Xona scales up LEO navigation constellation plans in Canada
Saturday, 28 September 2024 18:57
SpaceX launches rescue mission to return stranded astronauts
Saturday, 28 September 2024 18:48
A SpaceX rocket soared into the sky Saturday with two passengers on board, leaving two seats empty to return American astronauts who have been stranded for months on the International Space Station, NASA said.
The Falcon 9 rocket took off at 1:17 pm (1717 GMT) from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It used a new launch pad, the pad's first use for a crewed mission.
"Congrats to @NASA and @SpaceX on a successful launch," NASA chief Bill Nelson said in a post on X. "We live in an exciting period of exploration and innovation in the stars."
On board were NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov.
When they return from the space station in February, they will bring back two space veterans—Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams—whose stay on the ISS was prolonged for months by problems with their Boeing-designed Starliner spacecraft.
Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
Saturday, 28 September 2024 18:38
Europe has embarked on the mission to put humans back on the Moon with a new lunar simulator launched in Germany, French astronaut Thomas Pesquet told AFP.
Pesquet was at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cologne on Wednesday to test out LUNA, a facility built to resemble the surface of the Moon.
The 46-year-old astronaut, a national icon in France for his missions to the Internationa Falcon 9 sends new crew to ISS on first crewed launch from SLC-40
Saturday, 28 September 2024 16:31
Anduril lands $25 million contract to upgrade aging space surveillance network
Saturday, 28 September 2024 10:26
BlackSky to equip its future satellites with military-compatible laser terminals
Saturday, 28 September 2024 08:43
Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky sun flypast
Saturday, 28 September 2024 08:28
A comet is expected to risk having its tail clipped on Friday by flying perilously close to the sun, promising fireworks next month should it survive the fraught flypast.
Astronomers believe the Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet has been hurtling headfirst through the void of space towards the center of the solar system for millions of years.
Named for the Chinese observatory and South African program which detected and confirmed its existence in 2023, the ball of rock and ice may have formed at a distance up to 400,000 times that between Earth and the sun, models suggest.
Up till now, you had to be in the southern hemisphere to hope to see it with the naked eye.
But on Friday evening it is projected to cross as close to the sun as it will get, before returning towards Earth.
Government faces risk of inaction in first space hostage situation, warns think tank
Friday, 27 September 2024 19:22
The Center for the Study of Space Crime, Piracy, and Governance (CSCPG), a nonpartisan research group, has released a report titled 'What Will Happen in the First Space Hostage Crisis?' that explores the United States government's likely response to a space-based hostage incident. The report raises concerns about potential government paralysis due to current military and intelligence community ( AFRL awards $7.2M contract to Packet Digital for advanced space power systems
Friday, 27 September 2024 19:22
Packet Digital has been awarded a $7.2 million contract extension from the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) to develop scalable power systems for space applications. This follows an initial $8 million contract where the company successfully delivered a high-efficiency SmallSat power converter with a 98% efficiency rate. The new contract will allow Packet Digital to expand this technology to support GMV to lead development of communications hub for EU's GOVSATCOM program
Friday, 27 September 2024 19:22
The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) has awarded multinational technology firm GMV a key contract to lead a consortium responsible for designing, developing, and deploying the Communications Hub for the EU's GOVSATCOM programme. The consortium also includes Indra and Hisdesat as critical partners.
This contract is the culmination of a competitive bidding process that i Space ISAC initiates Phase II planning to strengthen global space threat monitoring
Friday, 27 September 2024 19:22
The Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Space ISAC) has announced the commencement of Phase II planning for its Operational Watch Center, an initiative that aims to enhance the industry's ability to monitor and respond to the increasing threats to global space systems. This development is being funded through a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The key focus of Lunar dust dynamics: Unveiling the charging properties and particle behavior of Chang'e-5 samples in an electric field
Friday, 27 September 2024 16:46
A study published in Engineering has shed new light on the behavior of lunar regolith particles under the influence of an external electric field, a discovery that could revolutionize space exploration and lunar resource utilization. The research, conducted by a collaborative team of scientists from the Qian Xuesen Laboratory of Space Technology, Tsinghua University, and other institutions, focuses on the charging properties and particle dynamics of lunar samples brought back by China's Chang'e-5 mission.
Sentinel-2C satellite captures detailed lunar image during calibration
Friday, 27 September 2024 16:04
On 20 September, the Copernicus Sentinel-2C satellite captured a remarkable image of the Moon by executing a sideways roll. While Sentinel-2C is primarily intended for observing Earth, this particular image - part of a calibration process - surpassed expectations.
With a resolution of approximately 5 km, the image highlights significant lunar features, including the Copernicus Crater, Tych Veteran Ventures Capital invests in Agile Space Industries
Friday, 27 September 2024 16:04
Veteran Ventures Capital (VVC), a firm focused on investing in dual-use national security technology companies led by veterans, announced a strategic investment in Agile Space Industries. Agile specializes in developing advanced chemical propulsion systems for satellites and spacecraft, including thrusters and rocket engines, which are designed, 3D printed, and tested in-house. This investment i ISS Crew-9 will conduct research into genetics, cardiac health, and space farming
Friday, 27 September 2024 16:04
NASA's Crew-9 mission, part of its Commercial Crew Program, is preparing to launch to the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday, September 28, 2024. During their five-month stay, the crew will conduct a range of scientific investigations, many of which are supported by the ISS National Laboratory. Crew-9 is set to launch aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft "Freedom" from Cape Canaveral S