ESA’s Biomass on track to target forests
With more than 100 global leaders at COP26 having pledged to halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation by the end of the decade to help address the climate crisis, the health of the world’s forests is high on the political agenda. ESA’s Biomass mission will soon play a key role in delivering novel information about the of the state of our forests, how they are changing over time, and advance our knowledge of the carbon cycle. With launch scheduled for 2023, the mission is now in its last phases of development, having recently passed several key milestones.
Here we GO, Matthias
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After a series of delays due to weather and a minor crew medical issue, ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer was finally launched to the International Space Station on 11 November. But not before reading some final words of support, shared by ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano, as Matthias waited to drive to the launchpad.
Alongside NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron, Matthias lifted off on board Space X Crew Dragon “Endurance” at 03:03 CET Thursday 11 November and arrived ahead of schedule to the Station in the early hours of 12 November.
It is the first space
Sure there’s hype, but blockchain has concrete space applications
Blockchain's promise of direct, secure transactions between individuals or organizations promises to revolutionize space commerce.
DoD eager to leverage LEO broadband constellations
The military is hungry for low-latency broadband services from the likes of OneWeb, SpaceX, Telesat and Amazon that promise to connect the world via thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit.
Japan to launch 2nd space defense unit to protect satellites from electromagnetic attack
Japan will stand up a second space defense unit within the next 18 months to monitor electromagnetic wave threats to its satellites.
Intelsat and OneWeb demonstrate integrated GEO and LEO broadband service
In a demonstration earlier this month, Intelsat and OneWeb provided broadband internet service to U.S. Army users via satellites in low Earth orbit and in geostationary orbit.
Space Force satellite jammers shut down enemy communications, temporarily
The U.S. Space Force will deploy an advanced electronic jammer to disrupt enemies’ satellite communications signals.
Not saying it was aliens, but 'Oumuamua probably wasn't a nitrogen iceberg
On October 19, 2017, astronomers made the first-ever detection of an interstellar object (ISO) passing through our solar system. Designated 1I/2017 U1 ′Oumuamua, this object confounded astronomers who could not determine if it was an interstellar comet or an asteroid. After four years and many theories (including the controversial "ET solar sail" hypothesis), the astronomical community appeared to land on an explanation that satisfied all the observations.
The "nitrogen iceberg" theory stated that "Oumuamua was likely debris from a Pluto-like planet in another stellar system. In their latest study, titled "The Mass Budget Necessary to Explain "Oumuamua as a Nitrogen Iceberg," Amir Siraj and Prof. Avi Loeb (who proposed the ET solar sail hypothesis) offered an official counter-argument to this theory. According to their new paper, there is an extreme shortage of exo-Plutos in the galaxy to explain the detection of a nitrogen iceberg.
In the paper where he broached the possibility, Loeb indicated that "Oumuamua's unusual character and behavior were consistent with a solar sail.
Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory wins $1 billion contract from AFRL
The Air Force Research Laboratory awarded Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory a $1 billion five-year contract for “space and nuclear advanced prototypes, experiments and technology."
Russia destroys satellite in ASAT test
A Russian satellite broke up in low Earth orbit in a deliberate test of a Russian anti-satellite device that created thousands of pieces of debris.
