Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 23, 2025
A critical component of NASA's Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor mission has begun a rigorous testing phase at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Known as the instrument enclosure, the structure spans 12 feet (3.7 meters) in length and is designed to safeguard the spacecraft's infrared telescope while efficiently dissipating heat during its operations in space. Built by NASA's Jet Propuls

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 23, 2025
The near-Earth object 2024 PT5, a small asteroid discovered in 2024, has been identified as likely originating from the Moon. Scientists believe it was ejected into space thousands of years ago following a significant impact event, offering valuable opportunities to study both asteroid dynamics and lunar geology. The asteroid, approximately 33 feet (10 meters) wide, was first observed on A

Image: A Tarantula’s outskirts

Image: Satellite ready for close-up

Week in images: 20-24 January 2025

Discover our week through the lens

Video: 00:01:20

Listen to the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo spacecraft as it flew past Mercury on 8 January 2025. This sixth and final flyby used the little planet's gravity to steer the spacecraft on course for entering orbit around Mercury in 2026. 

What you can hear in the sonification soundtrack of this video are real spacecraft vibrations measured by the Italian Spring Accelerometer (ISA) instrument. The accelerometer data have been shifted in frequency to make them audible to human ears – one hour of measurements have been sped up to one minute of sound.  

BepiColombo is always shaking ever so

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 21, 2025
Bright Ascension Ltd., a leading provider of space software technology, has announced the successful deployment of its software aboard the Czech Republic's largest satellite, TROLL. The satellite was launched on January 14, 2025, as part of the SpaceX Transporter 12 mission. This achievement underscores both the Czech Republic's growing prominence in space exploration and Bright Ascension's expe

Paris, France (SPX) Jan 22, 2025
Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. (NASDAQ, TASE: GILT), a global leader in satellite networking technology and solutions, has announced that its US-based subsidiary, Gilat DataPath, has secured contracts exceeding $5 million. These agreements, awarded by the US Department of Defense (DoD) and other international Defense Forces, involve providing DKET terminals and Field Service Representative (FSR)

London, UK (SPX) Jan 22, 2025
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) has officially opened its advanced Research and Development Imaging Cleanroom at its Guildford headquarters. This new facility is designed to strengthen the company's expertise in optical imaging-a key technology for its Earth observation satellite missions. The cleanroom, now fully operational, houses SSTL's Optical Payloads Team and was developed wi

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jan 22, 2025
Two NASA rocket missions are taking to the Alaskan skies in hopes of discovering why some auroras flicker, others pulsate, and still others are riddled with holes. Understanding these peculiar features is part of NASA's goal to understand the space environment around our planet, which can affect both spacecraft and astronauts. The launch window for the missions - which will fly out of the Poker