US spaceship lying sideways after dramatic Moon touchdown
Saturday, 24 February 2024 21:24
Washington (AFP) Feb 24, 2024
The first American spaceship to the Moon since the Apollo era is probably lying sideways following its dramatic landing, the company that built it said Friday, even as ground controllers work to download data and surface photos from the uncrewed robot.
The Odysseus spacecraft landed near the lunar south pole Thursday at 6:23 pm Eastern Time (2323 GMT), after a nail-biting final descent when

America returns spaceship to the Moon, a private sector first
Friday, 23 February 2024 19:54
Washington (AFP) Feb 23, 2024
For the first time since the Apollo era, an American spaceship has landed on the Moon: an uncrewed commercial robot, funded by NASA to pave the way for US astronauts to return to Earth's cosmic neighbor later this decade.
Odysseus, built by Houston-based Intuitive Machines, touched down near the lunar south pole Thursday at 2323 GMT, after a nail-biting final descent where flight controllers

'Live and Let Fly': Rocket Lab's inaugural NRO launch from Wallops, Virginia
Friday, 23 February 2024 19:54
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 22, 2024
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (NASDAQ: RKLB), a leader in space launch services, is set to enhance its partnership with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) through a groundbreaking launch from U.S. territory. Scheduled for a launch window opening on March 20th, 2024, the mission, dubbed NROL-123 or 'Live and Let Fly', marks a significant milestone as Rocket Lab's first NRO mission launched from Laun

SpaceX reportedly moving with inital Starshield contracts with DOD
Friday, 23 February 2024 19:54
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Feb 22, 2024
In a landmark development, Elon Musk's aerospace behemoth, SpaceX, is reportedly fortifying its engagement with U.S. intelligence and military entities through a classified satellite initiative named Starshield based on the Starlink broadband satellite network. This move underscores the ongoing expansion of SpaceX's national defense portfolio, beyond its civilian and commercial space ventures.

U.S. Space Force successfully concludes VICTUS NOX Tactically Responsive Space mission
Friday, 23 February 2024 19:54
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 21, 2024
The U.S. Space Force, in partnership with Millennium Space Systems, a Boeing Company (NYSE: BA), has successfully concluded the VICTUS NOX mission, setting a new benchmark in Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) capabilities. This mission underscores a significant leap in the ability to swiftly deploy space assets, from conception to operational deployment, enhancing space domain awareness and re

NUVIEW Acquires AI Firm Astraea to transforming geospatial intelligence
Friday, 23 February 2024 19:54
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 21, 2024
In a strategic move poised to redefine the landscape of Earth observation and geospatial intelligence, NUVIEW, a frontrunner in the development of the world's inaugural commercial LiDAR satellite constellation, has announced the acquisition of Astraea, Inc. This merger marks a significant milestone in NUVIEW's ambition to create a high-throughput Earth observation data superhighway, leveraging A

Stitch3D is powering a new wave of 3D data collaboration
Friday, 23 February 2024 19:54
Boston MA (SPX) Feb 22, 2024
Workers are increasingly using 3D files to do things like assess construction projects, understand damage from natural disasters, map out crime scenes, and more. But as the importance of 3D files has grown, the problems associated with sharing, analyzing, and even viewing them have become more apparent.
The issue is that many popular cloud service providers aren't compatible with 3D files.

Axiom Space and UK Space Agency seek innovative projects for upcoming mission
Friday, 23 February 2024 19:54
London, UK (SPX) Feb 21, 2024
The UK Space Agency has announced the opening of two new funding calls, targeting science experiments and technology demonstrators, as part of the groundwork for a possible collaboration with Axiom Space. This initiative could see a team of four British astronauts embarking on a commercially-sponsored mission, potentially to the International Space Station (ISS).
This announcement is a sig

Trinity Capital commits $120 million in equipment financing to Rocket Lab
Friday, 23 February 2024 19:54
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 21, 2024
Trinity Capital Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIN), a financier for growth-stage companies, has announced a strategic move by committing $120 million in equipment financing to Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (NASDAQ: RKLB), a leading figure in the space launch services and advanced satellite technology domain. This significant financial infusion is poised to bolster Rocket Lab's manufacturing, testing, and research and d

SunSketcher Project Calls for Volunteers to Chart the Sun's True Shape During 2024 Eclipse
Friday, 23 February 2024 19:54
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 22, 2024
In an initiative poised to reshape our understanding of the celestial sphere we orbit, the SunSketcher project invites amateur astronomers and curious minds alike to partake in a unique scientific endeavor. By leveraging the collective power of citizen scientists during the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, the project aims to delve into one of astronomy's longstanding questions: What is the

Multi-orbit SATCOM solution by Hughes selected for AFRL's DEUCSI initiative
Friday, 23 February 2024 19:54
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 22, 2024
Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes), an EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS) affiliate, has secured a pivotal contract from SES Space and Defense, a subsidiary of SES, to deliver a sophisticated, software-defined satellite communications (SATCOM) solution tailored for the US Air Force's Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI) program. This initiative, under the guidance

UK has 'confidence' in nuclear system despite misfire
Friday, 23 February 2024 19:54
London (AFP) Feb 21, 2024
The UK government said Wednesday that it had "absolute confidence" in its Trident nuclear deterrent system despite a reported missile test failure.
Defence minister Grant Shapps admitted to parliament that "an anomaly did occur" during an exercise on January 30, following reports that a missile fired from the submarine HMS Vanguard fell into the sea.
Shapps said in the written statement

Putin says 'categorically against' putting nuclear weapons in space
Friday, 23 February 2024 19:54
Moscow (AFP) Feb 20, 2024
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that he was opposed to sending nuclear weapons to space, dismissing US accusations that Moscow was developing a space-based anti-satellite weapon.
Washington said last week it was worried Russia was developing the system while saying it posed no immediate threat to people on Earth.
"We have always been categorically against putting nuclear w

New techniques uncover ancient biomass secrets in Australian rocks
Friday, 23 February 2024 19:54
Gottingen, Germany (SPX) Feb 22, 2024
Researchers from the University of Gottingen have shed new light on the Earth's earliest life forms by analyzing ancient rocks from the Pilbara Craton in Western Australia, one of the few places on Earth where the primordial crust is still accessible. These rocks, approximately 3.5 billion years old, contain carbonaceous particles that offer clues to the microorganisms which inhabited our planet

MIT researchers remotely map crops, field by field
Friday, 23 February 2024 19:54
Boston MA (SPX) Feb 21, 2024
Crop maps help scientists and policymakers track global food supplies and estimate how they might shift with climate change and growing populations. But getting accurate maps of the types of crops that are grown from farm to farm often requires on-the-ground surveys that only a handful of countries have the resources to maintain.
Now, MIT engineers have developed a method to quickly and ac
