Astronomers want your help hunting for asteroids
Friday, 19 May 2023 06:50Anyone can become an asteroid hunter thanks to a new program launched by astronomers at the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. As part of the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey, the scientists created an online portal that opens their mission - the discovery and identification of space rocks that regularly visit Earth's neighborhood - to the general public. While gazing up
Remotely waiting in Gale: Sols 3832-3833
Friday, 19 May 2023 06:50Earth planning date: Wednesday, May 17, 2023. As I'm writing this, it's about 8:30 pm on sol 3831 in Gale crater: ~16 hours after our SAM instrument ran its EGA experiment (which Abigail described so clearly in yesterday's blog!). While we were able to confirm the success of the Ubajara drill sample drop-off to SAM and the start of the EGA, our first communication with Earth after the EGA
Perseverance captures view of Mars' Belva Crater
Friday, 19 May 2023 06:50The Mastcam-Z instrument aboard NASA's Perseverance Mars rover recently collected 152 images while looking deep into Belva Crater, a large impact crater within the far larger Jezero Crater. Stitched into a dramatic mosaic, the results are not only eye-catching, but also provide the rover's science team some deep insights into the interior of Jezero. "Mars rover missions usually end up expl
NASA releases new solar eclipse educational materials
Friday, 19 May 2023 06:50To help learners of all ages understand how to safely observe the Oct. 14, 2023, annular solar eclipse and the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse, NASA has released a new set of resources for educators. My NASA Data, in collaboration with the NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (NASA HEAT), has released a new set of resources for educators centered around solar eclipses. My NASA Da
Chinese astronomers transform understanding of Milky Way's spiral structure
Friday, 19 May 2023 06:50Chinese astronomers have recently transformed our understanding of the spiral structure of the Milky Way. They determined that it is more like a common multiple-arm galaxy, rather than a special galaxy with four spiral arms extending from its inner parts to its outer parts. Largely speaking, there are three types of spiral galaxies in the universe. Grand-design spiral galaxies are characte
Advanced Space completes 6-month CAPSTONE primary mission at the Moon for NASA
Friday, 19 May 2023 04:00Advanced Space's pioneering commercial satellite has completed its primary 6-month mission operating in the Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) that will be utilized by the Gateway lunar space station. CAPSTONE's enhanced mission will continue to focus on demonstrating lunar operations and navigation technology. To mark the end of the Primary Mission, Advanced Space is providing an update on the
Space missions set to improve solar storm forecasts
Friday, 19 May 2023 04:00Satellites launched into outer space could send back improved warnings of dangerous solar storms thanks to a breakthrough in the way scientists use space weather measurements. Experts from the University of Reading have found that using satellite data that is less reliable but is returned to Earth rapidly can be used to improve the accuracy of solar wind forecasts - which are harmful strea
GPR announces Series A funding on back of customer traction
Friday, 19 May 2023 04:00GPR, the world's only provider of Ground Positioning Radar, have announced it has secured an undisclosed amount of Series A funding led by top technology investor Rhapsody Venture Partners. GPR's technology enables precise - centimeter level - vehicle localization in all visibility circumstances. Precise localization is an unresolved issue for vehicles in limited visibility environments su
Arlula secures $2.2 million in seed funding to enable global space data access
Friday, 19 May 2023 04:00Australian space tech startup Arlula reports it has raised AUD$2.2 million (USD$1.5 million) to expand access to Earth Observation (EO) data and imagery, allowing individuals, small businesses and large enterprises alike to harness its full potential. The funding was led by Main Sequence, Australia's deep tech investment fund founded by CSIRO, with participation from Black Nova Venture Cap
Accenture invests in SpiderOak to elevate satellite communications security in space
Friday, 19 May 2023 04:00Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has made a strategic investment, through Accenture Ventures, in SpiderOak, a leader in zero-trust cybersecurity and resiliency solutions for next generation space systems. Based in Reston, Virginia, SpiderOak's OrbitSecure product suite brings zero trust security to zero gravity environments. OrbitSecure leverages a powerful combination of no-knowledge encryption and distri
Umbra and Ursa Space empower global market with advanced SAR Analytics
Friday, 19 May 2023 04:00Ursa Space Systems, a leader in satellite intelligence, and Umbra, a leader in advanced space radar technology, have jointly announced that they are partnering to bring advanced synthetic aperture radar (SAR) analytics to a global market through Ursa's suite of subscription and custom intelligence products. The two companies first teamed up to serve customers in late 2022 when Umbra initia
Inmarsat announces FreeWave as Global IoT partner
Friday, 19 May 2023 04:00Inmarsat, a world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, has announced FreeWave Technologies - a leading Internet of Things (IoT) solutions provider - as a Distribution Partner for its L-band satellite IoT services. The partnership, signed at this week's IoT Tech Expo in Santa Clara, California, will focus on the integration of Inmarsat's IsatData Pro (IDP) service in FreeWave'
PLD Space prepares for suborbital test launch
Thursday, 18 May 2023 22:21Spanish launch startup PLD Space plans to conduct a suborbital launch before the end of the month to test technologies for its small orbital launch vehicle.
An innovative heat shield that doesn't need to be replaced between missions
Thursday, 18 May 2023 16:30A revolution in space manufacturing is coming. Enabled by cheaper launch costs, companies are scrambling to take advantage of easier access to the benefits space offers as a manufacturing environment. These include a constant vacuum, near absolute zero temperatures, and a lack of any significant gravity. These features would enable easier processing and manufacturing of hundreds of products, from pharmaceuticals to metal alloys. The tricky part is getting them back down to Earth, where they can be used.
A company based in the U.K. recently revealed what they think is a viable solution for that. Space Forge, which is developing a reusable manufacturing platform for use in space, recently discussed their Pridwen heat shield. The most remarkable thing about this new heat shield is it's reusable.
Typical heat shields, such as those used on the Apollo missions and even on the more modern Dragon capsules from SpaceX, are "ablative.
Space Force delivers second U.S. payload to be hosted on Japanese satellite
Thursday, 18 May 2023 15:05The U.S. Space Force announced May 17 it has delivered the second of two payloads to be hosted on Japanese satellites under an agreement the United States signed with Japan in 2020.