SpaceX violated test license terms last year prompting FAA probe
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05Famous entrepreneur and space enthusiast Elon Musk gave the Federal Aviation Administration a piece of his mind on Twitter this Thursday, accusing the agency of having a "fundamentally broken regulatory structure," just after a test flight for Space X's Starship rocket was delayed. Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched a formal investigation into Elon Musk's SpaceX,
Space firm plans first all-private crew for 2022 launch
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05The first private crew, consisting of four astronauts, plans to fly to the International Space Station in January 2022 on a SpaceX mission arranged by Houston-based firm Axiom Space. Former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría, a vice president at Axiom, would be flight commander. Ohio real estate and financial technology entrepreneur Larry Connor, who has flown fighter jets, would be
NASA proceeds with plans for second hot fire test
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05Bay St. Louis MS (SPX) Feb 01, 2021 NASA plans to conduct a second Green Run hot fire test as early as the fourth week in February with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket's core stage that will launch the Artemis I mission to the Moon. The Green Run is a comprehensive assessment of the rocket's core stage prior to launching Artemis missions. While the first hot fire test marked a major
Milestone for Europe's new launcher
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05Europe's new launcher, Ariane 6, is nearing completion. Like its predecessor, Ariane 5, the upper stage of the new European Space Agency (ESA) rocket is being built at ArianeGroup in Bremen. On the night of 28 to 29 January 2021, a fully functional, full-size test model, identical to the model that will be used for Ariane 6 launches, began a very special journey to southern Germany in a transpor
Peering at the Surface of a Nearby Moon
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05Among Jupiter's Galilean moons, icy Europa or volcanic Io often take the spotlight - but their sibling moon Ganymede has plenty of secrets to share. Powerful new millimeter observations have now provided insight into this complex satellite's surface. The frozen, alien landscape of Ganymede contains a little of everything. Shadowy regions of ancient, battered dark terrain are cross-cut by n
Could game theory help discover intelligent alien life
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05New research from The University of Manchester suggests using a strategy linked to cooperative game playing known as 'game theory' in order to maximise the potential of finding intelligent alien life. If advanced alien civilisations exist in our galaxy and are trying to communicate with us, what's the best way to find them? This is the grand challenge for astronomers engaged in the Search
Ball Aerospace completes integration of NASA's IXPE Observatory
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05Ball Aerospace recently completed the spacecraft and payload assembly integration of NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) space-based astrophysics observatory at its Boulder, Colo. facility. Ball will now begin environmental testing of the integrated observatory, which includes all instruments and the spacecraft bus. Scheduled to launch later this year, once on orbit, IXPE will
Earth will soon forever lose its 'second moon', astronomers say
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05NASA has confirmed that the enigmatic object, 2020 SO, is the remains of a Centaur rocket booster from the mid 20th century Space Age, adding that the orbiting space junk can be classified as a mini-moon to our planet. Near-Earth orbiting object 2020 SO, informally dubbed by astronomers "the planet's second moon", is expected to pass at a relatively close distance to our planet on 2 Februa
MDA extends satellite operations capability through contract award by the Canadian Space Agency
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05
MDA will provide spacecraft health monitoring and control, operational analysis, basic system maintenance, data order handling, image quality control and data processing and archiving for the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM), SCISAT and NEOSSat from the CSA's Multi-Mission Control Centre in Longueuil, Quebec.
MDA has partnered with two leading Canadian space firms - Calian Advanced T
EDMO Distributors signs distribution agreement with AvMap Satellite Navigation
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05EDMO Distributors, a global leader in the distribution of avionics and installation supplies, has signed a distribution agreement with AvMap Satellite Navigation. The AvMap company has built a solid reputation as a value-oriented navigation system, with the first units fielded in 1994. The EKP V is a stand-alone moving map display that can be carried on or panel mounted. Customers can add
NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer prepares for environmental testing
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05Despite COVID-19-related hurdles, NASA's newest X-ray astronomy mission is a step closer to launch. Engineers recently completed integration of the agency's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer, or IXPE, at Ball Aerospace in Boulder, Colorado. Now, Ball will put the fully assembled observatory through a series of tests that simulate the harsh conditions the small spacecraft will encounter on its r
Test paves way for new planetary radar
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05The National Science Foundation's Green Bank Observatory (GBO) and National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), and Raytheon Intelligence and Space conducted a test in November to prove that a new radio telescope system can capture high-resolution images in near-Earth space. GBO's Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in West Virginia - the world's largest fully steerable radio telescope - was outfit
Waldrop leads $75M NASA mission to investigate Earth's atmosphere
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05University of Illinois Electrical and Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Lara Waldrop has been selected by NASA to lead the development of a $75 million satellite that ultimately may help protect technology like satellite electronics, radio communication, electric power distribution, and even air travel from the dangers of solar storms. Waldrop's Solar Terrestrial Probes (STP) Scienc
Next SpaceX commercial crew mission to launch in April
Friday, 29 January 2021 23:23WASHINGTON — The second operational SpaceX commercial crew mission to the International Space Station will now launch in mid-April, carrying astronauts from Europe, Japan and the United States.
NASA said Jan. 29 that it set a launch date of April 20 for the Crew-2 mission to the station.
Space Command to expand network of allies that help monitor orbital traffic
Thursday, 28 January 2021 23:34WASHINGTON — To get intelligence about what is happening in orbit, U.S. Space Command works with a close-knit group of allies and private companies.
The command is now looking to expand its network of data-sharing partners as activities in space grow and the Pentagon worries about Chinese weapons targeting U.S.