Canopy wins Air Force contracts to develop thermal protection systems
Thursday, 05 September 2024 12:00Blue Origin set to test fire New Glenn stage at Canaveral launch pad
Thursday, 05 September 2024 11:50Blue Origin has only 40 days to go to be ready for its first launch of its heavy lift New Glenn rocket, but has a lot of boxes to tick before liftoff.
That includes a test fire in the coming days of the rocket's second stage, which the company rolled out to the pad Tuesday at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Launch Complex 36.
Jeff Bezos' rocket company is targeting Oct. 13 for liftoff of NG-1, a mission to send a pair of satellites built by fellow rocket company RocketLab on a mission for NASA to Mars called ESCAPADE, which stands for Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers.
"We're looking forward to firing up those two BE-3Us on New Glenn's second stage in a few days," the company posted on X after the hardware's trip to the pad.
When it launches, the second stage and its engines will be tasked with deploying the twin ESCAPADE spacecraft on an 11-month trip to the Red Planet where they will study Mars' plasma and magnetic fields.
The launch, though, will be the culmination of years of development for New Glenn, which is constructed at Blue Origin's nearby factory on Merritt Island.
Senegal among new members of China’s ILRS moon base project
Thursday, 05 September 2024 10:30Small, harmless asteroid burns up in Earth's atmosphere over the Philippines
Thursday, 05 September 2024 07:09A small asteroid discovered on Wednesday harmlessly burned up in Earth's atmosphere the same day, NASA said.
The asteroid—about 3 feet (1 meter) across—was spotted by astronomers in Arizona and broke apart over the coast of the Philippines hours after the discovery.
This space rock, dubbed 2024 RW1, is only the ninth to have been spotted before its impact. Asteroids around this size hurtle toward Earth about every two weeks without posing any danger.
The asteroid was discovered through the Catalina Sky Survey, which is run by the University of Arizona and funded by NASA.
Sentinel-2C launch highlights
Thursday, 05 September 2024 06:00The Copernicus Sentinel-2C satellite lifted off on 5 September at 03:50 CEST (4 September 22:50 local time) aboard the last Vega rocket, flight VV24, from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
Sentinel-2C will continue the legacy of delivering high-resolution data that are essential to Copernicus – the Earth observation component of the EU Space Programme. Developed, built and operated by ESA, the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission provides high-resolution optical imagery for a wide range of applications including land, water and atmospheric monitoring.
Sentinel-2C was the last liftoff for the Vega rocket – after 12 years of service this was the final
Sentinel-2C joins the Copernicus family in orbit
Thursday, 05 September 2024 02:15The third Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite launched today aboard the final Vega rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Sentinel-2C will continue providing high-resolution data that is essential to Copernicus – Europe’s world leading Earth observation programme.
Sentinel-2C launched into orbit on 5 September at 03:50 CEST (4 September 22:50 local time) and separated from the Vega rocket at approximately 04:48 CEST.
Final original Vega launches Sentinel-2C
Thursday, 05 September 2024 02:01Last Vega with Sentinel-2C on the launch pad
Thursday, 05 September 2024 00:37SpaceX satellites with Tesat terminals achieve first laser data exchange for U.S. military
Wednesday, 04 September 2024 21:06NASA prepares for Starliner return from ISS
Wednesday, 04 September 2024 20:36NASA admits tension with Boeing over space rescue plan
Wednesday, 04 September 2024 19:02NASA admitted on Wednesday there was "tension" during meetings with Boeing executives about how to bring home two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station, but denied reports of shouting matches.
The US space agency is enlisting SpaceX to rescue the astronauts because of safety concerns with Boeing's Starliner capsule, which encountered thruster malfunctions and helium leaks on its way to the orbital outpost.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched in June for what was meant to be around a weeklong stay, but they now aren't expected back until February 2025 when the SpaceX Crew-9 mission returns.
Astronaut's 'science of opportunity' experiments help prepare for launch to the International Space Station
Wednesday, 04 September 2024 18:57Science ideas are everywhere. Some of the greatest discoveries have come from tinkering and toying with new concepts and ideas. NASA astronaut Don Pettit is no stranger to inventing and discovering. During his previous missions, Pettit has contributed to advancements for human space exploration aboard the International Space Station resulting in several published scientific papers and breakthroughs.
Pettit, accompanied by cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, will launch to the orbiting laboratory in September 2024. In preparation for his fourth spaceflight, read about previous "science of opportunity" experiments Pettit performed during his free time with materials readily available to the crew or included in his personal kit.
Space Force defends plan to buy smaller, cheaper satellites to reinforce GPS
Wednesday, 04 September 2024 18:47Boeing will fly its empty capsule back to Earth soon. Two NASA astronauts will stay behind
Wednesday, 04 September 2024 17:45Boeing will attempt to return its problem-plagued capsule from the International Space Station later this week—with empty seats.
NASA said Wednesday that everything is on track for the Starliner capsule to undock from the space station Friday evening. The fully automated capsule will aim for a touchdown in New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range six hours later.
NASA's two stuck astronauts who flew up on Starliner will remain behind at the orbiting lab. They'll ride home with SpaceX in February, eight months after launching on what should have been a weeklong test flight. Thruster trouble and helium leaks kept delaying their return until NASA decided that it was too risky for them to accompany Starliner back as originally planned.
"It's been a journey to get here and we're excited to have Starliner return," said NASA's commercial crew program manager Steve Stich.
NASA's Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will close the hatches between Starliner and the space station on Thursday. They are now considered full-time station crew members along with the seven others on board, helping with experiments and maintenance, and ramping up their exercise to keep their bones and muscles strong during their prolonged exposure to weightlessness.
To make room for them on SpaceX's next taxi flight, the Dragon capsule will launch with two astronauts instead of the usual four.