Lausanne, Switzerland (SPX) Jun 02, 2023
A team of researchers from EPFL have found a way to use the phenomenon of strong gravitational lensing to determine with precision - about 3 times more precise than any other technique - the mass of a galaxy containing a quasar, as well as their evolution in cosmic time. Knowing the mass of quasar host galaxies provides insight into the evolution of galaxies in the early universe, for building s

Evanston IL (SPX) Jun 02, 2023
An international team of astrophysicists has discovered something wholly new, hidden in the center of the Milky Way galaxy. In the early 1980s, Northwestern University's Farhad Yusef-Zadeh discovered gigantic, one-dimensional filaments dangling vertically near Sagittarius A*, our galaxy's central supermassive black hole. Now, Yusef-Zadeh and his collaborators have discovered a new populati

Moffett Field CA (SPX) Jun 02, 2023
As VIPER, NASA's next Moon rover, wheels about atop Mons Mouton - a large flat-topped mountain on the Moon's South Pole - one small but mighty piece of hardware will be critical for the team of rover drivers and scientists to send it commands, know where it is going, and receive valuable science data: a gimbal-pointed high-gain antenna. VIPER has both a low-gain and high-gain antenna to tr

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jun 02, 2023

Exactly 20 years ago, on 2 June 2003, the Mars Express spacecraft, the first European mission to explore another planet in the Solar System, launched on a Soyuz launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. A Fregat upper stage delivered the mission on a transfer orbit to Mars, which the spacecraft reached on 25 December of the same year. The High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC),

Paris (ESA) Jun 02, 2023
Exactly two decades ago, on 2 June 2003, ESA's Mars Express orbiter launched and began its journey to the Red Planet - Europe's first ever mission to Mars. The spacecraft aimed to enter orbit around Mars (something it did in December of that year) and use its vantage point to study the martian atmosphere and climate, unravel the planet's structure, mineralogy and geology, and search for traces o

Beijing, China (SPX) Jun 02, 2023
In a significant milestone for Asian space exploration, the Tongchuan Test Center at the 165th Institute of the Sixth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation has successfully executed a run on its No. 2 test bench on May 30. This accomplishment comes on the heels of a successful test run of the No. 1 station test bench on April 24. Together, these developments confirm that

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 04, 2023
NASA has recently made critical progress in the testing of its RS-25 engine, an integral component for upcoming Artemis missions to the Moon. On June 1st, the space agency successfully carried out the ninth in a series of critical engine hot fire tests at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. This comes as part of NASA's ongoing efforts to certify new RS-25 engines for deep space missio

Cape Canaveral FL (SPX) Jun 02, 2023
Sidus Space (NASDAQ: SIDU) has received additional hardware manufacturing subcontracts to support NASA's Artemis Program and Space Launch System ("SLS") Manned Vehicle. Under the terms of the subcontract between Sidus Space and Craig Technologies, Sidus will be responsible for the fabrication of the Umbilical Quick Disconnects on the Universal Stage Adapter for the SLS. Dynetics (NYSE: LDOS), is

Louisville CO (SPX) Jun 02, 2023
In an important milestone for space travel technology, Sierra Space announced the successful power-up of its revolutionary Dream Chaser spaceplane. The test conducted by the company signifies the activation of the spacecraft's integrated systems and demonstrates the culmination of several years of meticulous engineering, design, and testing efforts. The Dream Chaser, with its unique liftin

Washington DC (UPI) Jun 3, 2023
Weather in Florida has delayed the launch of the SpaceX Dragon cargo mission, which is now slated to lift off Sunday, the same day the company also plans to send a new batch of Starlink satellites into orbit. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is now scheduled to launch at 12:12 p.m. Sunday to send an automated Dragon cargo capsule to the International Space Station. However, the company s