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On Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 October 2024, the European Space Agency opened the doors to the European Space Research and Technology Centre, ESTEC, in the Netherlands, welcoming some 9000 visitors to its 13th annual Open Day. As in previous years, ESA’s largest establishment in Europe invited the public to meet space engineers, astronauts and to see actual space hardware. Attendees explored state-of-the-art facilities, interacted with ESA and NASA astronauts and discovered various job opportunities at ESA. There was also a full schedule of talks from Space Rocks, celebrating the art and culture of science and space.

ESA has signed a contract with OHB Italia SpA worth €63 million to begin preparatory work on the Agency’s proposed Ramses mission to the infamous asteroid Apophis.

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Oct 16, 2024
July 9, 2024, marked a significant milestone for Felix Lang and his research team at the University of Potsdam with the maiden flight of the new Ariane 6 rocket, launched from the Guiana Space Centre by the European Space Agency (ESA). Among the payloads was a satellite carrying an experiment featuring Lang's solar cell technology, which successfully deployed one hour and six minutes post-launch

Paris, France (SPX) Oct 16, 2024
ESA is advancing Europe's crisis management capabilities by officially launching the Safety Platform for Crisis and Emergency (Safeplace) during the International Aeronautics Congress in Milan. In collaboration with Starion, the initiative aims to transform how Europe prepares for and responds to emergencies. Safeplace is designed to deliver vital information to first responders swiftly, w

Paris, France (SPX) Oct 17, 2024
Airbus Defence and Space has announced plans to reorganize its Division and workforce in response to ongoing business challenges, particularly in the Space Systems segment, which has faced substantial financial setbacks in 2023 and 2024. The proposed measures aim to streamline the Division's organizational structure, especially in headquarters functions, and implement comprehensive operational a

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 17, 2024
China successfully launched 18 communications satellites from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province on Tuesday evening, marking the deployment of the second set of satellites for the Spacesail Constellation network. The satellites, developed by Shanghai-based Genesat, were launched aboard a Long March 6A rocket at 7:06 p.m., entering their designated orbits shortly after l

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 17, 2024
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) has announced a new addition to its 2024 launch schedule, with a commercial Electron rocket mission set to launch in just three days. The mission, named 'Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes,' will lift off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, starting October 19th, to support a confidential commercial client. The launch marks Rocket Lab's fastest tur

Milan, Italy (SPX) Oct 17, 2024
At this week's International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Milan, the European Space Agency (ESA) signed a contract marking the start of HydRON's Element #1. HydRON, which stands for High thRoughput Optical Network, aims to enhance satellite communication using laser technology to enable faster connections between satellites and ground networks. ESA selected Kepler Communications, a Cana

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 17, 2024
NASA is advancing its strategy to adopt commercially operated satellite communications for near-Earth missions, aiming to enhance service coverage, availability, and accelerate data delivery. Beginning Friday, Nov. 8, the agency's legacy Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) system, which is part of the Near Space Network, will cease onboarding new missions. The system will continue to