D-Orbit enters GEO in-orbit servicing market
Monday, 14 October 2024 11:00In milestone, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
Monday, 14 October 2024 10:59SpaceX on Sunday successfully flew the first-stage booster of its Starship megarocket back to the launch pad after a test flight, a technical tour de force that furthers the company's quest for rapid reusability. The "super heavy booster" had blasted off attached to the uncrewed Starship rocket minutes earlier, then made a picture-perfect controlled return to the same pad in Texas, where a p
Navigation tech for the future of mobility
Monday, 14 October 2024 10:49Where would we be without our GNSS-enabled car navigation systems or navigation apps on our smartphone? Space technology, particularly global navigation satellite systems like the European Galileo, is the backbone of today's mobility and transport.
But are current technologies and systems enough to meet the evolving mobility needs of the future? The European Space Agency is closely monitoring emerging technology trends and staying ahead of the curve, designing and developing the future of Galileo and EGNOS, and conceiving new missions and programmes so that European space technology continues to serve the demands of an increasingly interconnected and mobile world.
ESA to build first in-orbit servicing mission with D-Orbit
Monday, 14 October 2024 09:30ESA has taken another important step on the road towards sustainability in space with its first in-orbit servicing mission RISE. A €119 million contract was signed with D-Orbit as the co-funding prime contractor.
Living Planet Symposium 2025: time for abstracts
Monday, 14 October 2024 09:00ESA’s Living Planet Symposium 2025 will take place from 23–27 June 2025 at the Austria Center Vienna, Austria. As this prestigious event approaches, now is the time to submit your abstracts for a chance to present your research on topics related to Earth observation from space, with a special focus on the theme: From Observation to Climate Action and Sustainability for Earth.
Hera’s first images offer parting glimpse of Earth and Moon
Monday, 14 October 2024 07:30ESA’s Hera mission for planetary defence has taken its first images using three of the instruments that will be used to explore and study the asteroids Dimorphos and Didymos.
French startup gets state-backed seed funds for VLEO broadband constellation
Monday, 14 October 2024 06:00Juice and Europa Clipper: Dream team to Jupiter
Monday, 14 October 2024 06:00What’s better than one spacecraft on the quest to search for life-friendly ocean worlds in the Jupiter system? Two! ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) is set to join forces with NASA’s Europa Clipper – launched on 14 October – to tackle one of the biggest questions in Solar System science.
In a first, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
Monday, 14 October 2024 00:15SpaceX successfully "caught" the first-stage booster of its Starship megarocket Sunday as it returned to the launch pad after a test flight, a world first in the company's quest for rapid reusability. The "super heavy booster" had blasted off attached to the Starship rocket minutes earlier, then made a picture-perfect controlled return to the same pad in Texas, where a pair of huge mechanica
Space-made aluminium weld analyzed at ESA lab
Monday, 14 October 2024 00:15ESA engineers have closely examined an aluminium weld produced in space, marking a historic achievement as the first autonomous welding conducted in orbit, and the first of its kind involving ESA. The weld, just one centimeter in size, was produced using electron beam welding during an experiment initiated by ThinkOrbital, a US startup. This weld, created aboard a spacecraft launched via a
Parry Labs wins contract from US Space Force to modernize digital spaceports
Monday, 14 October 2024 00:15Parry Labs has secured a Direct to Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from the U.S. Space Force (USSF) as part of its "Digital Spaceport of the Future" challenge. This initiative focuses on enhancing spaceport operations with cutting-edge digital solutions. Out of over 150 submitted proposals, Parry Labs was one of 12 companies chosen for this contract, issued thro
First MetOp Second-Generation Satellite Completed with Sibling Undergoing Tests
Monday, 14 October 2024 00:15The first MetOp Second Generation-A satellite (MetOp-SG-A1) has been fully assembled and is scheduled for launch next year, while its companion, MetOp-SG-B1, is undergoing stringent testing to ensure it can withstand the harsh conditions of space. MetOp-SG is an advanced continuation of the original MetOp satellites, designed in three successive pairs of A-type and B-type satellites. Each
First Satellite Greenhouse Gas Plumes Identified with NASA-Designed Instrument
Monday, 14 October 2024 00:15Data collected by the Tanager-1 satellite, using technology designed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), has led to the first detections of methane and carbon dioxide emissions. The nonprofit Carbon Mapper released these findings, showing methane plumes in Pakistan and Texas, and a carbon dioxide plume in South Africa. Carbon Mapper's goal is to pinpoint greenhouse gas emissions fro
The ZEUS Project to harness solar energy in space with nanowire technology
Monday, 14 October 2024 00:15The University of Malaga (UMA) is collaborating in an international consortium to advance the collection and transmission of solar energy in space through the 'ZEUS' project, part of the Horizon EIC Pathfinder Challenges. This European project, coordinated by Lund University in Sweden, has been awarded nearly euro 4 million to develop innovative nanowire solar cells designed to operate in the h