Vega-C: Launcher integration begins for inaugural flight VV21
Launcher integration for the inaugural flight of Vega-C began with the P120C solid-fuel first stage being delivered to the Vega Launch Zone (Zone de Lancement Vega, or ZLV) at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on 15 April 2022. P120C will also fly on Ariane 6, with two or four units serving as boosters depending on mission requirements.
The interstage segment to join the P120C first stage with the Z40 second stage followed on the 22nd.
For flight VV21, the principal payload will be LARES-2, a scientific mission of the Italian Space Agency (ASI). Also onboard will be six European
PredaSAR nears first launch of its radar imaging constellation
Radar imaging startup PredaSAR is preparing to deploy its first satellite on the SpaceX Transporter 6 rideshare, projected to launch in October.
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NASA to repurpose OSIRIS-REx for second asteroid encounter
A NASA mission to return samples from one near Earth asteroid will get an extended mission to visit a second asteroid under a plan approved by the agency April 25.
The post NASA to repurpose OSIRIS-REx for second asteroid encounter appeared first on SpaceNews.
Agenda and Registration link now live for ESA Careers Week!
ESA Careers Week is just around the corner and we are excited to see you during this four-day virtual event from 2 - 5 May. Curious to know what’s on the agenda and how to register for the fair? Keep reading!
Living Planet Symposium: apply for student grants
Living Planet Symposium: apply for student grants
Halifax International raising funds to build imaging satellites for Ukraine
Satellogic would produce satellites for Ukraine under a Halifax International initiative
The post Halifax International raising funds to build imaging satellites for Ukraine appeared first on SpaceNews.
Space companies donate funds for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine
Several firms in the commercial space industry have each pledged $50,000 to finance humanitarian efforts in Ukraine
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Adranos, a startup that makes solid rocket motors, closes $20 million funding round
Adranos, a startup that manufactures solid rocket motors, announced April 26 it has closed a $20 million Series A funding round.
The post Adranos, a startup that makes solid rocket motors, closes $20 million funding round appeared first on SpaceNews.
U.S., South Korea agree to cooperate on space situational awareness for military purposes
The SSA pact is part of a broader space security agreement reached between John D. Hill, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for space and missile defense, and Cho Yong-geun, the South Korean defense ministry’s director of North Korea policy, during the April 25 session of the Space Cooperation Working Group (SCWG) in Washington
China plans system to take out asteroids hurtling toward Earth
China plans to develop a system for monitoring asteroids that pose a threat to earth, highlighting the nation's growing ambitions for its space program.
The country will also explore ways for taking out asteroids that endanger the planet, Wu Yanhua, deputy director of the China National Space Administration, said in a TV interview, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
To test the system, China intends to send a spacecraft toward an asteroid in 2025 or 2026 to study it and then change its course, Wu added, without providing details on how that would work.
The Asian nation has pushed forward with plans for its space program in recent years. In January, Wu said Beijing signed an agreement with Russia to build a base on the moon, and last year a Chinese moon mission returned to earth with lunar samples.
China's aspirations for its space program have ramped up tensions with the U.S. The two sides have sparred over SpaceX satellites that Beijing said came dangerously close to its space station, prompting the government of the Asian nation to criticize SpaceX in a memo to a United Nations committee that oversees operations in space.
