NASA invites collaboration to define future of air travel
Tuesday, 01 March 2022 07:36We've long held dreams of what the future of air travel could look like. Something out of the Jetson's TV show or a Star Wars movie is generally the "go to" vision for most people: aircraft of all types and sizes - including those without pilots onboard - safely flying anywhere at all altitudes anytime for many different reasons. But there's more to it than that. It's a future that could i
Envisat 20-year anniversary
Tuesday, 01 March 2022 07:30Twenty years ago, on the first of March 2002, ESA launched a new satellite to monitor our planet from space: Envisat. This research mission, which carried 10 instruments, would become a beacon for the development of future Earth observation satellites. In orbit for 10 years, double its projected lifespan, this flagship mission provided science with a wealth of data on the health of our planet and climate change – a treasure trove of data that is still used today. Thanks to the Heritage Space Programme, ESA ensures these precious data are preserved and made accessible for
Envisat: 20 years after launch
Tuesday, 01 March 2022 07:30Twenty years ago, on the first of March 2002, ESA launched a new satellite to monitor our planet from space: Envisat. This research mission, which carried 10 instruments, would become a beacon for the development of future Earth observation satellites. In orbit for 10 years, double its projected lifespan, this flagship mission provided science with a wealth of data on the health of our planet and climate change – a treasure trove of data that is still used today. Thanks to the Heritage Space Programme, ESA ensures these precious data are preserved and made accessible for
NASA awards SpaceX additional crew flights to Space Station
Tuesday, 01 March 2022 06:00NASA has awarded three additional missions to Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, California, for crew transportation services to the International Space Station as part of its Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract. The CCtCap modification, following the agency's notice of intent to procure the flights in December 2021, brings the total m
Rocket Lab selects Virginia for Neutron launch pad and manufacturing complex
Tuesday, 01 March 2022 06:00Rocket Lab USA, Inc (Nasdaq: RKLB) has selected Wallops Island, Virginia, as the location for its first launch site and extensive manufacturing and operations facilities, for its 8-ton payload class reusable Neutron rocket. The Neutron Production Complex and launch pad for its Neutron rocket will be located adjacent to and within the NASA Wallops Flight Facility and Mid-Atlantic Regional S
New rocket to be partially reusable
Tuesday, 01 March 2022 06:00China's next-generation rocket designed to carry astronauts will be multifunctional and partly reusable, according to a senior rocket scientist. Wang Xiaojun, president of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the country's major maker of carrier rockets, told an international forum in mid-February that the new rocket, which has yet to be named, will have two models. The fi
First Multiple-Sol Drive
Tuesday, 01 March 2022 06:00Perseverance capped its first year on Mars by speeding back around Seitah toward what is expected to be the final sampling location in its crater floor campaign. The drive on Mars was split across three different sols executing instructions planned in a single day on Earth, making this Perseverance's first multiple-sol drive. Why are we excited about the multiple-sol drive? It creates an o
Sols 3398-3400: The Road Ahead
Tuesday, 01 March 2022 06:00The drive on Sol 3397 went well and gave us some good perspective on the road ahead, as seen in the above Navcam image. Curiosity is perched at the edge of the pediment, carefully planning our route to climb fully on top of the pediment capping unit, and the team is eager to investigate these rocks! This 3-sol plan was a typical weekend plan, with opportunities for contact science, remote
Canberra well placed to play a role in global asteroid detection
Tuesday, 01 March 2022 06:00A UNSW researcher says we can improve our ability to detect dangerous asteroids from the Southern Hemisphere. NASA's Near-Earth Object Observation Program painstakingly documents all asteroid sightings that could pose a potential threat to our planet. However, geographical constraints mean that somewhere between 2 per cent and 7 per cent of asteroids are not detected. Former director
Kilonova afterglow potentially spotted for first time
Tuesday, 01 March 2022 06:00For the first time, Northwestern University-led astronomers may have detected an afterglow from a kilonova. A kilonova occurs when two neutron stars - some of the densest objects in the universe - merge to create a blast 1,000 times brighter than a classical nova. In this case, a narrow, off-axis jet of high-energy particles accompanied the merger event, dubbed GW170817. Three-and-a-half y
China eyes Qinghai-Tibet Plateau site for new radio astronomy observatory
Tuesday, 01 March 2022 06:00Chinese astronomers plan to build a new submillimeter-wave observatory on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, known as "the roof of the world." Proposed by the Nanjing-based Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the observatory project includes a new submillimeter-wave telescope with a diameter of 15 meters, larger than China's current most advanced 13.7-meter radio telesc
Intelsat teams with Microsoft to demonstrate private cellular network
Tuesday, 01 March 2022 06:00Intelsat, operator of one of the world's largest and most advanced integrated satellite and terrestrial networks, has announced the successful demonstration of a first of its kind private cellular network with Microsoft Azure Private Multi-Access Edge Compute and FlexEnterprise, Intelsat's satellite-based global connectivity service. Held at Intelsat's office in McLean, VA, the demonstrati
China's new-generation rocket sends 22 satellites into space in record-setting mission
Tuesday, 01 March 2022 06:00China launched a Long March-8 rocket to place 22 satellites in space on Sunday, setting a domestic record for the most spacecraft launched by a single rocket. The rocket blasted off at 11:06 a.m. (Beijing Time) at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern Hainan Province before sending the satellites into preset orbit. These satellites will then be released in 12 groups. Th
China establishes deep space exploration laboratory
Tuesday, 01 March 2022 06:00China's deep space exploration laboratory has been officially inaugurated, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). Co-established by the CNSA, Anhui Province and the University of Science and Technology of China, the laboratory is headquartered in Hefei. It will carry out science and technology research focusing on major national projects in the field of deep spa
Rocket Lab launches 2nd satellite for the Synspective SAR constellation
Tuesday, 01 March 2022 06:00Rocket Lab USA, Inc (Nasdaq: RKLB), a leading launch and space systems company, has successfully deployed a second Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite to orbit for data and solutions provider Synspective, bringing the total number of satellites deployed by Rocket Lab to 110. 'The Owl's Night Continues" mission is Rocket Lab's 24th Electron launch. "The Owl's Night Continues" mission w