NASA confirms more than 5,000 planets outside the solar system
The total number of confirmed planets in the universe ticked past 5,000 this week with the addition of 65 exoplanets, NASA says.
The space agency said the confirmed planets are just a small fraction of the billions of planets the Milky Way likely holds. That number only increases when considering galaxies outside our own.
The newly added exoplanets - worlds that exist outside ou Spacewalk tools with Thomas and Shane
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Use the right tool for the job is an often heard saying for any technician, or home hobbyist, and in spaceflight the advice counts double. When astronauts head on a spacewalk outside the International Space Station their tool belt is analysed, choreographed, prepared and checked in detail.
Many tools are made to measure, but in addition they are ordered on the tool belt to be easy to access at the time needed. When everything floats each tool is tethered to the spacewalk suit as well.
In this video ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet is reciting the tools he and NASA
PSN orders Indonesia-focused satellite from Boeing for 2023 launch
Indonesia’s Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN) said March 23 it has ordered a high-throughput satellite from Boeing to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in 2023.
The post PSN orders Indonesia-focused satellite from Boeing for 2023 launch appeared first on SpaceNews.
Ursa Space raises $16 million in Series C round
Ursa Space, a geospatial and analytics company, raised $16 million in a Series C round led by Dorilton Ventures.
The post Ursa Space raises $16 million in Series C round appeared first on SpaceNews.
Firefly raises $75 million as it prepares for second launch
Launch vehicle developer Firefly Aerospace has raised $75 million in a new funding round as the company, now under new ownership, prepares for a second launch of its Alpha rocket this spring.
The post Firefly raises $75 million as it prepares for second launch appeared first on SpaceNews.
Blaming inflation, SpaceX raises Starlink and launch prices
SpaceX has raised prices for both its Starlink broadband service and for dedicated and rideshare launches, in some cases by up to 20%, citing inflation.
The post Blaming inflation, SpaceX raises Starlink and launch prices appeared first on SpaceNews.
Australia wants a space industry. So why won't we pay for the basic research to drive it?
In the past few years, Australia has formed its own space agency and launched a defense "space command". Billions of dollars for defense, and hundreds of millions for civilian space, have been allocated from the public purse to develop capability in this growing sector.
This funding covers the Moon-to-Mars Program, the SmartSat Cooperative Research Center, the Modern Manufacturing Initiative, opportunities in defense, various state-funded projects such as SA-SAT, and more.
This level of investment is unquestionably a good thing. But the great majority of it supports applied research and engineering, and commercialization of outcomes. None of the new funding goes to basic research.
In the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, India, South Korea, China, Russia, and United Arab Emirates—to name a few—basic research in space and planetary science, and science missions, are key elements in strategies to grow their sectors. In Australia, this kind of fundamental work only gets around A$2 million a year. It hasn't budged in a decade.
Why basic research is important
Turning astronaut waste into fuel on Mars
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Turning astronaut waste into fuel on Mars Gaia finds parts of the Milky Way much older than expected
Using data from ESA’s Gaia mission, astronomers have shown that a part of the Milky Way known as the ‘thick disc’ began forming 13 billion years ago, around 2 billion years earlier than expected, and just 0.8 billion years after the Big Bang.
Op-ed | The Case for Space Arbitration: Can you recover damages caused by space collisions?
Opening outer space to more and more private parties and multiplying the number of space objects being launched brings about infinite new opportunities — and substantial risks.
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