RTX's Raytheon completes critical milestone for VIIRS program
Raytheon, an RTX business (NYSE: RTX), has completed a major test milestone on its latest Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor. The VIIRS instrument observes and collects global environmental data that spans visible and infrared wavelengths across land, ocean, and atmosphere and is a pivotal part of the NASA-NOAA Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) series of satellites. From Miles Above, Satellite Data Helps Spot Hazardous Trees and Reduce Wildfire Risk
Preventing ignitions that can cause catastrophic wildfires requires focus, vigilance and the integration of ever-evolving technology. And as Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG and E) continues to make progress - including what the Company has calculated to be a 72% reduction of ignitions in high fire-risk areas in 2023 compared to the three-year average - satellite technology plays an increasi Blowtorch effect of satellite reentry
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Blowtorch effect of satellite reentry Simulating tumbling reaction wheel reentry
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A reaction wheel – one of the heaviest parts of a space mission, its changing rotation used to shift a satellite’s orientation – seen in a plasma wind tunnel belonging to the High Enthalpy Flow Diagnostics Group (HEFDiG) at the University of Stuttgart Institute of Space Systems (IRS). Arc-heated gas in the test chamber reaches speeds of several kilometres per second, reproducing reentry conditions, while the reaction wheel itself is being rotated, reproducing the tumbling that takes place as a satellite plunges through the atmosphere.
The reaction wheel itself comes from Collins Aerospace in Germany, which has supported Design for Demise (D4D) activities
Lunar I-Hab mock-up all set
A mock-up of ESA’s habitation module on the upcoming lunar Gateway space station is now ready for testing at Thales Alenia Space in Turin, marking a step forward in bringing humans back to the Moon.
Space Team Europe for Ariane 6: Michel Bonnet
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They say it takes a village to raise a child. To launch a rocket, we have the combined expertise and passion of Space Team Europe. Michel Bonnet is one of many making the first Ariane 6 launch possible, and has been interviewed as part of a series highlighting some of the people that make up this dream team.
“Who has not dreamed of working in the space sector?” he says, recalling how he built small rockets as a teenager using sodium chlorate, sulphur and sugar. In 1995, after years of work with helicopters and nuclear submarines, Michel started
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