Week in images: 03-06 June 2024

Discover our week through the lens

Video: 00:01:51

SENER is testing the docking capabilities of the SIROM system by launching the MANTIS floating platform into an equally free-floating REACSA at ESA's Orbital Robotics Laboratory. This free-floating tests simulate the dynamics of rigid body contact and present an opportunity to gather valuable insights into the performance of SIROM in approximately 200 docking scenarios.

Paris, France (SPX) Jun 07, 2024
Novaspace, created from the merger of Euroconsult and SpaceTec Partners, has released its latest Space Logistics Markets report, projecting around $4.6 billion in commercial revenue over the next decade driven by space safety and sustainability concerns. With an estimated 28,000 satellites set for launch in the next decade-a 76% increase from the previous decade-and over 6,000 active satel

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jun 07, 2024
Chinese scientists developed a special national flag made of basalt fibers, which was unfurled this week by the Chang'e 6 lunar probe. The flag, designed to endure temperature fluctuations, high vacuum conditions, and strong ultraviolet radiation, became the first flag to fly on the far side of the moon. The basalt fiber was developed by Wuhan Textile University and China Space Sanji

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jun 07, 2024
Astronauts driving vehicles on the Moon face extreme temperature fluctuations, with highs of 127C (260F) and lows of -173C (-280F). Reliable machines capable of operating under these conditions are crucial for future lunar missions. Nagoya University in Japan, in collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, has developed a heat-switch device designed to extend the lifespan of lunar

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 07, 2024
Mars' polar ice caps, initially identified in the 19th Century, have puzzled researchers due to their apparent lack of movement. Observations from Mariner 9 in 1971 sparked a decades-long debate about whether these ice caps were flowing. While Earth-like polar ice flow was expected, no clear evidence of movement has been found. A new study led by Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Isaa

Washington DC (UPI) Jun 7, 2024
NASA has awarded key contracts to a half dozen companies that will supply liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen in support of operations at agency centers and facilities across the United States, the space agency announced Thursday. While not the most high-profile element of the space program, scientists would be unable to perform the work they need to without access to large amounts of cri

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jun 07, 2024
Galactic Energy, a private rocket maker in Beijing, conducted a launch on Thursday afternoon, marking its third launch in the past 10 days. The company reported that the rocket lifted off at 1 pm from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern Gobi Desert, sending three remote-sensing satellites into a sun synchronous orbit about 545 kilometers above Earth. Remote sensin

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 07, 2024
Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL), a provider of daily Earth data and insights, announced that its first hyperspectral satellite, Tanager-1, is ready for launch. Supported by the Carbon Mapper Coalition and its philanthropic partners, the spacecraft arrived at Vandenberg Space Force Base on June 3rd. It is set to launch as early as July aboard the Transporter-11 Rideshare mission with SpaceX. Tanager-1

Paris, France (SPX) Jun 07, 2024
More than 40 companies, research centers, and international organizations signed the Zero Debris Charter at the Berlin International Airshow (ILA), confirming their dedication to long-term sustainability in space. The Zero Debris Charter, unveiled at the ESA Space Summit in Seville in November 2023, aims for future missions to become debris neutral by 2030. The space community has sh