Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 22, 2024
In a groundbreaking collaboration, STORIES of Space, a visionary nonprofit dedicated to intertwining human narratives with the cosmos, has joined forces with Maritime Launch Services, the pioneering entity behind Canada's inaugural commercial spaceport, Spaceport Nova Scotia. This partnership heralds the upcoming STORIES Mission 03, slated for 2024, which aims to propel thousands of human storie

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 22, 2024
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) has announced the upcoming launch window for its 45th Electron mission, a dedicated effort aimed at deploying an Earth-imaging satellite for Synspective, a leading Japanese satellite constellation operator. The mission, christened "Owl Night Long," is slated for a 14-day launch window commencing on March 10th NZDT (March 9th UTC), setting the stage from Rocket

Washington (AFP) Feb 22, 2024
A spaceship built by a company in Texas is poised for lunar touchdown on Thursday, returning America to the Moon after more than five decades in what promises to be a historic first for the private sector. Here's a look back at notable attempts - both successful and unsuccessful - at landing on Earth's cosmic companion. - First survivable landing - The Soviet Union led the United

Washington DC (SPX) Feb 22, 2024
In a collaboration between NASA and Intuitive Machines, a suite of six science instruments and technology demonstrations has embarked on a pivotal journey to the Moon. This mission, aboard the Intuitive Machines lander named Odysseus, represents a significant milestone in lunar exploration, propelled by the ambitions of NASA's Artemis campaign and its Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative

Washington (AFP) Feb 22, 2024
One giant leap for the private sector? A Houston-based company is set Thursday to attempt to land America's first spaceship on the Moon in more than 50 years, as part of a new fleet of NASA-funded commercial landers intended to pave the way for astronauts to return to Earth's celestial neighbor later this decade. If all goes well, Intuitive Machines will guide its hexagon-shaped robot Od

Image: Ariane 6 ready for unloading

Playing a huge role in moderating the climate, oceans are fundamental to the functioning of our planet. Understanding more about how seawater temperatures are rising and how oceans are absorbing excess atmospheric carbon dioxide, as well as knock-on issues such as ocean acidification, is key for understanding climate change and for taking effective action.

A recent scientific paper highlights just how satellites are becoming increasingly important in providing unique information on ocean health to guide climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.

Video: 00:15:00

Tracking ice lost from the world’s glaciers, ice sheets and frozen land shows that Earth is losing ice at an accelerating rate. Monitoring the cryosphere is crucial for assessing, predicting and adapting to climate change.

The Copernicus Polar Ice and Snow Topography Altimeter (CRISTAL) mission will provide a full picture of the changes taking place in some of the most inhospitable regions of the world. It will carry – for the first time – a dual-frequency radar altimeter, and microwave radiometer, that will measure and monitor sea-ice thickness, overlying snow depth and ice-sheet elevations.

These data will support maritime

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has found the best evidence yet for emission from a neutron star at the site of a recently observed supernova. The supernova, known as SN 1987A, occurred 160 000 light-years from Earth in the Large Magellanic Cloud. SN 1987A was observed on Earth in 1987, the first supernova that was visible to the naked eye since 1604 — before the advent of telescopes.

Washington (AFP) Feb 21, 2024
The year 2024 promises to be a busy one for American Moon landings, all under a new partnership between NASA and the space industry. A first attempt under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative ended in disappointing failure last month, but a second, led by Houston-based Intuitive Machines, will attempt on Thursday to return the United States to Moon for the first time in fi