NASA's Perseverance Rover obtains first rock core
Friday, 03 September 2021 02:22
Data received late Sept. 1 from NASA's Perseverance rover indicate the team has achieved its goal of successfully coring a Mars rock. The initial images downlinked after the historic event show an intact sample present in the tube after coring.
However, additional images taken after the arm completed sample acquisition were inconclusive due to poor sunlight conditions. Another round of ima Exchange of lunar samples between NASA, China unlikely in near future
Friday, 03 September 2021 02:22
The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is not planning to share its lunar samples with China, although there are no amendments explicitly prohibiting such cooperation, NASA chief scientist Jim Green said.
"Currently, there's no plans to create a bilateral arrangement with China on the exchange of samples," Green said at a Tuesday meeting of the Lunar Exploration Analys Asteroid Ryugu in opposition to Hayabusa2
Friday, 03 September 2021 02:22
New analysis of Hayabusa2 data of the asteroid Ryugu reveals much of the surface reflects and scatters light in ways that are consistent with studies of carbonaceous chondrite meteorites in the lab. This research looks specifically at data taken while Ryugu was in opposition to the spacecraft and Sun, and utilizes Hayabusa2's near infrared spectrometer, NIRS3, and Optical Navigation Camera, ONC, Fengyun 3E weather satellite captures first images of sun
Friday, 03 September 2021 02:22
Pictures will help forecasters predict interruption of communication on Earth
The Fengyun 3E weather satellite has captured its first test pictures of the sun, offering improved assistance in predicting solar activities and their impact on Earth and space weather.
"With the images, we will better forecast and instantly warn people and authorities of impacts on Earth from solar activi New augmented reality applications assist astronaut repairs to Space Station
Friday, 03 September 2021 02:22
Most often, communications delays between the International Space Station crew and ground are nearly unnoticeable as they are routed from one Tracking and Data Relay Satellite to another as the station orbits about 250 miles above Earth. As NASA prepares to explore the Moon, about 240,000 miles away, and eventually Mars, which averages about 245 million miles away, NASA is developing tools to in D-Orbit signs with HyImpulse Technologies for EU mission
Friday, 03 September 2021 02:22
Space logistics and transportation company D-Orbit announced the signing of an agreement with HyImpulse Technologies aiming at a joint launch and deployment mission that will leverage HyImpulse's SL1 launcher and D-Orbit's ION Satellite Carrier.
SL1 is a three-stage hybrid rocket designed to transport to LEO satellites of up to 500 kg. ION Satellite Carrier (ION) is D-Orbit's proprietary o US grounds Virgin Galactic after trajectory issue
Friday, 03 September 2021 02:22
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday said it was grounding space flights by Virgin Galactic while it investigates why the company's July 11 voyage carrying Richard Branson deviated from its planned trajectory.
The move represents a blow to the private space company as it prepares to carry paying customers following its first fully-crewed test flight.
It is now unc Firefly Alpha explodes during first launch
Friday, 03 September 2021 01:37
Firefly Aerospace’s first launch of its Alpha rocket ended in failure when the rocket exploded two minutes after liftoff Sept. 2
FAA grounds SpaceShipTwo after problem on July flight
Thursday, 02 September 2021 21:46
The Federal Aviation Administration will not allow Virgin Galactic to resume flights of its SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane until it completes an investigation into a problem on the vehicle’s previous flight in July.
Rocket Lab expands spacecraft component production
Thursday, 02 September 2021 20:47
Rocket Lab announced Sept. 1 that it is expanding production of satellite components to meet demand from companies developing satellite constellations.
Redwire completes SPAC merger
Thursday, 02 September 2021 19:45
Space technology company Redwire announced Sept. 2 that it closed its merger with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC), taking the company public and providing it with capital for future acquisitions.
GAO continues to criticize DoD’s management of narrowband satellite communications
Thursday, 02 September 2021 19:05
The U.S. military’s narrowband communications satellites are oversubscribed and there is insufficient capacity to meet the needs of users, says a new report by the Government Accountability Office.
NASA works to give satellite swarms a hive mind
Thursday, 02 September 2021 18:47
Swarms of small satellites could communicate amongst themselves to collect data on important weather patterns at different times of the day or year, and from multiple angles. Such swarms, using machine learning algorithms, could revolutionize scientists' understanding of weather and climate changes.
Engineer Sabrina Thompson is working on software to enable small spacecraft, or SmallSats, to communicate with each other, identify high-value observation targets, and coordinate attitude and timing to get different views of the same target.
"We already know that Saharan dust blowing over to the Amazon rainforests affects cloud formation over the Atlantic Ocean during certain times of the year," said Thompson, who works at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Examining asteroid Ryugu in opposition to Hayabusa2: A starkly lit distribution of dust and rock
Thursday, 02 September 2021 18:32
New analysis of Hayabusa2 data of the asteroid Ryugu reveals much of the surface reflects and scatters light in ways that are consistent with studies of carbonaceous chondrite meteorites in the lab.
NASA Mars rover may have snagged 1st rock sample for return
Thursday, 02 September 2021 18:28