This desert moss has the potential to grow on Mars
Thursday, 04 July 2024 16:56The desert moss Syntrichia caninervis is a promising candidate for Mars colonization thanks to its extreme ability to tolerate harsh conditions lethal to most life forms. The moss is well known for its ability to tolerate drought conditions, but researchers report June 30 in the journal The Innovation that it can also survive freezing temperatures as low as -196C, high levels of gamma radiation,
Geoscientists dig into why we may be alone in the Milky Way
Thursday, 04 July 2024 16:56New research by University of Texas at Dallas geoscientist Dr. Robert Stern and a colleague suggests a geological explanation for why conclusive evidence for advanced extraterrestrial (ET) civilizations has not been found, even though the Drake equation predicts that there should be many such civilizations in our galaxy capable of communicating with us. In a study published online April 12
Dhruva Space partners with Kinis to provide space-based IoT connectivity in India
Thursday, 04 July 2024 16:56In a groundbreaking initiative to fortify global satellite connectivity, full-stack Space Engineering solutions provider Dhruva Space and France-based satellite operator global IoT connectivity provider Kinis have strengthened their collaboration to introduce Kinis IoT connectivity in India, and to launch a Kinis IoT payload on Dhruva Space P-30 satellite. This partnership is focused on Dh
Icesat-2 Resumes Data Collection After Solar Storms
Thursday, 04 July 2024 16:56the space agencys ICESat-2 satellite returned to science mode on June 21 UTC, after solar storms in May caused its height-measuring instrument to go into a safe hold. The ICESat-2 team restarted the missions instrument, a lidar called the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS), which is once again collecting precise data on the height of Earths ice, water, forests and land cover. No
Indonesia aims to build cutting-edge spaceport but faces obstacles
Thursday, 04 July 2024 16:56Indonesia aims to launch 19 satellites into low-Earth orbit next year, part of an ambitious plan to move the country into the forefront of the world's growing space industry and reduce its reliance on other countries for its satellite data. The broader program, known as the 2045 space map, is set to begin next year. Officials hope to boost Indonesia's economy and drive foreign direct inves
Firefly Aerospace launches NASA-sponsored cubesats
Thursday, 04 July 2024 14:31Ariane 6 first flight timeline
Thursday, 04 July 2024 14:21EarthCARE offers a sneak peek into Earth’s energy balance
Thursday, 04 July 2024 14:20Offering a foretaste of what’s to come once it is fully commissioned, ESA’s EarthCARE satellite has returned the first images from its broadband radiometer instrument. These initial images offer a tantalising glimpse into the intricacies of our planet’s energy balance – a delicate balance that governs our climate.
Ariane 6 launch: how to watch and what to look out for
Thursday, 04 July 2024 14:09Airbus secures $2.5 billion German military satellite contract
Thursday, 04 July 2024 13:42Engineers send 3D printer into space
Thursday, 04 July 2024 13:30Imagine a crew of astronauts headed to Mars. About 140 million miles away from Earth, they discover their spacecraft has a cracked O-ring. But instead of relying on a dwindling cache of spare parts, what if they could simply fabricate any part they needed on demand?
A team of Berkeley researchers, led by Ph.D. student Taylor Waddell, may have taken a giant leap toward making this option a reality. On June 8, they sent their 3D printing technology to space for the first time as part of the Virgin Galactic 07 mission.
Their next-generation microgravity printer—dubbed SpaceCAL—spent 140 seconds in suborbital space while aboard the VSS Unity space plane. In that short time span, it autonomously printed and post-processed a total of four test parts, including space shuttles and benchy figurines from a liquid plastic called PEGDA.
"SpaceCAL performed well under microgravity conditions in past tests aboard parabolic flights, but it still had something to prove," said Waddell.
A concentrated beam of particles and photons could push us to Proxima Centauri
Thursday, 04 July 2024 13:00Getting to Proxima Centauri b will take a lot of new technologies, but there are increasingly exciting reasons to do so. Both public and private efforts have started seriously looking at ways to make it happen, but so far, there has been one significant roadblock to the journey—propulsion.
To solve that problem, Christopher Limbach, now a professor at the University of Michigan, is working on a novel type of beamed propulsion that utilizes both a particle beam and a laser to overcome that technology's biggest weakness.
SpaceX completes Starlink launch, brings Direct to Cell satellite total to 103
Thursday, 04 July 2024 12:32SpaceX early Wednesday launched a new round of Starlink satellites into orbit in its first launch for the month of July after it saw a slight delay. The liftoff at pad 40 took place in at 4:55 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida after a 2-hour delay. The Falcon 9 rocket carried with it 20 Starlink satellites that were successfully put into space above Eart
Orbit Fab Delivers First Grip In-space Refueling Nozzle Following Successful Testing
Thursday, 04 July 2024 12:32Orbit Fab has announced the completion of testing of its refueling payload and testing of the GRIP capture and active in-space refueling nozzle with automated docking, which eliminates the need for complex robotic arms for refueling. After completing rigorous GRIP testing and in-space refueling simulations, Orbit Fab has successfully retired major technical risks ahead of key government an
PLD Space invests 10 million euros in MIURA 5 launch complex in French Guiana
Thursday, 04 July 2024 12:32The launcher company PLD Space has announced an investment of 10 million euros in MIURA 5 Launch Complex at Guiana Space Center (CSG), Europe's spaceport in Kourou (French Guiana), owned by the French Space Agency (CNES) and the European Space Agency (ESA). With the first launch of its rocket at the end of 2025, PLD Space will become the first non-institutional launch operator that will go to or