Saltzman takes command as new chief of the U.S. Space Force
Wednesday, 02 November 2022 17:19
Gen. B. Chance Saltzman assumed command of the U.S. Space Force, and departing chief Gen. John “Jay” Raymond retired Nov. 2.
China’s mystery spaceplane releases object into orbit
Wednesday, 02 November 2022 12:27
China’s secretive reusable spaceplane has released an object into orbit, according to tracking data from the U.S. Space Force.
The post China’s mystery spaceplane releases object into orbit appeared first on SpaceNews.
NASA prepares to say 'farewell' to InSight spacecraft
Wednesday, 02 November 2022 12:27
The day is approaching when NASA's Mars InSight lander will fall silent, ending its history-making mission to reveal secrets of the Red Planet's interior. The spacecraft's power generation continues to decline as windblown dust on its solar panels thickens, so the team has taken steps to continue as long as possible with what power remains. The end is expected to come in the next few weeks.
But even as the tightknit 25-to-30-member operations team—a small group compared to other Mars missions—continues to squeeze the most they can out of InSight (short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport), they've also begun taking steps to wind down the mission.
Here's a glimpse of what that looks like.
Preserving data
The most important of the final steps with the InSight mission is storing its trove of data and making it accessible to researchers around the world.
Amazon, Microsoft, SpiderOak join Defense Innovation Unit’s hybrid space network project
Wednesday, 02 November 2022 12:17
The Defense Innovation Unit on Nov. 2 announced new agreements with Amazon Web Services, Kuiper Government Solutions, Microsoft Azure Space and SpiderOak Mission Systems.
The post Amazon, Microsoft, SpiderOak join Defense Innovation Unit’s hybrid space network project appeared first on SpaceNews.
Rocket Lab to attempt booster recovery on upcoming Electron launch
Wednesday, 02 November 2022 10:45
Rocket Lab says it will make a second mid-air recovery attempt of an Electron booster during the launch later this week of a Swedish scientific satellite.
The post Rocket Lab to attempt booster recovery on upcoming Electron launch appeared first on SpaceNews.
Rocket Lab set to attempt next mid-air helicopter rocket catch
Wednesday, 02 November 2022 10:19
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) has confirmed that it will attempt to catch an Electron rocket with a helicopter as it returns to Earth from space during the Company's next launch.
Rocket Lab's 32nd Electron launch, the "Catch Me If You Can" mission, is scheduled to launch from Pad B at Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 during a launch window opening on November 04, UTC.
Electron will carry NASA's InSight spacecraft on Mars nears final days
Wednesday, 02 November 2022 10:19
NASA's InSight spacecraft is nearing the end of its life after four years on Mars.
The Mars InSight lander was sent to the Red Planet in 2018 to study its crust, mantle and core. Heavy dust buildup on its solar panels, the chief source of its power supply, is bringing it within weeks of becoming inoperable, NASA said Tuesday.
Officials said the lander is operating at about 20% of SwRI experiment helps predict effects of DART impact
Wednesday, 02 November 2022 10:19
On September 26, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft crashed into Dimorphos, a moonlet of the near-Earth asteroid Didymos, at 14,000 miles per hour. Prior to the impact, Southwest Research Institute engineers and scientists performed an experiment to study the cratering process that produces the mass of ejected materials and measures the subsequent momentum enhancement of t UNH research tests fundamental force advancing understanding of universe
Wednesday, 02 November 2022 10:19
Research from a team of physicists at the University of New Hampshire is advancing the understanding of how protons, which comprise 95% of the mass of the visible universe, interact with each other. The results provide a benchmark for testing the strong force, one of the four fundamental forces in nature.
"There's a lot still unanswered about both of those things, the proton and the strong DARPA awards Spire Global contract to design satellite
Wednesday, 02 November 2022 10:19
Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR), a leading global provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, was awarded a contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to deliver a preliminary design for a satellite that would carry an array of sensors to very low Earth orbit (VLEO) for in-situ ionosphere measurements.
The award is part of DARPA's Ouija program, which New lab module to assist space station's completion
Wednesday, 02 November 2022 10:19
China's Mengtian space lab module, the third major component of the nation's Tiangong space station, was launched on Monday afternoon in a key step to complete the in-orbit assembly of Tiangong.
The lab module's carrier - a Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket - blasted off at 3:37 pm from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in the southernmost island province of Hainan.
After flying more th SpaceX launches Falcon Heavy rocket for first time in three years
Wednesday, 02 November 2022 10:19
SpaceX launched its Falcon Heavy rocket from Florida Tuesday, the first flight since 2019 of the world's most powerful rocket.
Mission USSF-44, transporting cargo for the US Space Force, including the TETRA 1 satellite, blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center around 9:40 am (1340 GMT).
Several minutes later, the rocket's two side boosters made their way back to Earth - the craft's m How scientist developed an intelligent fuzzy logical control to stabilize solar sail?
Wednesday, 02 November 2022 10:19
Solar sail, a form of longevous spacecraft without propellant demand, attracts numerous aerospace researchers' attention. Its prolongable peculiarity enables its tremendous potential in diverse interplanetary missions. Due to the harsh space environment, it is inevitable that the spacecraft with long time on-orbit suffers the performance degradation and accident. Especially, the force model will Sidus Space engages Dawn Aerospace to implement propulsion technology into LizzieSat
Wednesday, 02 November 2022 10:19
Sidus Space, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIDU), a Space-as-a-Service company focused on mission critical hardware manufacturing combined with commercial satellite design, manufacture, launch, and data collection, announced agreement with Dawn Aerospace ("Dawn") to implement its green, chemical propulsion technology into LizzieSat.
Among the novel characteristics of Sidus Space's proprietary LizzieSat is China's 'Palace in the sky' space station complete after successful launch
Wednesday, 02 November 2022 10:19
China successfully launched the third and final module needed to complete the Tiangong Space Station.
The Chinese National Space Administration announced its Mengtian module arrived in low Earth orbit after a 13-hour voyage. Mengtian was carried to orbit by a Long March 5B, which was designed specifically to launch the Tiangong modules into space.
Mengtian, which translates to "Dream