Testing radar to peer into Jupiter's moons
Thursday, 23 December 2021 12:59
A 1:18 scale model of Juice, ESA's spacecraft to explore the Jupiter system, is being employed to test its radar antenna.
The working version of the RIME instrument (Radar for Icy Moons Exploration), incorporating a 16-m long version of the straight 'dipole' boom seen here under the model spacecraft, will probe up to 9 km deep under the surfaces of the gas giant's main "Galilean' moons.
The testing took place in ESA's Hertz (Hybrid European RF and Antenna Test Zone) chamber based at ESA's ESTEC technical heart in the Netherlands.
Metal walls screen outside radio signals, while spiky foam interior cladding absorbs radio signals internally to create conditions simulating the infinite void of space.
This chamber's hybrid nature makes it unique: Hertz can assess radio signals from antennas either on a local 'near-field' basis or as if the signal has crossed thousands of kilometers of space, allowing it to serve all kinds of satellites and antenna systems.
A scaled model of the #JUICE Radar antenna is under characterization test @TestCentre.
Northrop and Raytheon complete Next Generation Interceptor review
Thursday, 23 December 2021 12:25
The Northrop Grumman and Raytheon Technologies Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) team has completed its System Requirements Review (SRR) and is proceeding with initial system design, further risk reduction testing, and critical component qualification activities.
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) approved the SRR, which was completed ahead of schedule, and is the first major technical revie Kepler Communications announces testing of Aether Network with Spire Global
Thursday, 23 December 2021 12:25
Kepler Communications has signed a contract with Spire Global to launch a test of Kepler's Aether network. This will serve as an initial test bed for Kepler's Aether service and will also help Spire evaluate how the technology can support its goal to collect accurate, timely and global data.
Announced at Satellite 2021, Aether is the fulfilment of Kepler's mission to enable the space econo On they march as China records 401st flight of Long March rocket family
Thursday, 23 December 2021 12:25
China launched a relay satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern China early on Tuesday morning, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the nation's major space contractor.
A Long March 3B carrier rocket blasted off at 0:09 am and then deployed the Tianlian II-02 satellite into orbit, the State-owned company said in a statement. The mission marke Deadliest period in Earth's history was also the stinkiest
Thursday, 23 December 2021 12:25
Tiny microbes belching toxic gas helped cause - and prolong - the biggest mass extinction in Earth's history, a new study suggests. Generally, scientists believe Siberian volcanos spitting greenhouse gases primarily drove the mass extinction event about 250 million years ago, at the end of the Permian period. The gases caused extreme warming, which in turn led 80% of all marine species, as well L3Harris Completes Delivery of Imagers for NOAA's Advanced Environmental Satellites
Thursday, 23 December 2021 12:25
L3Harris Technologies has delivered its fourth imager to NASA, completing the series of advanced weather sensors for NOAA's newest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) and lays the groundwork for future imager programs.
The fourth Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) will be integrated into the GOES-U satellite, slated to launch in 2024, and will be operated by NOAA.
T DARPA Announces Forecasting Floats in Turbulence Challenge Winners
Thursday, 23 December 2021 12:25
The mystery of knowing where the proverbial message in a bottle thrown overboard in the open sea will eventually wash ashore has not been solved. But DARPA's recent Forecasting Floats in Turbulence (FFT) challenge took an exploratory first step toward trying to understand the turbulent convergence of wind, waves, and currents on the surface of the ocean - and its effect on objects floating at se Japanese billionaire urges elites to visit space after ISS trip
Thursday, 23 December 2021 12:25
Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa on Wednesday urged the world's elites to visit space to give them a new perspective of Earth, speaking after his own voyage to the International Space Station.
Together with assistant Yozo Hirano and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, Maezawa spent 12 days aboard the ISS, where they made videos documenting daily life in space for his one million YouTube subscr UAP: SkyCAM Searches the Sky
Thursday, 23 December 2021 12:25
Time and again, people see strange luminous phenomena or other phenomena in the sky that they cannot explain.
"Most of these observations concern known phenomena or objects such as birds, aircraft, satellites or clouds. But for a very small proportion, the cause remains unexplained even after intensive investigation by experts," says Hakan Kayal, Professor for Space Technology at Julius-Ma Honeywell, SES and Hughes demonstrate Multinetwork Airborne Connectivity
Thursday, 23 December 2021 12:25
Honeywell, SES and Hughes have successfully demonstrated multinetwork, multiorbit high-speed airborne connectivity for military customers, a technological breakthrough that will enable government and military personnel to communicate between the ground and air more efficiently and securely than ever. Honeywell's JetWave MCX broadband satellite communication (SATCOM) solution, using an HM-series USSF's EPS-R Program on Schedule for Historic Polar Mission
Thursday, 23 December 2021 12:25
A unique partnership with Norway and the U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command will extend satellite communications for U.S. polar forces and save taxpayers millions of dollars.
SSC's Enhanced Polar Systems-Recapitalization (EPS-R) program successfully completed the ready-to-ship review at the end of September for the first of two payloads to begin the integration process onto Space Nor Crypto entrepreneur to go to space on New Shepard
Thursday, 23 December 2021 10:50
A controversial Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur revealed he submitted the high bid for a seat on Blue Origin’s first crewed suborbital launch earlier this year and, after missing that flight, is buying a dedicated New Shepard flight in 2022.
Long March 7A launches classified Shiyan-12 satellites
Thursday, 23 December 2021 10:33
China launched a new-generation Long March 7A rocket Thursday, successfully sending a pair of Shiyan-12 test satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbit.
JWST launch marks only the start of a risky deployment process
Thursday, 23 December 2021 08:42
While the impending launch of the James Webb Space Telescope has astronomers both excited and nervous, the liftoff marks only the beginning of the riskiest part of the mission.
Propellant leak forces Sherpa tug off SpaceX rideshare mission
Thursday, 23 December 2021 07:05
A Sherpa tug has been removed from an upcoming SpaceX rideshare mission after its propulsion system developed a leak, forcing Spaceflight to find new rides for 10 cubesats.