ESA to be anchor customer on commercial lunar satellite
Thursday, 16 September 2021 11:22
The European Space Agency has signed a contract with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) to be the anchor customer on a commercial lunar communications satellite that company is developing.
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Solar cell system What’s going on with the ozone?
Thursday, 16 September 2021 10:10
World governments agreed in the late 1980s to protect Earth’s ozone layer by phasing out ozone-depleting substances emitted by human activities, under the Montreal Protocol. The phase out of these substances has not only helped protect the ozone layer for future generations but has also protected human health and ecosystems by limiting the harmful ultraviolet radiation from reaching Earth. On 16 September, the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, we take a closer look at this year’s ozone hole.
On National Security | Small businesses doing big things in DoD space programs
Thursday, 16 September 2021 09:00
China rolls out cargo mission rocket as Shenzhou-12 astronauts leave space station
Thursday, 16 September 2021 07:46
China is preparing to launch its second space station cargo mission just as its Shenzhou-12 astronauts are set to return to Earth.
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To the Moon! 3 crew leave China's space station for Earth after 90 days
Thursday, 16 September 2021 07:15
Three astronauts who lived for 90 days on China's space station departed Thursday in preparation for returning to Earth.
The national space agency said Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo boarded the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft and undocked from the space station at 8:56 a.m. Thursday (0056 GMT).
State broadcaster CCTV aired footage of the astronauts securing packages inside their spacecraft, which is due to parachute to a location in the Gobi Desert near the Jiuquan launch center on Friday.
Path set for commercial communications around the Moon
Thursday, 16 September 2021 07:13
ESA confirmed a contract signature yesterday with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) to be the main customer for their Lunar Pathfinder satellite launching in 2024 that will provide communications services around the Moon.
Contest winners, health worker orbiting world in SpaceX 1st
Thursday, 16 September 2021 06:49
The four people on SpaceX's first private flight are fairly ordinary, down-to-Earth types brought together by chance.
They'll circle Earth for three days at an unusually high altitude—on their own without a professional escort—before splashing down off the Florida coast.
SpaceX launches 4 amateurs on private Earth-circling trip
Thursday, 16 September 2021 06:44
SpaceX's first private flight streaked into orbit Wednesday night with two contest winners, a health care worker and their rich sponsor, the most ambitious leap yet in space tourism.
Space Force backs development of commercial orbital debris removal systems
Thursday, 16 September 2021 02:22
A Space Force general endorsed the development of commercial systems for removing space debris, saying they can address congestion in Earth orbit without the policy concerns a government-run alternative might have.
SpaceX sends all-civilian crew into orbit
Thursday, 16 September 2021 01:27
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying four space tourists blasted off Wednesday night from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the first mission to orbit the globe with an all-civilian crew. A huge fireball illuminated the sky as the rocket's nine engines began to pull away from Earth at 8:02 pm (0002 GMT Thursday). Around 12 minutes later, the Dragon capsule separated from the rocket's send stage as the crew entered orbit, while the re-usable first stage made its way back to Earth for a vertical landing on a sea barge. SpaceX launches Crew Dragon on first private mission
Wednesday, 15 September 2021 23:43
SpaceX successfully launched a Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying four nonprofessional astronauts on its first private crewed mission Sept. 15, a long-awaited milestone in the commercialization of spaceflight.
SpaceX aiming for night launch of 4 on 1st private flight
Wednesday, 15 September 2021 19:09
SpaceX aimed to blast a billionaire into orbit Wednesday night with his two contest winners and a health care worker who survived childhood cancer.
It's the first chartered passenger flight for Elon Musk's SpaceX and a big step in space tourism by a private company.
Space SPACs struggle to lift off
Wednesday, 15 September 2021 17:26
None of the companies that recently completed SPAC deals have seen a dramatic increase in share price. Meanwhile, share SPAC redemptions are growing, indicating a lack of enthusiasm.