Data models point to a potentially diverse metabolic menu at Enceladus
Tuesday, 15 December 2020 19:41
Write a comment
Using data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, scientists at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) modeled chemical processes in the subsurface ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus.
Chinese craft carrying Moon rocks returns to Earth
Tuesday, 15 December 2020 18:40 Write a comment
An unmanned Chinese spacecraft carrying rocks and soil from the Moon returned safely to Earth early Thursday in the first mission in four decades to collect lunar samples, the Xinhua news agency said.
The capsule carrying the samples collected by the Chang'e-5 space probe landed in northern China's Inner Mongolia region, Xinhua said, quoting the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
The agency's director, Zhang Kejian, declared the mission a success, Xinhua said.
With this mission, China became only the third country to have retrieved samples from the Moon, following the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s.
Beijing is looking to catch up with Washington and Moscow after taking decades to match its rivals' achievements and has poured billions into its military-run space programme.
Chang'e-5, named after a mythical Chinese Moon goddess, landed on the Moon on December 1.
Italy orders second pair of Cosmo-SkyMed radar satellites
Tuesday, 15 December 2020 18:38 Write a comment
WASHINGTON —The Italian government has ordered two additional Cosmo-SkyMed radar imaging satellites from Thales Alenia Space and tapped Telespazio to upgrade the constellation’s ground segment under a contract announced Dec. 15.
Thales Alenia Space spokesperson Marija Kovac said the contract provides nearly €300 million ($365 million) to build two second-generation Cosmo-SkyMed satellites scheduled to launch in early 2024 and early 2025 — likely aboard a Vega C or Soyuz rocket.
China recovers Chang’e-5 moon samples after complex 23-day mission
Tuesday, 15 December 2020 18:24 Write a comment
HELSINKI — China has recovered precious lunar samples after a successful reentry and landing of the Chang’e-5 return capsule.
The roughly 300-kilogram Chang’e-5 return capsule performed a ballistic skip reentry at 12:33 p.m.
World's space achievements a bright spot in stressful 2020
Tuesday, 15 December 2020 18:20 Write a comment
Canadian will join Moon mission for first time in 2023
Tuesday, 15 December 2020 18:09 Write a comment
A Canadian astronaut will take part in a lunar mission for the first time in 2023, as part of the NASA-led Artemis project, the minister for innovation, science and industry announced Wednesday.
"I am proud to announce another first: Canada will join the US on the first crewed mission to the Moon since the Apollo mission," the minister, Navdeep Bains, told a press conference.
"This will make Canada only the second country after the US to have an astronaut in deep space."
The mission, Artemis II, will see a crewed test flight sent into orbit in 2023 but will not involve an actual landing on the Moon, according to the US space agency.
White House releases space nuclear power strategy
Tuesday, 15 December 2020 17:30 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — The White House released a new space policy directive Dec. 16 intended to serve as a strategic roadmap for the development of space nuclear power and propulsion technologies.
Space Policy Directive (SPD) 6, titled “National Strategy for Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion,” discusses responsibilities and areas of cooperation among federal government agencies in the development of capabilities ranging from surface nuclear power systems to nuclear thermal propulsion, collectively known as space nuclear power and propulsion (SNPP).
Comspoc embraces startup metality after AGI spinoff
Tuesday, 15 December 2020 16:59 Write a comment
SAN FRANCISCO – Now that it’s spun out of Analytical Graphics Inc., Comspoc operates more like a startup focused on space situational awareness, space domain awareness and space traffic coordination and management than a corporate business unit, Travis Langster, Comspoc vice president and general manager, told SpaceNews.
Comspoc embraces startup mentality after AGI spinoff
Tuesday, 15 December 2020 16:59 Write a comment
SAN FRANCISCO – Now that it’s spun out of Analytical Graphics Inc., Comspoc operates more like a startup focused on space situational awareness, space domain awareness and space traffic coordination and management than a corporate business unit, Travis Langster, Comspoc vice president and general manager, told SpaceNews.
Study of dune dynamics will help scientists understand the topography of Mars
Tuesday, 15 December 2020 16:04 Write a comment
Barchans are crescent-shaped sand dunes whose two horns face in the direction of the fluid flow. They appear in different environments, such as inside water pipes or on river beds, where they take the form of ten-centimeter ripples, and deserts, where they can exceed 100 meters, and the surface of Mars, where they can be a kilometer in length or more.
NGA evaluates Hawkeye 360 data through pilot program
Tuesday, 15 December 2020 14:00 Write a comment
SAN FRANCISCO – Hawkeye 360 is delivering radio frequency data and analytics to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency as part of a pilot program to evaluate the value of the information for intelligence activities.
Hawkeye 360 announced Dec. 16 that it has been supplying data to NGA and the U.S.
Capella Space releases high-resolution Spotlight imagery
Tuesday, 15 December 2020 14:00 Write a comment
SAN FRANCISCO – Capella Space released radar satellite images with a resolution of 50 centimeters by 50 centimeters, which the San Francisco startup says is the highest resolution available from a commercial Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite operator.
The images released Dec.
ESA and CNES sign contract to maintain and modernise Spaceport
Tuesday, 15 December 2020 14:00 Write a comment
ESA will contribute to the maintenance, operations and modernisation of Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana over the period 2020–24.
Op-ed | Space commerce accelerating
Tuesday, 15 December 2020 13:39 Write a comment
Space has forever captured the imagination of people around the world. Starting in the late 1950s, the United States and the Soviet Union recognized the national security importance of space, fueling the initial space race that culminated in the Apollo moon landings.
NASA postpones review of near Earth asteroid detection mission
Tuesday, 15 December 2020 12:21 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — NASA has delayed moving a proposed mission to search for near Earth objects into its next phase of development because of uncertainty about the budget that will be available for it.
NASA had planned to conduct a review known as Key Decision Point (KDP) B this month of the Near Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor spacecraft, a space-based infrared telescope that would search for near Earth asteroids.