Paris, France (SPX) May 09, 2024
Ariane 6, Europe's latest heavy-lift launcher, is set for its inaugural flight, carrying multiple missions each tasked with unique objectives ranging from Earth observation to technology testing in orbit. This article highlights the 3Cat-4 mission, a 1-kg Earth Observation CubeSat developed under ESA's 'Fly Your Satellite!' program by the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya. The mission o

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 09, 2024
Xona, a developer of a new satellite network, has announced the successful closure of a $19 million Series A funding round, led by Future Ventures and Seraphim Space, with contributions from NGP Capital, Industrious Ventures, Murata Electronics, Space Capital, and Aloniq. The capital raised will expedite the rollout of Xona's low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network, marking the initiation

Paris, France (SPX) May 09, 2024
The Virtual Space Weather Modelling Centre, through a collaborative effort, has developed a simulation that visualizes the initiation of space weather. The model demonstrates the emergence of a flux rope from the Sun's magnetic field, which may carry millions of tons of plasma into space during a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). This visualization uses the COCONUT magnetohydrodynamic model cre

London, UK (SPX) May 09, 2024
In a significant study led by Dr. Assaf Hochman from the Fredy and Nadine Herrmann Institute of Earth Sciences at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, new insights have been unveiled into the atmospheric dynamics of Earth-like exoplanets, with a focus on ozone's role in shaping planetary climates. This research represents a major step in understanding potentially habitable worlds beyond our solar

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 08, 2024
NASA has selected four new proposals for concept studies as part of its Earth System Explorers Program, aimed at enhancing our understanding of key Earth science areas such as greenhouse gases, the ozone layer, ocean currents, and global ice changes. These investigations align with recommendations from the 2017 Decadal Survey by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Pasadena CA (JPL) May 08, 2024
A partnership between NASA and the French space agency, the satellite is poised to help improve forecasts of where and when flooding will occur in Earth's rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Rivers, lakes, and reservoirs are like our planet's arteries, carrying life-sustaining water in interconnected networks. When Earth's water cycle runs too fast, flooding can result, threatening lives and propert

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 09, 2024
NASA's Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS) is soliciting input from the lunar community through a new Lunar Non-Interference Questionnaire to aid in developing a framework for managing lunar activities without interference. No funding or solicitations are expected to follow this survey. Established in November 2021 within the NASA Administrator's office, OTPS collaborates acr

Berlin, Germany (SPX) May 09, 2024
The scenario could be lifted straight from a disaster novel: On Friday, April 13, 2029-a date that alone might evoke unease-the asteroid known as (99942) Apophis will make a remarkably close approach to Earth, missing us by just 30,000 kilometers. Visible as a mere speck of light in the night sky from places like Wurzburg, this proximity provides a unique observational opportunity. Apophis

Sydney, Australia (SPX) May 09, 2024
The Chang'e 6 probe has successfully entered lunar orbit, the China National Space Administration confirmed. The spacecraft executed a critical braking maneuver under the guidance of experts at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center and achieved lunar orbit at 10:12 am on Wednesday. This operation was essential to slow the probe, which weighed 8.35 metric tons and had traveled nearly 113 hou

Washington DC (UPI) May 8, 2024
Boeing's Starliner crew flight test has been pushed back another week as United Launch Alliance plans to replace a part of the spacecraft. The test launch is now set for 6:16 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Space Station Florida on May 17, a week later than the date set earlier this week after the initial launch was scrubbed due to concerns about an oxygen relief valve, NASA said Tuesday.