ESA leads the way towards a Zero Debris future
Thursday, 14 December 2023 11:00ESA announces two new directors
Thursday, 14 December 2023 11:00Two new senior staff have been appointed by ESA’s 22 Member States at today’s Council meeting. Laurent Jaffart will become the next Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications and Marco Ferrazzani will become the next Director of Internal Services.
NASA's Space Station Laser Comm Terminal Achieves First Link
Thursday, 14 December 2023 10:11A NASA technology experiment on the International Space Station completed its first laser link with an in-orbit laser relay system on Dec. 5, 2023. Together, they complete NASA's first two-way, end-to-end laser relay system. NASA's LCRD (Laser Communications Relay Demonstration) and the new space station demonstration, ILLUMA-T (Integrated LCRD Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Term
Rocket Lab Sets Launch Date for iQPS's 'The Moon God Awakens' Mission
Thursday, 14 December 2023 10:11In a significant development in the realm of space launches and Earth observation, Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (NASDAQ: RKLB), a global leader in launch services, is gearing up for its 42nd Electron mission. Scheduled no earlier than December 15, 2023, between 17:00 - 19:00, the mission, aptly named "The Moon God Awakens," is set to lift off from Pad B at Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. T
UK's Orbex secures funding for carbon-neutral spaceport development
Thursday, 14 December 2023 10:11In a significant step towards advancing sustainable spaceflight, UK-based Orbex has secured a GBP3.3 million grant from the UK Space Agency as part of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Boost! initiative. This initiative is a component of ESA's Commercial Space Transportation Services and Support program, aimed at propelling the development of leading-edge space launch technologies. This su
NASA's Webb identifies tiniest free-floating brown dwarf
Thursday, 14 December 2023 10:11Using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have identified the new record-holder for the smallest object that forms like a star: a tiny, free-floating brown dwarf with only three to four times the mass of Jupiter. Brown dwarfs are objects that straddle the dividing line between stars and planets. They form like stars, growing dense enough to collapse under their own gravity, but
Eutelsat OneWeb set to revolutionize Libyan telecommunication services
Thursday, 14 December 2023 10:11Eutelsat Group (Paris:ETL) (LSE:ETL), a global satellite communications leader and the first to operate both Geostationary (GEO) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, has announced a groundbreaking exclusive distribution agreement with Rawafed Libya for Telecommunications and Technology (RLTT), a prominent Libyan telecom operator. This partnership, which marks a significant expansion in Eutelsat
Spire Global secures major EUMETSAT contract for satellite weather data
Thursday, 14 December 2023 10:11Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR), a leader in space-powered data and analytics, has been awarded a significant contract by EUMETSAT, the European meteorological satellite agency. This multi-million euro deal, spanning an initial period of two years from 2024 to 2026 with potential extensions, marks a significant step in advancing weather forecasting capabilities. The contract, which include
Northrop Grumman tests enhanced GMD system in missile defense demonstration
Thursday, 14 December 2023 10:11Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC), a key player in defense technology, has recently supported a crucial test of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, conducted by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). This test, known as FTG-12, showcased the capabilities of a stage selectable Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) missile system, which engaged with an air-launched Intermediate Range Balli
Hydrosat Secures Contract with NRO for Thermal Imagery Evaluation
Thursday, 14 December 2023 10:11Hydrosat, a leader in thermal infrared data and analytics, has announced a significant advancement in its operations. The company has been awarded a 2.5-year contract by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), under the Strategic Commercial Enhancements (SCE) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Commercial Electro-Optical Capabilities (CEC) Focus Area. This contract represents a key collaboration b
EUCOM, AFRICOM, Space Force activate new service component command
Thursday, 14 December 2023 10:11U.S. European Command, U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Space Force officially activated the U.S. Space Forces Europe and Africa component command at a ceremony in Ramstein, Germany, Dec. 8, 2023. USSPACEFOR-EURAF is the newest service component under EUCOM and AFRICOM with their permanent headquarters at Ramstein Air Base. EUCOM and AFRICOM are the latest combatant commands to establish a spa
China's space program: Five things to know
Thursday, 14 December 2023 08:40When Chang'e-3 became the first Chinese craft to land on the moon 10 years ago, it kicked off nationwide celebrations—and a decade of major successes for a rapidly accelerating space program.
Since the December 14, 2013 landing, China has built a crewed space station, sent a robotic rover to Mars and become the first nation to make a controlled landing on the far side of the moon.
President Xi Jinping has described building China into a space power as "our eternal dream".
Here are five things to know about this space program:
A slow start
Chinese leader Mao Zedong declared his nation's space ambitions soon after the Soviet Union launched the world's first satellite, Sputnik 1, in 1957.
It took 13 years for China to launch its first satellite Dong Fang Hong, or "The East is Red"—named after the famous Communist revolutionary song it broadcast from orbit.
Amazon seeks dismissal of Project Kuiper launch contract lawsuit
Thursday, 14 December 2023 07:51New instruments for Galileo’s tomorrow
Thursday, 14 December 2023 07:05Galileo Second Generation is on the way with new and enhanced navigation satellites that will offer novel signals, services and even more precise positioning. But all the work being done to make it happen hinges on this single item at ESA’s Navigation Laboratory at ESTEC. The G2 test user receiver is designed to quantify the improvements the Second Generation will bring compared to current satellite navigation systems and will be used to verify the performance of early receivers processing the first G2 signals in space.