If man’s best friend is a dog, then in the future astronauts’ closest companions might well be rovers. A technique allowing astronauts in orbit to control rovers exploring planetary surfaces has been developed by a research team from ESA, the German Aerospace Center DLR and European academia and industry, culminating in an Earth-based rover session commanded from the International Space Station. A paper published in the prestigious Science Robotics journal this week details their results.

Herndon VA (SPX) Apr 19, 2022
BlackSky (NYSE: BKSY) has demonstrated the ability to rapidly shift orbits, launch two new satellites, and collect images over Ukraine all within a 45-day window. In addition to generating a strategic increase in constellation capacity, customers received dawn-to-dusk analytics and imagery products of Ukraine within 24 hours of the company's most recent launch on April 2. "We're setting a

Washington DC (SPX) Apr 13, 2022
A magnetosphere forms around any magnetized object, such as a planet, that is immersed within a stream of ionized gas, called plasma. Because Earth possesses an intrinsic magnetic field, the planet is surrounded by a large magnetosphere that extends out into space, blocks lethal cosmic rays and particles from the sun and stars, and allows life itself to exist. In Physics of Plasmas, by AIP

Beijing (XNA) Apr 19, 2022
Chinese scientists will soon have a new space-based tool to advance their research on the atmospheric environment and pollution. After in-orbit tests, the Atmospheric Environmental Surveyor satellite will start its monitoring operations and send data to scientists, according to its designers at the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology. The 2.6-metric ton satellite was launched

San Francisco CA (SPX) Apr 19, 2022
Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL), a leading provider of daily data and insights about Earth, has partnered with SynMax, a Houston-based satellite analytics and intelligence company, to provide data-informed insights on the energy industry within the United States and monitor the movements of dark vessels around the globe. With Planet's daily PlanetScope imagery, SynMax monitors the location of h

Pasadena CA (JPL) Apr 19, 2022
With a plane crisscrossing the sky and researchers working on land and sea, the Surface Biology and Geology High-Frequency Time Series campaign (SHIFT) combines the ability of airborne science instruments to gather data over widespread areas with the more concentrated observations scientists conduct in the field to study natural environments. SHIFT is jointly led by NASA's Jet Propulsion L

Beijing (XNA) Apr 20, 2022
China's Tianqin-1 satellite has acquired the global gravity field data during its in-orbit operation, according to Sun Yat-sen University in south China's Guangdong Province. The satellite was launched in December 2019 to test the technologies of the space-based gravitational wave detection program "Tianqin." The program Tianqin, meaning "harp in the sky," was initiated by the university i

Edwards AFB CA (SPX) Apr 19, 2022
The X-59, NASA's quiet supersonic experimental aircraft, has arrived back at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, following several months of critical ground tests in Ft. Worth, Texas. Ground tests on the X-59 were done to ensure the aircraft's ability to withstand the loads and stresses of supersonic flight - or flight at speeds faster than Mach 1. The vehicle's

Helsinki, Finland (SPX) Apr 20, 2022
The early universe may chirp about unknown physics. A University of Helsinki research team has demonstrated how an early universe phase transition will lead to gravitational wave signals potentially visible in the upcoming satellite missions. The research results were recently published in the prestigious journal Physical Review Letters. Phase transitions, such as the boiling of water or t

Rome NY (AFRL) Apr 20, 2022
The U.S. Air and Space Force, in collaboration with the security research community, opened registration April 8 for the qualification round of the third annual Space Security Challenge: Hack-A-Sat satellite hacking competition. Hack-A-Sat enables and encourages security researchers of all levels to focus their skills, creativity and innovative thinking on solving cybersecurity challenges