Vatican to send Pope's message of hope into orbit
Monday, 27 March 2023 15:44
A message of faith and hope first delivered by Pope Francis in the middle of the 2020 coronavirus lockdown will be sent into space, the Vatican announced Monday.
The speech of the pontiff praying alone in an empty St Peter's Square have been turned into a "nanobook" measuring less than two millimeters wide, which will be launched into orbit on June 10.
It will travel around the Earth on a purpose-built satellite at an altitude of about 525 kilometers, dispatched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The "Spei Satelles" (Satellites of Hope in Latin) project—whose cost and funding has not been revealed—is being coordinated by the Italian Space Agency in conjunction with various Italian institutions.
Agency president Giorgio Saccoccia said the Vatican had asked for "a solution that would allow the Holy Father's words of hope to cross the earth's borders and reach from space the greatest possible number of women and men on our troubled planet".
On March 27, 2020, the pope urged followers who felt "afraid and lost" in the face of what was then a terrifying new virus to have faith.
Researchers find new water reservoir on moon
Monday, 27 March 2023 14:07
Lunar surface water has attracted much attention due to its potential for in-situ resource utilization by future lunar exploration missions and other space missions
Now, a research group led by Prof. Hu Sen from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics (IGG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has found that impact glass beads in Chang'e-5 (CE5) lunar soils contain some water.
Detailed studies show that these glass beads are likely a new water reservoir on the moon, recording the dynamic ingress and egress of solar wind-derived water and acting as a buffer for the lunar surface water cycle.
This work was published in Nature Geoscience on March 27.
Many lunar missions have confirmed the presence of structural water or water ice on the moon. There is little doubt that most of the moon's surface harbors water, though the amount is much less than on Earth.
Webb measures the temperature of a rocky exoplanet
Monday, 27 March 2023 14:00
An international team of researchers has used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to measure the temperature of the rocky exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 b. The measurement is based on the planet’s thermal emission: heat energy given off in the form of infrared light detected by Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). The result indicates that the planet’s dayside has a temperature of about 500 kelvins (roughly 230°C), and suggests that it has no significant atmosphere.
Proba-3 complete: Formation-flying satellites fully integrated
Monday, 27 March 2023 12:31
The two spacecraft forming ESA’s Proba-3 mission for precise formation flying in orbit are now complete. All the instruments and sensors allowing them to manoeuvre to millimetre scale precision relative to one another have been integrated aboard, and the pair are fully wrapped in multi-layer insulation – ready to be tested in simulated space conditions.
Council approves senior management changes
Monday, 27 March 2023 12:00
At its 315th session on 22 and 23 March 2023, the ESA Council approved a series of nominations and extensions of contracts for ESA directors:
OQ Technology to become world's largest 5G NB-IoT LEO-satellite operator
Monday, 27 March 2023 07:39
OQ Technology, the world's first and only satellite operator of a 5G NB-IoT constellation, plans to grow its constellation from three to ten satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) this year. The move will turn the company into the largest 5G NB-IoT satellite operator in the world.
The seven satellites that will be added to OQ Technology's constellation, are the previously announced "MACSAT" a Guerrilla RF achieves rapid verification of designs for high-growth markets
Monday, 27 March 2023 07:39
Guerrilla RF, Inc. (OTCQX: GUER), a leading provider of state-of-the-art RF and microwave communications solutions, has announced that its robust 2022 investments in research and development (R and D) produced a 33% increase in its number of engineering tape-outs-from 31 tape-outs in 2021 to 41 in 2022-all targeting the high-growth 5G, cellular booster, automotive, and satellite communications m Sidus Space to power maritime solutions with AIS integration in LizzieSat
Monday, 27 March 2023 07:39
Sidus Space, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIDU), a Space-as-a-Service satellite company focused on mission-critical hardware manufacturing; multi-disciplinary engineering services; satellite design, production, launch planning, mission operations; and in-orbit support, announced an agreement with SatLab to implement its second-generation automated identification system (AIS) technology into the Company's Lizzie Lynk selects Dawn Aerospace propulsion following an extensive industry trade study
Monday, 27 March 2023 07:39
Dawn Aerospace, a leading space transportation company, reports that it has been selected to provide satellite propulsion systems for Lynk, the world's leading satellite-direct-to-standard-phone telecoms company. The partnership will enable Lynk to enhance deployment, life extension, collision avoidance, and de-orbit capabilities as its satellite constellation of 'cell towers in space' grows. Kongsberg NanoAvionics to build more 5G Narrowband-IoT satellites for LEO constellation
Monday, 27 March 2023 07:39
Washington DC (SPX) Mar 24, 2023
Smallsat mission integrator and bus manufacturer Kongsberg NanoAvionics (NanoAvionics) has received an order for three further satellites from 5G telecoms operator OQ Technology. They will be added to OQ Technology's existing constellation, turning the company into the largest 5G NB-IoT (narrowband Internet of things) satellite operator in the world.
It is Dhruva and Kineis to offer satellite-based services
Monday, 27 March 2023 07:39
India-based full-stack space-engineering solutions provider Dhruva Space and France-based satellite operator and global connectivity provider Kineis have inked a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA), marking a partnership where both companies will collaborate to establish space and ground infrastructure to scale the diversity and impact of satellite-based solutions.
With 9 satellites in orbit, Ki Comtech validates 5G connection over satellite
Monday, 27 March 2023 07:39
Comtech has announced in collaboration with three global technology leaders: Cloud Signals, Hellas Sat, and a leading Mobile Network Operator (MNO), that the companies successfully tested and validated 5G connectivity over a satellite network in Greece.
During the demonstration, a commercial 5G node was connected to the leading MNO's 5G testbed network and relayed over a satellite link pro ISRO's LVM3 launches 36 OneWeb satellites in sixth consecutive flight
Monday, 27 March 2023 04:06
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched 36 satellites belonging to OneWeb Group Company into their intended 450 km circular orbit with an inclination of 87.4 degrees, using its LVM3 launch vehicle. This marked the sixth consecutive successful flight of the LVM3 and the successful execution of NSIL's contract to launch 72 OneWeb satellites to Low Earth Orbit.
The Inflation, high demand driving up launch prices
Monday, 27 March 2023 00:50
A tight launch market, coupled with high inflation, has driven up launch prices in the last year, putting a squeeze on customers.