Paris, France (SPX) Oct 04, 2024
ESA's double-satellite Proba-3 mission has successfully passed its final system test before shipment to India for launch. The mission, designed to perform precise eclipse-like observations, involved receiving commands from the mission's science team and transmitting images, replicating its future operations in space. Proba-3's twin satellites will perform millimetre-scale formation flying,

College Park, MD (SPX) Oct 04, 2024
On October 3, 2024, NASA announced that two space probes proposed by University of Maryland astronomers have advanced to the next round of consideration for a $1 billion mission slated to launch into orbit in 2032. The selected probes include the Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite (AXIS) mission with UMD Astronomy Professor Christopher Reynolds as its principal investigator and the PRobe far

Madrid, Spain (SPX) Oct 08, 2024
PLD Space presented its strategic vision at the Beyond event, hosted at the company's new headquarters in Elche, Spain, to celebrate the first anniversary of the MIURA 1 launch. During the event, the company highlighted the significant advances in the MIURA 5 program, with a goal of launching by late 2025. In addition to MIURA 5, PLD Space revealed two ambitious projects: MIURA Next, a new

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 07, 2024
Blue Origin has confirmed that its New Shepard NS-27 mission is on schedule for launch on October 7, 2024. The launch window opens at 8:00 AM CDT / 1300 UTC, with live coverage starting at 7:45 AM CDT on BlueOrigin.com. The NS-27 mission will introduce Blue Origin's second human-rated New Shepard vehicle, expanding its capacity to meet increasing customer demand. While this launch will be

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Oct 07, 2024
Interstellar Technologies Inc. ("Interstellar"), a space infrastructure company focused on space transportation and utilization, has made significant strides both in talent acquisition and production expansion. With new secondees from seven organizations, including three Toyota affiliates, and the opening of a new production facility in Hokkaido, Interstellar continues to strengthen its efforts

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Oct 07, 2024
Dawn Aerospace has successfully demonstrated the same-day reusability of its rocket-powered aircraft, the Mk-II Aurora, completing two flights within an 8-hour window. Both flights, conducted from Glentanner Aerodrome in New Zealand, reached speeds of Mach 0.9, or 950 km/h, and an altitude of 63,000 feet. These missions mark the 8th and 9th rocket-powered flights of the Mk-II Aurora. "Rapi

Paris, France (SPX) Oct 04, 2024
SpaceForest, a Poland-based company, is advancing its efforts to develop a new European single-stage sounding rocket, designed for commercial microgravity experiments. The rocket, standing at 11.5 meters tall, will offer up to four minutes of microgravity, with a payload capacity of 50 kg and a launch altitude of up to 150 km. The system includes stabilizing features to ensure high-quality micro

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 08, 2024
Amentum (NYSE: AMTM) has secured the Fully Integrated Lifecycle Mission Support Services II (FILMSS II) contract, valued at up to $256 million, to advance NASA's space exploration and aeronautics initiatives at the Ames Research Center. Through this agreement, Amentum will implement cutting-edge technologies and project management tools to strengthen NASA's capabilities in both space science and

London, UK (SPX) Oct 04, 2024
Stargazers will have the chance to spot what could be the most impressive comet of the year over the coming weeks. Comet A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) has generated so much excitement about how bright and visible it might be that it has even been billed as the "comet of the century" in some quarters. Although that is "not very likely", according to the Royal Astronomical Society's Dr Robert

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 08, 2024
Astronomers have some reassuring news regarding potentially hazardous asteroids near Earth: there are fewer than previously thought. Using the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) telescope, researchers from the University of Maryland led a study to survey the Taurid swarm, a group of space debris associated with the comet Encke. These meteor showers, visible in October and November, have long