the spacecraft on course for splashdown on Sunday. Earth's force of gravity is now the primary gravitational force acting on the spacecraft.
Flight controllers used Orion's cameras to inspect the crew module thermal protection system and European Service Module, the second of three planned external spacecraft inspections.
Teams conducted this survey early in the mission to provide detailed images of the spacecraft's external surfaces after it had flown through the portion of Earth's orbit containing the majority of space debris, and teams reported no concerns after reviewing the imagery.
This second inspection during the return phase is being used to assess the overall condition of the spacecraft several days before re-entry.
Cameras on the four solar array wings have captured a series of still images. Engineers and flight controllers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston will review the imagery over the coming days.
A final photographic survey will be conducted Friday as Orion continues its journey home.
These freeze-drying algae can awaken from cryostasis, and could help spaceflights go farther
Thursday, 08 December 2022 20:22
Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys contain some of Earth's coldest and driest deserts. The environment there is so extreme that the Dry Valleys have been used as Mars analogs to test prototype equipment for future Mars exploration.
To survive these harsh conditions, layers of algae and bacteria in the Dry Valleys overwinter in a freeze-dried state, coming back to life in the summer when neighboring glaciers melt and water flows down the stream channels again.
Terran Orbital creates new business unit to produce imaging satellites
Thursday, 08 December 2022 20:04
Satellite manufacturer Terran Orbital has formed a new business unit that will produce electro-optical imaging satellites.
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Space research: Is it feasible to reuse high salinity wastewater as a plant nutrient medium for plant hydroponics?
Thursday, 08 December 2022 19:24
The water cycle is an important part of the controlled ecological life support system (CELSS). It involves the supply of drinking water and plant irrigation water, and the recycling of urine, sanitary waste water, and air condensate water. Using urine and sanitary wastewater for plant irrigation is an effective form of wastewater reuse, but there are three main challenges.
Firstly, some salt content in wastewater, especially sodium chloride, is high, but it is not necessary for plant growth and may inhibit plant growth.
Secondly, the wastewater contains organic components such as surfactants, which also have a negative impact on plant growth.
Thirdly, if wastewater is used as the main nutrient source, the proportion of mineral elements in wastewater might be inconsistent with the proportion the plant growth needs, which will also affect the normal growth of plants.