Space Force goal of a multi-vendor space network called impractical
Monday, 02 October 2023 17:39
NASA's New Horizons to continue exploring outer solar system
Monday, 02 October 2023 16:38
NASA has announced an updated plan to continue New Horizons' mission of exploration of the outer solar system.
Beginning in fiscal year 2025, New Horizons will focus on gathering unique heliophysics data, which can be readily obtained during an extended, low-activity mode of operations.
While the science community is not currently aware of any reachable Kuiper Belt object, this new path allows for the possibility of using the spacecraft for a future close flyby of such an object, should one be identified. It also will enable the spacecraft to preserve fuel and reduce operational complexity while a search is conducted for a compelling flyby candidate.
"The New Horizons mission has a unique position in our solar system to answer important questions about our heliosphere and provide extraordinary opportunities for multidisciplinary science for NASA and the scientific community," said Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "The agency decided that it was best to extend operations for New Horizons until the spacecraft exits the Kuiper Belt, which is expected in 2028 through 2029.
To study atmosphere, NASA rockets will fly into October eclipse's shadow
Monday, 02 October 2023 15:49
A NASA sounding rocket mission will launch three rockets during the 2023 annular eclipse in October to study how the sudden drop in sunlight affects our upper atmosphere.
On Oct. 14, 2023, viewers of an annular solar eclipse in the Americas will experience the sun dimming to 10% its normal brightness, leaving only a bright "ring of fire" of sunlight as the moon eclipses the sun.
Let the robot take the wheel: Autonomous navigation in space
Monday, 02 October 2023 15:44
Tracking spacecraft as they traverse deep space isn't easy. So far, it's been done manually, with operators of NASA's Deep Space Network, one of the most capable communication arrays for contacting probes on interplanetary journeys, checking data from each spacecraft to determine where it is in the solar system.
As more and more spacecraft start to make those harrowing trips between planets, that system will not be scalable. So engineers and orbital mechanics experts are rushing to solve this problem—and now a team from Politecnico di Milano has developed an effective technique that would be familiar to anyone who has seen an autonomous car.
Visual systems are at the heart of most autonomous vehicles here on Earth, and they are also the heart of the system outlined by Eleonora Andreis and her colleagues.
Massive low-Earth orbit communications satellites could disrupt astronomy
Monday, 02 October 2023 14:00
Observations of the BlueWalker 3 prototype satellite show it is one of the brightest objects in the night sky, outshining all but the brightest stars.
Astronomers have raised concerns that without mitigation, groups of large satellites could disrupt our ability to observe the stars from Earth and perform radio astronomy.
Several companies are planning "constellations" of satellites—groups of potentially hundreds of satellites that can deliver mobile or broadband services anywhere in the world.
However, these satellites need to be in "low-Earth" orbit and can be relatively large, so their potential to disrupt night-sky observations is a concern.
Now, an international team of scientists led by astronomers from the IAU Center for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference (CPS) and including Imperial College London researchers, have published a paper in Nature assessing the detailed impact of the prototype BlueWalker 3satellite on astronomy.
Media briefing: Findings of the Independent Enquiry Commission on Vega-C test
Monday, 02 October 2023 10:52
Video:
00:42:00
Media briefing on the findings of the Independent Enquiry Commission tasked with analysing the results of the static-firing test of the Vega-C Zefiro 40 motor, which took place on 28 June 2023.
The press briefing was held on 2 October 2023 with ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher presenting the results of the investigation, with ESA Inspector General and chair of the Independent Enquiry Commission Giovanni Colangelo; Avio CEO Giulio Ranzo, Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël, and ESA’s Director of Space Transportation Toni Tolker-Nielsen.
During the briefing, ESA and its partners presented the findings of the enquiry commission, together with an
Webb’s wide-angle view of the Orion Nebula is released in ESASky
Monday, 02 October 2023 09:00
New images of the Orion Nebula from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have been included in ESA’s ESASky application, which has a user-friendly interface to visualise and download astronomical data.
Scientists prove that antimatter falls at the same rate as matter
Monday, 02 October 2023 06:33
Early on in science classes all over the world, students drop diverse things to learn how gravity works and learn how outside forces might affect the rate of fall. But the science of falling goes well beyond the bowling ball and feather experiment. Einstein's theory of relativity is still being studied, applied and proven a multitude of ways today. For instance, the Antihydrogen Laser Physics Ap NASA selects four small explorer mission concept studies
Monday, 02 October 2023 06:33
NASA has selected four small explorer missions to conduct concept studies. These studies aim to expand knowledge of the dynamics of the Sun and related phenomena, such as coronal mass ejections, aurora, and solar wind to better understand the Sun-Earth connection.
Any missions selected to move forward after the concept studies are conducted will join the current heliophysics mission fleet, German tech factory reveals antenna prototype-ngVLA will open a new window into the Universe
Monday, 02 October 2023 06:33
Usually it's Octoberfest that draws a crowd to Germany this time of year. For hundreds of folks gathered at mtex antenna technology in Schkeuditz, it's a first look at a prototype radio telescope that may one day be part one of the world's largest and most sensitive radio telescopes in the world, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's (NRAO) next generation Very Large Array (ngVLA). The prot Your Interactive Guide to the 2023 Annular Solar Eclipse
Sunday, 01 October 2023 21:39
Have you ever wondered how to track an eclipse down to the exact second? NASA has you covered! As the countdown to the highly anticipated Oct. 14, 2023, annular solar eclipse continues, NASA is proud to unveil the Eclipse Explorer - an interactive map designed to enhance your eclipse-viewing experience. Crafted to complement our existing static eclipse maps, this tool enables users to dive into China's solar telescope array officially completed
Sunday, 01 October 2023 21:39
The Daocheng Solar Radio Telescope, a solar telescope array in southwest China, passed key testing on Wednesday, marking the official completion of the world's largest synthesis aperture radio telescope, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
The CAS said that the telescope array is a landmark equipment of the country's space environment ground-base comprehensive monitoring ne Eutelsat and OneWeb combination world's first GEO-LEO Operator
Sunday, 01 October 2023 21:39
Eutelsat Communications SA (Euronext Paris: ETL) has announced the completion of its all-share combination with OneWeb, the global low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications network, following the approval at the Ordinary and Extraordinary General Meeting of Eutelsat shareholders. This combination forms Eutelsat Group.
The Company remains headquartered in Paris. OneWeb will be a subsid