Sydney, Australia (SPX) Mar 22, 2024
In a significant stride toward enhancing lunar exploration, China launched the Queqiao 2 relay satellite into lunar orbit, marking a critical step for the nation's forthcoming moon missions. The satellite, named Queqiao 2 or Magpie Bridge 2, was launched aboard a Long March 8 carrier rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on Hainan Island at 8:31 am. Approximately 24 minutes post-lau

Pasadena CA (JPL) Mar 21, 2024
If the Curiosity rover had a song stuck in her head today, she might be humming "Back to the uGVR," to the tune of The Beatles "Back in the U.S.S.R," as she drives south along the eastern edge of the upper Gediz Vallis Ridge (uGVR). The rover drove up to the uGVR last summer and investigated several rocks; now with the beautiful "Fascination Turret" section of the uGVR in sight, the team i

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Mar 22, 2024
In a significant advancement for reusable launch vehicle technology, ISRO successfully conducted the RLV Landing Experiment (LEX-02), marking a milestone in the autonomous landing capabilities of space-returning vehicles. This experiment, carried out at the Aeronautical Test Range in Karnataka, demonstrated the vehicle's ability to autonomously correct its trajectory and land precisely on a runw

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 22, 2024
The Space Launch System (SLS) has achieved a significant milestone towards the Artemis IV mission with the readiness of its payload adapter for testing, signifying a major step for the mission's success. This adapter, critical for connecting the spacecraft to the rocket, has evolved from the design used in the first three Artemis missions and is now ready for structural evaluation. Constru

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 22, 2024
In an upcoming landmark mission, astronauts aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft will engage in a first-of-its-kind test drive during Artemis II, assessing manual control capabilities critical for future expeditions. A major segment of this mission involves the proximity operations demonstration, where astronauts will manually maneuver Orion in space, using the SLS rocket's upper stage as a reference

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 22, 2024
As part of its initiative to establish new habitats in low Earth orbit, NASA has recently observed significant advancements in the life support system of Blue Origin's Orbital Reef, a commercial space station under development. This progress stems from the completion of testing milestones vital for sustaining human life in space, highlighting the collaboration between NASA and commercial entitie

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 22, 2024
In an era where NASA is extending human presence into low Earth orbit, the lunar surface, and Mars, the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) is at the forefront of addressing the complexities involved in human spaceflight safety. The NESC, a vital part of NASA's Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS), Crew Systems, and Extravehicular Activity (EVA) discipline, led by NASA Te

Washington DC (UPI) Mar 21, 2024
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Florida on Thursday with a Dragon cargo capsule filled with supplies and experiments for the International Space Station. The launch from Cape Canaveral was SpaceX's 30th commercial supply mission. It is ferrying food, supplies and research equipment to Crew-8, which arrived at the ISS earlier this month. Also aboard the supply craft are e

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 22, 2024
Advanced Space, LLC has successfully deploying machine learning tools for space navigation technology in cislunar space. The CAPSTONE spacecraft embarked on pioneering software tests, establishing a foundational shift towards autonomous orbital navigation. This advancement, known as SigmaZero, employs a Neural Network (NN) to identify and address navigational challenges, such as detecting

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 22, 2024
Maritime Launch Services Inc. (Cboe CA:MAXQ, OTCQB: MAXQF) and Impulso.Space USA Corporation, in a significant expansion of their partnership, have inked a five-year agreement. Under this deal, Maritime Launch will deliver vehicle payload capacity for both rideshare and dedicated launch missions from Spaceport Nova Scotia, while Impulso.Space will offer payload integration services from its newl