China to launch first satellites for megaconstellation in August
Thursday, 27 June 2024 09:54House spending bill cuts NASA science and education programs
Thursday, 27 June 2024 09:50Countdown to Hera: launch campaign begins at ESOC
Thursday, 27 June 2024 09:00ESA’s Hera mission is due to launch in October this year on a quest to survey the Didymos binary asteroid system and study the results of the first-ever test of asteroid deflection.
The spacecraft is currently undergoing its final system tests in the Netherlands in preparation for transport to its launch site in the USA. Meanwhile, in Germany, Hera’s Mission Control Team recently began launch preparations of their own.
Proba-2’s glimpse of home
Thursday, 27 June 2024 06:31A first: EarthCARE reveals inner secrets of clouds
Thursday, 27 June 2024 06:00Less than a month after it was launched, ESA’s EarthCARE satellite has returned the first image from one of its instruments – an image that, for the first time from space, unveils the internal structure and dynamics of clouds.
This remarkable first image, captured by the satellite’s cloud profiling radar, offers a mere glimpse of the instrument's full potential once it is fully calibrated.
Space Machines and NewSpace India to Launch Optimus Spacecraft
Thursday, 27 June 2024 05:32Space Machines Company, an Australian-Indian in-space servicing firm, has signed a significant Launch Service Agreement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a government entity under the Department of Space and the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). This collaboration will facilitate the launch of Space Machines Company's second Optimus spacecraft, weighing 450
Ten Thousand active satellites now orbiting Earth
Thursday, 27 June 2024 05:32Look Up Space has reported a significant milestone in space history with over 10,000 active satellites now in orbit. As of June 19, 2024, the company counted 10,019 active satellites, with two-thirds (6,646) belonging to Starlink, SpaceX's satellite constellation founded by Elon Musk. Most of these satellites (9,254) are situated in low-Earth orbits, primarily between 400 and 1,200 kilometers fr
Intelsat and Starfish Space Sign Agreement for Satellite Life Extension
Thursday, 27 June 2024 05:32Intelsat, operator of the world's largest integrated satellite and terrestrial network, has entered into a contract with Starfish Space for the use of a Starfish Otter servicing vehicle to extend the life of an Intelsat geostationary satellite, starting in 2026. This important agreement underscores Intelsat's dedication to employing satellite servicing technologies to enhance the value provided
Moon Base Construction: ESA's Innovative Use of 3D-Printed Space Bricks
Thursday, 27 June 2024 05:32ESA scientists have been exploring how a future Moon base might be built from materials on the lunar surface. Inspired by LEGO building, they have used dust from a meteorite to 3D-print 'space bricks' to test the idea. ESA's space bricks are on display in selected LEGO Stores from 20 June to 20 September, helping to inspire the next generation of space engineers. The idea seems simple. Rat
ND Professor patents 3D printing of spacesuits
Thursday, 27 June 2024 05:32Imagine being an astronaut on NASA's envisioned long-haul flight to Mars, and the unthinkable happens: components on your spacesuit break. Given that Mars is roughly 140 million miles from Earth, getting replacement parts or a new suit is not an option. But Pablo de Leon, chair of UND's Department of Space Studies, has come up with a system to manufacture spacesuits and other parts while o
Predicting bodily changes in astronauts through blood sample analysis
Thursday, 27 June 2024 05:32The acceleration of space exploration, spurred by astronaut recruitment and private space travel, signals a future where space travel becomes more common. However, many questions remain about the physical changes humans experience in space. Known effects of weightlessness include muscle atrophy, reduced bone density, and fluid distribution changes. Recent research on mice and other organis
NASA picks SpaceX to carry ISS to its watery graveyard after 2030
Thursday, 27 June 2024 03:35NASA on Tuesday said it had picked SpaceX to build a vessel to carry the International Space Station back through Earth's atmosphere and on to a final resting place in the Pacific Ocean after it is retired in 2030. Elon Musk's company has been awarded a contract with a potential value of $843 million to develop and deliver the spaceship, dubbed the US Deorbit Vehicle. "Selecting a US Deo
20 Years after 'Hyper-X', UVA team makes NASA hypersonic breakthrough
Thursday, 27 June 2024 03:35What if the future of space travel were to look less like Space-X's rocket-based Starship and more like NASA's "Hyper-X," the hypersonic jet plane that, 20 years ago this year, flew faster than any other aircraft before or since? In 2004, NASA's final X-43A unmanned prototype tests were a milestone in the latest era of jet development - the leap from ramjets to faster, more efficient scram
Perseverance Engineers Revive SHERLOC Instrument on Mars Rover
Thursday, 27 June 2024 03:35After six months of diligent effort, the SHERLOC instrument on NASA's Perseverance Mars rover is operational again, enabling the rover to continue its search for ancient microbial life. The SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) instrument recently analyzed a rock target with its spectrometer and camera for the first time since enco
Surprising phosphate discovery in Bennu asteroid sample
Thursday, 27 June 2024 03:35Scientists have eagerly anticipated the analysis of the 4.3-ounce (121.6-gram) pristine asteroid Bennu sample collected by NASA's OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security - Regolith Explorer) mission since it arrived on Earth last fall. Researchers hoped this material would reveal secrets of the solar system's past and the prebiotic chemistry that could