Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jan 12, 2024
China's Kuaizhou 1A carrier rocket successfully launched an experimental satellite, Tianxing 1B, into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern Gobi Desert. The launch, which took place on Thursday morning, marks another milestone in China's rapidly advancing space program. The rocket, a solid-propellant model developed by the China Aerospace Science and Industry C

Fino Mornasco, Italy (SPX) Jan 12, 2024
D-Orbit has announced the successful first closing of its Series C funding round, amassing approximately euro 100 million. This substantial funding, one of the largest for a European Space Tech company, builds on D-Orbit's impressive performance in 2023, including triple-digit annual revenue growth since 2021 and securing over euro 60 million in contracts from European governments and space ag

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 12, 2024
In a recent development, NASA's Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS) has released a comprehensive report titled "Space-Based Solar Power," providing pivotal insights into the potential and challenges of harnessing solar power in space. This emerging field of research holds the promise of supplementing Earth's energy needs by collecting solar energy in space and wirelessly transmitti

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 12, 2024
The first crew involved in NASA's groundbreaking Mars analog mission, CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog), has successfully crossed the halfway mark of their year-long mission. As of January 11, the four-person team has spent 200 days in a specially designed habitat at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, with the mission set to conclude on July 6, 2024. This crew, w

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 12, 2024
Axiom Space, a key player in the burgeoning field of private space exploration, is set to launch its third private astronaut mission, Ax-3, to the International Space Station (ISS). Scheduled for liftoff no earlier than Wednesday, January 17, at 5:11 p.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, this mission is poised to embark on a groundbreaking journey aboard a S

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jan 12, 2024
The Aurelia Institute has taken a significant step in space habitat design with its TESSERAE project, offering a fresh perspective on life in space. TESSERAE, a departure from conventional design, is grounded in established spacecraft engineering principles. The Institute recently released an executive summary highlighting the ongoing case study of this self-assembling habitat. Following t

Houston TX (SPX) Jan 12, 2024
Curation team members at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston have successfully removed the two fasteners from the sampler head that had prevented the remainder of OSIRIS-REx's asteroid Bennu sample material from being accessed. Steps now are underway to complete the disassembly of the Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism, or TAGSAM, head to reveal the rest of the rocks and dust del

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jan 12, 2024
Orienspace, a Beijing-based private company, has marked a significant milestone in China's burgeoning space industry with the successful maiden flight of the Gravity 1 rocket, now recognized as the world's most powerful solid-propellant launch vehicle. The rocket's debut took place on Thursday, from a unique launch service ship off the coast of Haiyang in Shandong province. The Gravity 1,

Week in images: 08-12 January 2024

Discover our week through the lens

Edwards AFB CA (SPX) Jan 09, 2024
German Escobar works on a model aircraft wing structure that has two long sides and bars in between, which resembles a mini ladder. He sands the rough edges, uses four vices to secure it, and uses a milling machine he programmed to make precision holes. Escobar is one of the Experimental Fabrication Shop technicians at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards California. The team m