London, UK (SPX) Feb 21, 2024
The UK Space Agency has announced the opening of two new funding calls, targeting science experiments and technology demonstrators, as part of the groundwork for a possible collaboration with Axiom Space. This initiative could see a team of four British astronauts embarking on a commercially-sponsored mission, potentially to the International Space Station (ISS). This announcement is a sig

Boston MA (SPX) Feb 22, 2024
Workers are increasingly using 3D files to do things like assess construction projects, understand damage from natural disasters, map out crime scenes, and more. But as the importance of 3D files has grown, the problems associated with sharing, analyzing, and even viewing them have become more apparent. The issue is that many popular cloud service providers aren't compatible with 3D files.

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 21, 2024
In a strategic move poised to redefine the landscape of Earth observation and geospatial intelligence, NUVIEW, a frontrunner in the development of the world's inaugural commercial LiDAR satellite constellation, has announced the acquisition of Astraea, Inc. This merger marks a significant milestone in NUVIEW's ambition to create a high-throughput Earth observation data superhighway, leveraging A

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 21, 2024
The U.S. Space Force, in partnership with Millennium Space Systems, a Boeing Company (NYSE: BA), has successfully concluded the VICTUS NOX mission, setting a new benchmark in Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) capabilities. This mission underscores a significant leap in the ability to swiftly deploy space assets, from conception to operational deployment, enhancing space domain awareness and re

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Feb 22, 2024
In a landmark development, Elon Musk's aerospace behemoth, SpaceX, is reportedly fortifying its engagement with U.S. intelligence and military entities through a classified satellite initiative named Starshield based on the Starlink broadband satellite network. This move underscores the ongoing expansion of SpaceX's national defense portfolio, beyond its civilian and commercial space ventures.

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 22, 2024
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (NASDAQ: RKLB), a leader in space launch services, is set to enhance its partnership with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) through a groundbreaking launch from U.S. territory. Scheduled for a launch window opening on March 20th, 2024, the mission, dubbed NROL-123 or 'Live and Let Fly', marks a significant milestone as Rocket Lab's first NRO mission launched from Laun

Washington (AFP) Feb 23, 2024
For the first time since the Apollo era, an American spaceship has landed on the Moon: an uncrewed commercial robot, funded by NASA to pave the way for US astronauts to return to Earth's cosmic neighbor later this decade. Odysseus, built by Houston-based Intuitive Machines, touched down near the lunar south pole Thursday at 2323 GMT, after a nail-biting final descent where flight controllers

Image: This Copernicus Sentinel-3 image from October 2023 captures the plains of northern India and Pakistan under a white veil of haze and smoke.

Video: 00:03:29

Mission complete. ESA’s second European Remote Sensing (ERS-2) satellite has reentered Earth’s atmosphere over the North Pacific Ocean. The satellite returned at 18:17 CET (17:17 UTC) between Alaska and Hawaii.

ERS-2 was launched almost 30 years ago, on 21 April 1995. Together with ERS-1, it provided invaluable long-term data on Earth’s land surfaces, ocean temperatures, ozone layer and polar ice extent that revolutionised our understanding of the Earth system.

ERS-2’s reentry was ‘natural’. ESA used the last of its fuel, emptied its batteries and lowered the satellite from its altitude of 785 km to 573 km. This reduced the

Week in images: 19-23 February 2024

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