La Soufrière volcano: before-and-after
Friday, 16 April 2021 10:30
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False-colour images captured by Copernicus Sentinel-2 show the aftermath of the explosive volcanic eruption that took place on 9 April 2021 on the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent. Earth from Space: Space Coast, Florida
Friday, 16 April 2021 07:00 Write a comment
On 22 April 2021, on Earth Day, Thomas Pesquet is planned to return to the International Space Station for his second mission, Alpha. Ahead of his launch, the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Cape Canaveral, USA, in a region known as the Space Coast.
SpaceX, NASA give 'go' for astronaut launch, 3rd for Dragon
Friday, 16 April 2021 06:42 Write a comment
NASA spacecraft leaves mess after grabbing asteroid samples
Friday, 16 April 2021 06:41
NASA spacecraft leaves its mark after grabbing asteroid Bennu samples
Friday, 16 April 2021 06:41Science Marches on: International Space Station update
Friday, 16 April 2021 05:52 Write a comment
The first quarter of 2021 flew by almost as fast as the International Space Station itself. Get up to speed with some March highlights from our orbital outpost as an astronaut prepares to be launched into space on a Dragon.
NASA delays starting contract with SpaceX for Gateway cargo services
Thursday, 15 April 2021 21:51 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — More than a year after selecting SpaceX to deliver cargo to the lunar Gateway, NASA has yet to formally start that contract as it performs a broader review of its Artemis program.
NASA announced in March 2020 that it awarded a contract to SpaceX for the agency’s Gateway Logistics Services program to transport cargo to the lunar Gateway.
LeoLabs adding new services to support growing space activity in low Earth orbit
Thursday, 15 April 2021 20:28 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — Space object-tracking startup LeoLabs is adding more sensors and data processing capacity to its network in preparation for a surge in satellites launches in the coming years, the company’s CEO said April 15.
Top EU court rejects European Aviation Network challenge, but legal action continues
Thursday, 15 April 2021 19:54 Write a comment
TAMPA, Fla. — Inmarsat’s competitors have vowed to continue pursuing legal action to block its hybrid satellite and cellular European Aviation Network (EAN), after the European Union’s highest court rejected their challenge.
Consortium unveils greenhouse gas monitoring constellation Carbon Mapper
Thursday, 15 April 2021 15:52 Write a comment
SAN FRANCISCO – A consortium led by the State of California, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Planet announced plans April 15 for a constellation of hyperspectral satellites to pinpoint, quantify and track point sources of methane and carbon dioxide.
Peering through the clouds of Earth's 'Evil Twin' surprises NRL sky watchers
Thursday, 15 April 2021 15:44
Space law is an important part of the fight against space debris
Thursday, 15 April 2021 12:40 Write a comment
Space is getting crowded. More than 100 million tiny pieces of debris are spinning in Earth orbit, along with tens of thousands of bigger chunks and around 3,300 functioning satellites.
Large satellite constellations such as Starlink are becoming more common, infuriating astronomers and baffling casual skywatchers. In the coming decade, we may see many more satellites launched than in all of history up to now.
Collisions between objects in orbit are getting harder to avoid. Several technologies for getting space debris out of harm's way have been proposed, most recently the plan from Australian company Electro Optic Systems (EOS) to use a pair of ground-based lasers to track debris and "nudge" it away from potential collisions or even out of orbit altogether.
Tools like this will be in high demand in coming years. But alongside new technology, we also need to work out the best ways to regulate activity in space and decide who is responsible for what.
Active debris removal
EOS's laser system is just one of a host of "active debris removal" (ADR) technologies proposed over the past decade.
Satellite imagery key to powering Google Earth
Thursday, 15 April 2021 12:00 Write a comment
One of the most comprehensive pictures of our changing planet is now available to the public. Thanks to the close collaboration between Google Earth, ESA, the European Commission, NASA and the US Geological Survey, 24 million satellite photos from the past 37 years have been embedded into a new layer of Google Earth – creating a new, explorable view of time on our planet.
Galileo sunspot sketches versus modern 'deep learning' AI
Thursday, 15 April 2021 11:29 Write a comment
It's a fascinating thought to consider.
What exactly did the Sun look like, centuries ago? What would we see, if astronomers back in the time of Kepler and Galileo had modern technology monitoring the Sun across the electromagnetic spectrum, available to them?
Thanks to modern artificial intelligence, there may be a way to actually 'see' just what state the Sun was in, way back in those days of yore. A recent study, titled "Generation of Modern Satellite Data from Galileo Sunspot Drawings in 1612 by Deep Learning" out February 2021 in the Astrophysical Journal of the American Astronomical Society used an innovative set of deductions to compare sketches of sunspots with modern views from ground and space-based observations. The study was led by Harim Lee from Kyung Hee University in the Republic of South Korea.
Galileo and the Sun
Sunspot records represent one of the longest sets of astronomical data available, going all the way back to Chinese observations in 1128 A.D.
Iceye establishes U.S. headquarters and manufacturing facility in Irvine, California
Thursday, 15 April 2021 11:00 Write a comment
SAN FRANCISCO – Iceye has established a satellite manufacturing facility, research and development laboratory, and mission operations center for U.S.-licensed spacecraft at its new Iceye U.S. headquarters in Irvine, California.
“A huge part of our nation’s space industrial base and centers for innovation are located here in Southern California,” Jerry Welsh, Iceye U.S.