Week in images: 04-08 December 2023

Discover our week through the lens

Image: The powerful Hurricane Otis has been captured in this Copernicus Sentinel-3 image when it was approaching Mexico’s southern Pacific coast in October 2023.

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Dec 07, 2023
In a significant breakthrough, a Dutch-led international team of astronomers has harnessed the power of the James Webb Space Telescope to create the first comprehensive two-dimensional inventory of ice within a planet-forming disk surrounding a young star. The findings, published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics on December 6, open a new window into the crucial role of ice in the format

Taiki, Japan (AFP) Dec 7, 2023
Japan's space industry opened potentially an udder-ly new chapter on Thursday with a start-up testing a prototype rocket engine that runs on fuel derived purely from a plentiful local source: cow dung. The experiment saw the engine blast out a blue-and-orange flame 10-15 metres (30-50 feet) horizontally out of an open hangar door for around 10 seconds in the rural northern town of Taiki.

Tehran (AFP) Dec 6, 2023
Iran has launched a capsule designed to carry living beings in a step towards sending astronauts into space, state media reported Wednesday - the latest test of aerospace technology criticised by the West. The capsule was successfully sent up to a height of 130 kilometres (80 miles), the IRNA news agency quoted Telecommunications Minister Issa Zarepour as saying. He said the launch of t

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Dec 07, 2023
Amid global efforts to transition from fossil fuels to cleaner energy sources, Chinese scientists and engineers are pursuing an innovative solution-harnessing the abundant energy of the sun in space and beaming it back to Earth. Multiple teams in China are currently dedicated to developing the necessary technologies for constructing and operating a space-based solar power facility. This ambitiou

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 07, 2023
Pacific Defense, a leader in Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) technology, has announced a significant development in cislunar space situational awareness (SSA). The company has been awarded a $9.4 million Phase II contract by the Space Control Technology Branch of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to complete the development of a low size, weight, and power (SWaP) sensor. This sensor,

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Dec 07, 2023
Quasar Satellite Technologies has introduced Quasar Sense, a novel tool in space domain awareness (SDA) for American defense, intelligence, and national security sectors. This innovative technology allows for the simultaneous tracking and characterization of over 30 satellites, marking a significant advancement in the field. Quasar Sense utilizes more than 30 steerable beams from a digital

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 08, 2023
Space Systems Command (SSC) and SpaceX are making final preparations to launch the U.S. Space Force (USSF)-52 mission into orbit. The Falcon Heavy mission is set to launch during a ten-minute window that opens Dec. 10 at 8:14 p.m. Eastern (5:14 p.m. Pacific) from the historic Launch Complex (LC)-39A at NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida USSF-52 is tasked with carrying out the s

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 08, 2023
Sidus Space, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIDU) has successfully integrated the ASTRA (Autonomous Satellite Technology for Resilient Applications) Flight Software Version 1.0 and accompanying flight hardware, provided by NASA Stennis, onto its LizzieSat satellite. The installation comes in anticipation of LizzieSat's upcoming launch in the first quarter of 2024 aboard SpaceX Transporter 10. This milestone