Dubai (AFP) Feb 28, 2025
The United Arab Emirates is flying AI-equipped drones to help spot the crescent moon marking the start of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, official media said on Friday. The "world-first" innovation puts a new twist on a centuries-old tradition where people scan the skies for the first glimpse of the newly visible moon. "The use of AI-powered drones extends the concept of direct visual ob

Kourou (AFP) Mar 4, 2025
Minutes before it was scheduled to launch Monday, the first commercial mission of Europe's new heavy-lift rocket Ariane 6 was called off due to an "anomaly" on the ground. It was the latest of several postponements for the rocket as Europe seeks to secure independent access to space amid a shock rapprochement between Moscow and Washington. "An anomaly was detected... a valve was found to

London (AFP) Mar 3, 2025
Britain's Royal Society will hold a crunch meeting on Monday following calls to expel technology billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest man, from the prestigious institute of scientists. Founded in 1660, the Royal Society describes itself as a "fellowship of many of the world's most eminent scientists" and is a key voice in the global scientific community. Past members have included

Washington DC (UPI) Mar 2, 2025
SpaceX on Sunday night launched a Falcon 9 rocket with 21 Starlink satellites into space from Florida's coast. The rocket launched on schedule at 9:24 p.m. EST from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, though backup opportunities were available until 12:21 a.m. Monday with an additional opportunity that night. The launch was intended to put 21 Starlink communication satellites int

Washington (AFP) Mar 4, 2025
Elon Musk's SpaceX called off the latest test flight of its Starship rocket just before its scheduled launch on Monday, citing an unspecified problem with the behemoth spacecraft. "Standing down from today's flight test attempt," SpaceX posted on X, also owned by Musk. "Starship team is determining the next best available opportunity to fly." The world's biggest and most powerful rocket

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 04, 2025
Maxar Space Systems, a leader in satellite manufacturing and advanced space solutions, has been awarded a contract to develop a geostationary (GEO) high-power communications satellite for a private commercial client. The new satellite will be constructed on Maxar's proven 1300 platform at its state-of-the-art production facilities in Palo Alto and San Jose, California. Designed with a high

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 04, 2025
Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR), a leading provider of space-based data, analytics, and space services, has successfully demonstrated a two-way optical communication link between two satellites in orbit. This milestone advances the capability of high-speed, secure, and low-latency space communications. The satellites, launched in June 2023, are equipped with optical inter-satellite link (O

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 04, 2025
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB), a global provider of launch and space systems, has announced the scheduled launch window for its 61st Electron mission, dedicated to Japan's Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc. (iQPS). This mission, titled "The Lightning God Reigns," is set to lift off from Rocket Lab's private launch facility, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, in New Zealand. The la

London, UK (SPX) Mar 04, 2025
Vodafone Group Plc (LSE: VOD), a leading telecommunications provider in Europe and Africa, and AST SpaceMobile Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTS), the company developing the first space-based cellular broadband network directly accessible by standard mobile devices, have announced a strategic agreement to form a new European satellite service business, "SatCo." SatCo aims to deliver seamless satellite-ba

Washington (AFP) Mar 3, 2025
Elon Musk has been making headlines for mass layoffs and funding cuts at US federal agencies under his so-called Department of Government Efficiency. But on Monday, his towering Starship rocket will return to the spotlight with its next test flight. The world's biggest and most powerful launch vehicle is set for its eighth orbital mission, following a dramatic mid-air explosion over the Cari