ESA ensures a ride into space for its Smile mission, with Arianespace signing up to launch the spacecraft on a Vega-C rocket

Paris, France (SPX) Apr 30, 2024
The Galileo navigation system has expanded its constellation with the addition of two new satellites, launched early on Sunday, 28 April, at 01:34 BST/02:34 CEST. This latest expansion brings the total to 30 satellites, enhancing Galileo's capabilities in terms of reliability, robustness, and precision, which benefits billions of global users. Galileo, operational since 2016 and recognized

Paris, France (SPX) Apr 30, 2024
The European Space Agency (ESA) has chosen Thales Alenia Space's IRMA and PhiFireAI projects for in-orbit testing aboard the Fsat-2 microsatellite. Scheduled for a June 2024 launch, this 6U CubeSat will explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance Earth observation satellites to address social, economic, and environmental issues. Initiated in early 2023, the ESA's challenge involve

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Apr 30, 2024
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the country's key space contractor, conducted a critical test on Sunday on a new type of rocket engine, achieving the highest thrust power ever achieved in tests of Chinese liquid-propellant engines. The test involved a combined ignition of four engines at an engine testing facility in Fengxian county, Shaanxi province. These engines were connec

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 29, 2024
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) is gearing up for two consecutive Electron rocket launches to deploy satellites for NASA's Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment (PREFIRE) mission. The company plans to launch the satellites into a 525km circular orbit from its Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand. The initial mission, dubbed 'Ready, Aim, PREFIRE,' is slated for no earli

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 29, 2024
Since John F. Kennedy's landmark 1961 address advocating for lunar exploration, NASA has continually embraced the challenge of difficult endeavors to stimulate innovation across its varied missions. Kennedy articulated this ethos when he said, "We choose to go to the Moon not because it's easy, but because it's hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies a

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 29, 2024
NASA, in collaboration with Rocket Lab, has scheduled the first launch for the PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. The mission aims to enhance our understanding of polar energy dissipation and its implications on global climate dynamics. The launch from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, marks the beginning of a series of t

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 30, 2024
Astronomers from the University of California, Irvine have used computer simulations to support the existence of dark matter, a critical component thought necessary to explain various cosmic phenomena. These simulations contribute to the ongoing debate about whether the universe's workings can be solely attributed to observable matter or if invisible elements like dark matter are required.

London, UK (SPX) Apr 30, 2024
Researchers at Durham University have identified a new mechanism potentially explaining the orbital decay of exoplanets around sun-like stars, a phenomenon observed in systems such as WASP-12b. The study, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, highlights how stellar magnetic fields may significantly influence the gravitational tides between these stars and their closely orbiting '

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Apr 30, 2024
The Sun will be at peak activity this year, providing a rare opportunity to study how solar storms and radiation could affect future astronauts on the Red Planet. In the months ahead, two of NASA's Mars spacecraft will have an unprecedented opportunity to study how solar flares - giant explosions on the Sun's surface - could affect robots and future astronauts on the Red Planet. That