HKU and ILOA Join Forces for Chang'e-7 Moon Lander Mission Set for 2026
Sunday, 14 July 2024 21:03The Laboratory for Space Research at The University of Hong Kong (HKU-LSR) has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the International Lunar Observatory Association Hawai'i (ILOA) on May 16, 2024, marking a partnership to participate in the ILOA-led Chang'e 7 lunar mission. This mission features a small, wide-field optical telescope named ILO-C. The HKU-LSR telescope design has been selected, and
Tyvak International's Milani Satellite Clears Major Review for Hera Mission
Sunday, 14 July 2024 21:03
Tyvak International SRL, a subsidiary of Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP) and a prominent European nano and microsatellite manufacturer, has announced that Milani has successfully passed its Qualification and Acceptance Review. Delivered in March 2024 to the European Space Agency (ESA), the satellite completed system-level testing with the Hera mothercraft at the ESA's Space Research an
Voyagers of Mars: The First CHAPEA Crew's Yearlong Journey
Sunday, 14 July 2024 21:03When the first humans travel to the Red Planet, they will need to know how to repair and maintain equipment, grow their own food, and stay healthy, all while contending with Earth-to-Mars communication delays. They must also find ways to build comradery and have fun. The first all-volunteer CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) crew accomplished all of that and more durin
Nearby exoplanet could be first known ocean world: Webb telescope
Sunday, 14 July 2024 21:03A planet relatively close to Earth could be the first ever detected with a potentially life-sustaining liquid ocean outside our Solar System, according to scientists using the James Webb space telescope. More than 5,000 planets have been discovered outside of the Solar System so far, but only a handful are in what is called the "Goldilocks zone" - neither too hot or too cold - that could h
Gravitational Waves Linked to Dark Matter and Big Bang Mysteries
Sunday, 14 July 2024 21:03Gravitational waves, ripples in space-time predicted by Einstein almost a century ago, were first detected in 2015. A new study led by Yanou Cui, an associate professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Riverside, suggests that very simple forms of matter could soon generate detectable gravitational wave backgrounds shortly after the Big Bang. "This mechanism of cre
Three EU citizens detained at Russian spaceport
Sunday, 14 July 2024 21:03Three EU citizens were detained this week for illegally entering the Russian-controlled Baikonur Cosmodrome in central Kazakhstan, local authorities said Thursday. The secretive space launch facility in a remote area of the Kazakh steppe has become a magnet for daredevil tourists, many of whom attempt to break into the hangars housing old Soviet-era spacecraft. The three foreigners, two
Surfing NASA's Internet of Animals: Satellites Study Ocean Wildlife
Sunday, 14 July 2024 21:03Anchoring the boat in a sandbar, research scientist Morgan Gilmour steps into the shallows and is immediately surrounded by sharks. The warm waters around the tropical island act as a reef shark nursery, and these baby biters are curious about the newcomer. They zoom close and veer away at the last minute, as Gilmour slowly makes her way toward the kaleidoscope of green sprouting from the island
SpaceX rocket accident leaves company's Starlink satellites in wrong orbit
Saturday, 13 July 2024 07:29A SpaceX rocket has failed for the first time in nearly a decade, leaving the company's internet satellites in an orbit so low that they're doomed to fall through the atmosphere and burn up.
Starlink satellites lost on Falcon 9 upper stage failure
Friday, 12 July 2024 21:50SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket experiences rare failure
Friday, 12 July 2024 20:24SpaceX's highly reliable Falcon 9 rocket has experienced a rare failure that means the latest batch of the company's Starlink satellites won't make it into orbit, the company said Friday, as regulators opened an investigation.
The rocket, a prolific launch vehicle that propels both satellites and astronauts into orbit, blasted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Thursday night, with the first stage performing well and executing its impressive yet now routine droneship landing.
But the second stage developed a liquid oxygen leak, SpaceX said in a statement, leaving it unable to complete a planned second burn.
Virgin Galactic Unveils New Spaceship Manufacturing Facility in Arizona
Friday, 12 July 2024 17:40Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) has announced the completion of a new manufacturing facility in Phoenix, Arizona. This facility will handle the final assembly of the Company's next-generation Delta spaceships, with production slated to start in Q1 2025. The initial team, comprising Virgin Galactic's technical operations and manufacturing personnel, is currently preparing the fa
Leidos secures $476M NASA contract for ISS and Artemis Cargo Support
Friday, 12 July 2024 17:40Leidos (NYSE: LDOS) has been awarded a significant contract to continue providing cargo mission engineering and integration services for NASA's International Space Station (ISS) Program and Artemis campaign. The contract, which holds a total potential value of $476 million, includes a base performance period of two years. The primary work will be conducted at Leidos' facilities in Webster, Texas
i-Space Rocket Test Faces Setback with SQX-1 Y8 Launch
Friday, 12 July 2024 17:40The recent test flight of the SQX-1 Y8, a commercial carrier rocket developed by the Chinese private aerospace firm i-Space, ended in failure on Thursday. The rocket launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 7:40 am Beijing Time. Shortly after liftoff, the SQX-1 Y8 exhibited abnormal performance, leading to an unsuccessful mission. The SQX-1, also known
Hera's Propulsion System Passes Critical Leak Test
Friday, 12 July 2024 17:40ESA's Hera asteroid mission, designed for planetary defense, has successfully undergone a crucial phase in its test campaign by being placed back in its transport container. The spacecraft will remain at the ESTEC Test Centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, until the end of August. During this period, Hera's container was used for a global leak test to confirm the integrity of its propulsio
China's Tianwen 2 Mission Targets Asteroid and Comet Exploration
Friday, 12 July 2024 17:40
China's Tianwen 2 probe is set to launch aboard a Long March 3B rocket in May 2025. This mission aims to collect samples from a near-Earth asteroid and deliver them to Earth, followed by a journey to study a comet in deep space.
The probe's first target is the near-Earth asteroid 469219, known as Kamo'oalewa in Hawaiian. After reaching the asteroid, Tianwen 2 will perform remote sensing