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NASA's mini BurstCube mission detects mega blast
BurstCube, trailed by another CubeSat named SNOOPI (Signals of Opportunity P-band Investigation), emerges from the International Space Station on April 18, 2024. Credit: NASA/Matthew Dominick

The shoebox-sized BurstCube satellite has observed its first gamma-ray burst, the most powerful kind of explosion in the universe, according to a recent analysis of observations collected over the last several months.

"We're excited to collect ," said Sean Semper, BurstCube's lead engineer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "It's an important milestone for the team and for the many early career engineers and scientists that have been part of the ."

The event, called GRB 240629A, occurred on June 29 in the southern constellation Microscopium. The team announced the discovery in a GCN (General Coordinates Network) circular on August 29.

BurstCube deployed into orbit April 18 from the International Space Station, following a March 21 launch.

Q&A: 20 years since the MESSENGER mission

Tuesday, 03 September 2024 19:49
Laurel MD (SPX) Sep 03, 2024
Twenty years ago the MESSENGER mission revolutionized our understanding of Mercury. We sat down with project head and former Carnegie Science director Sean Solomon to talk about how the mission came together and the groundbreaking work it enabled. Q: As the Principal Investigator of the MESSENGER mission, what were your personal highlights or proudest moments throughout the mission's durat
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 30, 2024
Outpost Technologies Corporation (Outpost), a leader in multi-ton Earth return systems aimed at advancing the space economy, has been awarded a $33.2 million, four-year Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) contract by the Air Force Ventures program (AFWERX). This funding will support the development and testing of a scalable heat shield, payload bus, and paragliding system as part of the Joint P
Paris, France (SPX) Sep 03, 2024
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Prospect package, which includes a drill and a miniaturized laboratory, will be heading to the Moon's South Pole as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. This mission aims to uncover volatile substances, including water ice, beneath the lunar surface. NASA has chosen Intuitive Machines for a 2027 mission that will explore the Moon in
Paris, France (SPX) Sep 03, 2024
After a year of rigorous testing, ESA's Hera mission, designed for planetary defense, is set to leave Europe and make its way to its launch site in the USA. The spacecraft, along with its companion CubeSats and additional equipment, was transported from ESA's ESTEC Test Centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, marking a significant milestone for the mission team. Scheduled for lift-off this O
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Aug 30, 2024
Galactic Energy, a private rocket manufacturer based in Beijing, successfully completed the third sea-based launch of its Ceres 1 carrier rocket on Thursday afternoon. To date, China has conducted 12 sea-based launches, utilizing four different rocket types: Long March 11, Smart Dragon 3, Ceres 1, and Gravity 1. "The company said in a news release that the rocket blasted off at 1:22
Paris, France (SPX) Sep 03, 2024
Teams from across ESA and industry have worked continuously over the past four months to overcome a glitch that prevented BepiColombo's thrusters from operating at full power. The ESA/JAXA mission is still on track, with a new trajectory that will take it just 165 km from Mercury's surface on Wednesday. Taking BepiColombo closer to Mercury than it's ever been before, this flyby will reduce
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 30, 2024
Hughes Network Systems, in collaboration with Boost Mobile, both subsidiaries of EchoStar (Nasdaq: SATS), recently demonstrated advanced multi-transport network management capabilities designed to enhance the U.S. Navy's operational resiliency. The successful demonstration, conducted earlier this year, focused on remote network orchestration, wide area network (WAN) resilience, and secure Radio
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 01, 2024
Space Systems Command (SSC) has reached a significant milestone with the successful delivery of the first mission payload for the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (Next-Gen OPIR) sensing in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (NGG). This achievement, announced on Aug. 30, 2024, was made possible through a collaborative effort with Lockheed Martin Space and Raytheon Technologies Corporation.
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 01, 2024
The U.S. Space Force's (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC) has awarded Northrop Grumman a contract to build the second of three planned Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) sites, marking a significant step in the ongoing efforts to bolster space domain awareness. The DARC system is an advanced radar technology designed to track and monitor objects in geosynchronous orbit (GEO), a critical
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 30, 2024
Orbit Communication Systems Ltd. (TASE: ORBI), a key global supplier of maritime and airborne SATCOM terminals, tracking ground station solutions, and mission-critical airborne audio management systems, has secured a $6 million contract with a major Asian integrator. The contract involves the supply of advanced satellite communication systems for new naval military platforms, with deliveries sch
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