Hera asteroid spacecraft assembled
Sunday, 27 August 2023 08:56Hera is complete. ESA's asteroid mission for planetary defence was built and prepared in two halves, but now, through a painstaking operation, they have been mated together to make a single spacecraft, ready for full-scale testing of its readiness for space. The mating took place at OHB Bremen in Germany, with Hera's Core Module raised more than 3 m above its Propulsion Module then gradual
India and the global race to the Moon
Sunday, 27 August 2023 08:56India made history as the first country to land near the south pole of the Moon with its Chandrayaan-3 lander on Aug. 23, 2023. This also makes it the first country to land on the Moon since China in 2020. India is one of several countries - including the U.S. with its Artemis program - endeavoring to land on the Moon. The south pole of the Moon is of particular interest, as its surface, m
NASA, Partners study ancient life in Australia to inform Mars search
Sunday, 27 August 2023 08:56NASA is working with its international partners to study the ancient Earth as it relates to Mars. In June 2023, NASA's Mars Exploration Program leaders joined their counterparts from the Australian Space Agency, ESA (European Space Agency), and the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) on a field expedition to visit some of the oldest convincing ev
Mysterious Neptune dark spot detected from Earth for the first time
Sunday, 27 August 2023 08:56Using ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have observed a large dark spot in Neptune's atmosphere, with an unexpected smaller bright spot adjacent to it. This is the first time a dark spot on the planet has ever been observed with a telescope on Earth. These occasional features in the blue background of Neptune's atmosphere are a mystery to astronomers, and the new results provide furt
First geosynchronous orbit SAR satellite enters working orbit
Sunday, 27 August 2023 08:56China's recently-launched L-SAR4 01 satellite, the world's first geosynchronous (high Earth orbit) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite stepping into the project implementation stage, has entered its working orbit with its SAR antenna successfully deployed, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The L-SAR4 01 satellite, sent into space on Aug. 13, has entered its
How being in space impairs astronauts' immune system
Sunday, 27 August 2023 08:56A new study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden has examined how T cells of the immune system are affected by weightlessness. The results, which are published in the journal Science Advances, could explain why astronauts' T cells become less active and less effective at fighting infection. The next steps in the exploration of space are human missions to the moon and to Ma
Bioprinting tech could address critical health challenges in space
Sunday, 27 August 2023 08:56New research by The University of Manchester will enhance the power of bioprinting technology, opening doors to transform advances in medicine and addressing critical health challenges faced by astronauts during space missions. Bioprinting involves using specialised 3D printers to print living cells creating new skin, bone, tissue or organs for transplantation. The technique has the
India's rover sends mission's first photos from moon's south pole
Sunday, 27 August 2023 08:56India took another step in solidifying its historic status on the moon's south pole, sharing the Chandrayaan-3 mission's first photos of the surface. The 57-pound Pragyaan rover slid down a ramp deployed by the Vikram lander Wednesday and will now start its scientific work of roaming around rocks and material and analyzing them for researchers back on Earth. Researchers believe water tr
Japan's 'Moon Sniper' mission looks to match Indian success
Sunday, 27 August 2023 08:56Hot on the heels of India's historic lunar landing, Japan's space programme is hoping to rebound from a string of setbacks next week with the launch of its own mission: "Moon Sniper". The rocket will carry a lander expected to reach the Moon's surface in four to six months as well as an x-ray imaging satellite designed to investigate the evolution of the universe. The launch is scheduled
Tomorrow.io announces first weather report from space-based radar
Sunday, 27 August 2023 08:56Joining the likes of NASA, weather intelligence company Tomorrow.io said Thursday its radar satellites have the unique ability to monitor precipitation intensity from space. "This achievement places Tomorrow.io alongside NASA and JAXA (The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) as the only entities to have ever taken such measurements from orbit," the company announced. Tomorrow.io
NASA selects geology team for the first crewed Artemis landing
Sunday, 27 August 2023 08:56NASA has selected the geology team that will develop the surface science plan for the first crewed lunar landing mission in more than 50 years. NASA's Artemis III mission will land astronauts, including the first woman to land on the Moon, near the lunar South Pole to advance scientific discovery and pave the way for long-term lunar exploration. "Science is one of the pillars of Artemis,"
New crew for the space station launches with 4 astronauts from 4 countries
Sunday, 27 August 2023 05:02Four astronauts from four countries rocketed toward the International Space Station on Saturday.
They should reach the orbiting lab in their SpaceX capsule Sunday, replacing four astronauts living up there since March.
A NASA astronaut was joined on the predawn liftoff from Kennedy Space Center by fliers from Denmark, Japan and Russia. They clasped one another's gloved hands upon reaching orbit.
India first to land near moon south pole after Russia fails
Saturday, 26 August 2023 11:40India became the first country to land a spacecraft near the moon's south pole after Russia's attempt at a lunar touch down in the same area ended in failure following an engine malfunction.
Chandrayaan-3—India's spacecraft that launched last month—achieved a soft landing at 6:04 p.m. local time on Wednesday, after Russia's Luna-25 crashed into the moon on Sunday. A rover, named Pragyan, or wisdom, is set to analyze the chemical makeup of the moon's surface and search for water over the course of one lunar day, which is equivalent to 14 days on Earth.
India is the second country, along with China, to have an operating rover on the moon.
A successful touch down lifts India's prestige in the global space race, after the country suffered a setback from a failed moon mission in 2019. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to bolster the country's place among the world's space faring nations and in June India signed the Artemis Accords, a U.S.