London (AFP) July 9, 2021
As famous for his thrill-seeking lifestyle and publicity stunts as for his vast business empire, Richard Branson has set his sights on the stars as he prepares for liftoff on his first space flight. Before this weekend's mission on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Unity, the avowed Star Trek fan attributed his drive and taste for adventure to his mother Eve, who died from Covid in January.

Washington (AFP) July 9, 2021
Two vessels, two companies, with one goal: blasting their billionaire founders into space. Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos launched Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin in the early 2000s, and now both men stand on the verge of lift-off themselves, mere days apart. The result of both an overlap in the companies' development timelines and the pair's fierce rivalry, the launches mark a milestone

Washington (AFP) July 9, 2021
The era of space tourism is set to soar, with highly symbolic flights by rivals Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin scheduled just days apart. Virgin Galactic - founded by flamboyant British billionaire Richard Branson - is planning for a July 11 space flight. Blue Origin - started by Jeff Bezos of Amazon fame - is set to blast off on July 20. The two companies will serve the nascent mar

The Gulf of Martaban, an arm of the Andaman Sea located in southern Myanmar, is featured in this false-colour image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission. 

Moscow (Sputnik) Jul 08, 2021
The effort is aimed at the asteroid Bennu, a 492m in diameter spinning-top shaped rock, which will pass within 7.5 million kilometers of Earth's orbit between 2175 and 2199. The space rock will be designated as potentially harmful at this time, with scientists predicting a 1-in-2,700 risk of colliding with our planet. In a newly published research, experts at China's National Space Science

Beijing (XNA) Jul 07, 2021
The mechanical arm installed on China's space station core module Tianhe has played an important role in assisting the astronauts with their extravehicular activities (EVAs) on Sunday. The mechanical arm is designed to ensure the safe and reliable operation of the space station in orbit, to help the astronauts in EVAs, such as the assembly, construction, maintenance, and repair of the spac

Noordwijk, Netherlands (SPX) Jul 08, 2021
From ESA's Materials and Electrical Components Laboratory - one of a suite of labs based at the ESTEC technical centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands - a view from an intricate test campaign for the next generation of European weather satellites. The near infrared detector assembly of the Flexible Combined Instrument (FCI) imager aboard the Meteosat Third Generation - Imaging (MTG - I) sate

Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Jul 08, 2021
RUAG Space, a leading supplier to the space industry, received a direct order from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and will deliver a large satellite container and a multipurpose trolley for NASA satellites. The total order volume for both container and trolley is worth approximately 2 million Euros. b>Reusable container for three NASA missions br> /b> From 2022

Beijing (XNA) Jul 08, 2021
During a recent video sent from the core module of China's space station Tianhe (Harmony of Heavens), an exercise bike attracted lots of attention from viewers. China launched its seventh manned spaceflight Shenzhou XII, on June 17, with three astronauts aboard for a three-month mission, during which they require regular exercise. On June 23, astronaut Nie Haisheng opened a package c

Beijing (XNA) Jul 08, 2021
China's self-developed spacesuits have ensured the safety of astronauts during their stay in the space station core module Tianhe and while performing extravehicular activities (EVAs) outside the module. The space gears include intravehicular spacesuits and extravehicular spacesuits, according to different scenarios, said Zhang Wanxin, director of the astronaut suit project under the Astro