Viasat buying Inmarsat in $7.3 billion deal
Viasat has agreed to buy British satellite fleet operator Inmarsat in a $7.3 billion deal to expand its broadband network globally in multiple orbits and spectrum bands.
Astronaut conducts first spacewalk by Chinese woman
Earth needs a ‘mission control’ to manage climate data collected from space
Much of the critical data used to track climate change and its impact on Earth is collected by satellites in space. But all that data needs to be better analyzed in order to better cope with the climate crisis, said Ellen Stofan, undersecretary for science and research at the Smithsonian Institution.
Space Force wants a more detailed picture of what other nations are doing in space
The U.S. Space Force needs better space situational awareness to understand what rivals are doing in orbit, said Lt. Gen. Nina Armagno at the ASCEND 2021 conference.
Four station astronauts catch ride with SpaceX back home
Four astronauts in orbit since spring headed back to Earth on Monday, aiming for a late night splashdown off the Florida coast.
The undocking of their SpaceX capsule from the International Space Station also paved the way for a launch of their four replacements as early as Wednesday night.
The newcomers were scheduled to launch first, but NASA switched the order because of bad weather and an astronaut's undisclosed medical condition. The welcoming duties will now fall to the lone American and two Russians left behind at the space station.
NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, Japan's Akihiko Hoshide and France's Thomas Pesquet should have been back Monday morning, but high wind in the recovery zone delayed their homecoming.
Astronaut crew prepares to return to Earth
Four astronauts were preparing to leave the International Space Station and head back to Earth on Monday after spending six busy months aboard the orbital outpost.
The Crew-2 mission, which includes two Americans, a Frenchman and one Japanese astronaut, have been living and working on the space lab since April 24, carrying out hundreds of experiments and upgrading the station's solar panels.
They are now set to board their SpaceX Dragon capsule named "Endeavour" and undock from the ISS at 2:05 pm US Eastern Time (1905 GMT) before splashing down off the coast of Florida at 10:33 pm (0333 GMT Tuesday). NASA will provide a livestream.
"Last minute packing, getting ready to depart ISS," tweeted Japan's Akihiko Hoshide.
"It has been a fun 6+ months—pleasure and honor working with ALL the incredible people from around the world, both on & off the planet."
Their activities have included documenting the planet's surface to record human-caused changes and natural events, growing chile peppers and studying worms to better understand human health changes in space.
Crew-2's departure was delayed a day by high winds.
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet returns after an action-packed six months in orbit
Dragon Endeavour tour
Video:
00:01:45
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet is sharing scenes from life on board the International Space Station during his second mission “Alpha”. Here he gives a quick tour of the SpaceX Cargo Dragon Endeavour that brought him to the Space Station together with JAXA astronaut Aki Hoshide and NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur. The same astronauts, Crew-2, will use the spacecraft to return home after undocking with the Station and fly to Earth for a splashdown off the coast of Florida, USA.
Over 200 experiments are planned during Thomas’ time in space, with 40 European ones and 12
Stars and solar panels from Space Station
Video:
00:00:47
Timelapse video made during ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet’s second mission to the International Space Station, “Alpha”. The camera is setup to take pictures at intervals of two a second, and the pictures are then edited into this video that plays at 25 pictures a second. The camera was setup in the Japanese Kibo module and shows the solar arrays moving as they prepare to track the Sun when the Space Station flies back into sunlight. The new IROSA solar array upgrades can be seen that Thomas and NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough installed over the course of three
Space Station tour with your guide Thomas, in 4K (in French with subtitles)
Video:
00:24:50
JoinESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet on a tour of the International Space Station. On his second space mission Alpha, Thomas flew to space from Florida, USA, as part of Crew-2 in the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour together with NASA astronauts Megan McArthur, Shane Kimbrough and JAXA astronaut Aki Hoshide
In this guided tour, a first shot in 4K, Thomas takes you through the modules of the International Space Station including the Dragon. Recorded in October 2021 the Space Station had just seen the departure of Soyuz MS-18 and the relocation of a Progress supply spacecraft. On board where also NASA
