China releases lunar sample data online
Thursday, 15 April 2021 10:16China's space agency has released an online database of the first batch of the lunar samples brought back by the Chang'e-5 probe. Researchers and the public can access the Lunar and Deep Space Exploration Scientific Data and Sample Release System via the website www.clep.org.cn, where they can apply for data and samples, according to the China National Space Administration, which announced
Telescopes unite in unprecedented observations of famous black hole
Thursday, 15 April 2021 10:16In April 2019, scientists released the first image of a black hole in the galaxy M87 using the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). However, that remarkable achievement was just the beginning of the science story to be told. Data from 19 observatories are being released that promise to give unparalleled insight into this black hole and the system it powers, and to improve tests of Einstein's The
Chinese Foreign Ministry calls for promptly starting talks on space arms control
Thursday, 15 April 2021 10:16China is calling on the global community to urgently start the negotiations on the space arms control, which should be based on a document proposed by Beijing and Moscow, the foreign ministry's spokesman, Zhao Lijian, said on Tuesday. "We are calling on the international community to start negotiations and reach agreement on arms control in order to ensure space safety as soon as possible,
US space employment, investments resist pandemic in 2020, continue to climb in 2021
Thursday, 15 April 2021 10:16Space Foundation, a nonprofit advocate organization founded in 1983 for the global space ecosystem, has released "The Space Report 2021 Q1," which determined that despite the global COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. space sector employment and investment grew in 2020 and are continuing to post gains in the first quarter of 2021. Analysis by "The Space Report" of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for f
NASA satellites detect signs of volcanic unrest years before eruptions
Thursday, 15 April 2021 10:16Although there are telltale signs that a volcano is likely to erupt in the near future - an uptick in seismic activity, changes in gas emissions, and sudden ground deformation, for example - accurately predicting such eruptions is notoriously hard. This is, in part, because no two volcanoes behave in exactly the same way and because few of the world's 1,500 or so active volcanoes have moni
Concordia's Contained Confinement
Thursday, 15 April 2021 10:16ESA-sponsored medical doctor Nick Smith snapped this photo of the storage containers at Concordia research station in Antarctica shortly before sunset, 8 April 2021. The dark blue line at the horizon is the shadow of the Earth. The containers store food, recycling and the scientific samples of blood, saliva, and stool that Nick routinely takes. The units on the right are part of the summer
Black holes like to eat, but have a variety of table manners
Thursday, 15 April 2021 10:16All supermassive black holes in the centres of galaxies appear to have periods when they swallow matter from their close surroundings. But that is about as far as the similarities go. That's the conclusion reached by British and Dutch astronomers from their research with ultra-sensitive radio telescopes in a well-studied region of the universe. They publish their findings in two articles in the
Stellar feedback and an airborne observatory; scientists determine a nebula younger than believed
Thursday, 15 April 2021 10:16In the southern sky, situated about 4,300 light years from Earth, lies RCW 120, an enormous glowing cloud of gas and dust. This cloud, known as an emission nebula, is formed of ionized gases and emits light at various wavelengths. An international team led by West Virginia University researchers studied RCW 120 to analyze the effects of stellar feedback, the process by which stars inject e
India's telecom regulator assessing Starlink system before accepting beta
Thursday, 15 April 2021 10:16Elon Musk's space company SpaceX recently launched its Starlink satellite internet service that claims to be capable of delivering 50Mbps to 150Mbps internet access to "any part" of the Earth under the sky. The global roll-out of this internet service is expected to be completed by 2022. SpaceX has offered to pre-sell its Starlink satellite internet service in India, and the country's Depa
Indonesian Govt deploys Iridium Push-to-Talk to overcome remote communications challenges
Thursday, 15 April 2021 10:16Iridium Communications reports that the Republic of Indonesia's government has adopted Iridium Push-to-Talk (PTT) devices to support communication efforts across the country. By fully deploying 500 Iridium PTT handsets, the Indonesian government now has a reliable "grab-and-go" real-time satellite communications solution, ideal for communications on-the-move applications across the country's div
Space Development Agency could select three manufacturers to produce its next batch of satellites
Tuesday, 13 April 2021 22:42WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s Space Development Agency is considering buying its next 150 satellites from three different vendors, but that could change after the agency evaluates companies’ bids, SDA director Derek Tournear said April 14.
Speaking at the Washington Space Business Roundtable, Tournear said a request for proposals will be issued in August for the agency’s Transport Layer Tranche 1 — a network of hundreds of communications satellites in low Earth orbit projected to start launching in late 2024.
DoD space agency: Cyber attacks, not missiles, are the most worrisome threat to satellites
Tuesday, 13 April 2021 21:15WASHINGTON — Intelligence agencies and analysts warn China and Russia are developing missiles that could strike U.S. satellites in low-Earth orbit. This will be a concern for the Pentagon’s Space Development Agency, which plans to deploy a network of satellites within range of those missiles.
Mock crew straps into space capsule, exits before liftoff
Tuesday, 13 April 2021 20:03Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin company strapped two employees into a fueled rocketship for practice, but pulled them out shortly before sending the capsule to the edge of space Wednesday with only a test dummy.
The crew rehearsal in West Texas brings Blue Origin closer to launching tourists and others into space.
Blue Origin wanted to see how well a crew could get in and out of the capsule. The pretend astronauts also tested seatbelts and radio links before the 10 1/2-minute flight, and went back to the capsule following touchdown to climb aboard for recovery practice.
Blue Origin aces dress rehearsal for New Shepard crewed flights
Tuesday, 13 April 2021 17:57WASHINGTON — Blue Origin completed another test flight of its New Shepard vehicle April 14, putting the company on the verge of finally flying people.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle lifted off from the company’s West Texas test site, known as Launch Site One by the company, at 12:51 p.m.