Reprogrammable satellite fuelled prior to launch
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 13:09A sophisticated telecommunications satellite capable of being completely repurposed in orbit has been fuelled ready for its launch on 30 July.
World's richest man Jeff Bezos blasts into space
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 13:04The wealthiest man on the planet Jeff Bezos spent a few minutes in space Tuesday on Blue Origin's first human mission, a key moment for a fledgling industry seeking to make the final frontier accessible to elite tourists.
"A very happy group of people in this capsule," said Bezos after the spaceship touched down in the west Texas desert following an 10-minute hop to the Karman line and back.
The four-member crew exchanged high-fives and hugged family who came to meet them at the landing site.
Earlier, the New Shepard capsule reached at an altitude of 66.5 miles (107 kilometers), allowing the passengers to experience weightlessness while admiring the curve of the Earth.
"It's dark up here," said barrier-breaking female aviator Wally Funk, who joined Bezos, his brother and 18-year-old Dutchman Oliver Daemen, who became the youngest ever astronaut.
Amazon magnate Bezos blasts into space on own rocket
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 12:47The wealthiest man on the planet Jeff Bezos lifted off on his own rocket and reached outer space on Tuesday, a key moment for a fledgling industry seeking to make the final frontier accessible to elite tourists. Blue Origin's first crewed mission, an 11-minute hop from west Texas to beyond the Karman line and back again, coincided with the 52nd anniversary of the first Moon landing. "It'
Blue Origin launches Bezos on first crewed New Shepard flight
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 12:44VAN HORN, Texas — Blue Origin performed its first crewed New Shepard launch July 20, sending company founder Jeff Bezos and three other people on a suborbital flight.
New Shepard lifted off from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One in West Texas at 9:12 a.m.
Hubble returns to full science observations and releases new images
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 11:05Watch live: Blue Origin's Jeff Bezos, 3 crewmates to head into space
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 08:40The world's richest person, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and three very different crewmates are scheduled to fly into space Tuesday morning from Texas. Liftoff of Blue Origin's New Shepard suborbital rocket is planned at 9 a.m. EDT from the company's Corn Ranch launch site 160 miles east of El Paso, although weather and technical problems can always delay the launch. "It feels good
Sparkwing solar panels from Airbus to power lunar mission of Masten
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 08:40Today, Airbus announced that its Sparkwing solar panels were selected by USA-based Masten Space Systems for their XL-1 lunar lander. In 2023, the XL-1 spacecraft will land at the lunar South Pole as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. XL-1 will be equipped with six body-mounted Sparkwing solar panels, to be delivered next year, to charge the vehicle's power system dur
A sneak peek into test chamber for X-59
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 08:40Safety is paramount for NASA's quiet supersonic flight team who are making great strides in preparing for future flight testing with the X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) aircraft. To achieve the safest possible environment and aircraft for our pilots, NASA is working with contractor KBR and relying on their expertise to make sure that the aircraft is meeting required standards for the l
NASA tracks heat wave over US Southwest
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 08:40Just weeks after the Pacific Northwest endured record-shattering temperatures, another heat wave scorched the U.S. Southwest. This heat wave, which started around July 7, tied or broke several all-time records in California, Nevada, northern Arizona, and southern Utah. Two instruments - NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) aboard the Aqua satellite, and the agency's ECOsystem Spacebo
Experts tackle modern slavery in Greek strawberry fields using satellite technology
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 08:40A consortium of modern slavery experts, led by the University of Nottingham, have assisted the Greek government to tackle a humanitarian crisis unfolding in the strawberry fields of southern Greece. Using satellite technology to identify migrant settlements - a technique pioneered by the university's Rights Lab - and working with the Greek authorities, the experts then developed a decision
Satellites for 5G to connect delivery vans seamlessly
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 08:18A vehicle that remains continuously connected even when in remote areas is being road tested in Cornwall in the south west of the UK.
ESA’s Boost! fosters new launch and in-orbit services
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 08:00Companies with small satellites are set to benefit from a new end-to-end space transportation service offering additional in-orbit flexibility proposed by D-Orbit and supported through ESA’s Boost! programme.
Air Force tasks Rhea Space Activity to build rapid-response Lunar comsats
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 06:07As U.S. operations in space steadily move further away from Earth orbit, the rapidly growing 'New Space' company Rhea Space Activity (RSA) is pleased to announce that it has been selected by the United States Air Force (USAF) for a Phase I, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) 2021 Space Force Pitch Day award to investigate a bi-modal, solar-thermal propulsion system that would provide rapi
Umbra awarded $950M IDIQ contract following Space-X launch
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 06:07Umbra has been awarded a $950,000,000 ceiling indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract for the maturation, demonstration, and proliferation of capability across platforms and domains, leveraging open systems design, modern software, and algorithm development to enable Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2). This contract is part of a multi-award, multi-level security e
Jeff Bezos wants flight to expand 'new frontiers' in space
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 06:07Jeff Bezos, the man who made e-commerce the "economy's new frontier," plans to fly into space Tuesday in an effort to make tourism far above the Earth the new frontier. Time magazine recognized Bezos as "Person of the Year" in 1999 for his founding of the Amazon retail website, saying, "Some people must be genetically predisposed to explore the frontiers." Bezos has grown into on