London, UK (SPX) Oct 20, 2024
In an age when space is becoming more congested and dangerous as the dependence of both military operations and civil society on space is increasing, the longstanding special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom is evolving to the new frontier of space as a warfighting domain. Representatives from U.K. Space Command, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, U.S

Paris, France (SPX) Oct 18, 2024
ESA has signed a euro 63 million contract with OHB Italia SpA to initiate preparatory work for its proposed Ramses mission, which aims to study the asteroid Apophis. On 13 April 2029, Apophis, a 375-meter-wide asteroid, will pass just 32,000 kilometers from Earth - closer than a tenth of the distance to the Moon. This rare event offers a critical chance for scientific research and advance

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 18, 2024
Sierra Space has secured a contract from NASA to develop and test its Trash Compaction and Processing System (TCPS) aboard the International Space Station by late-2026. This new system is designed to play a key role in future space missions by improving waste management, stowage, and water reclamation on long-duration trips, including human missions to the Moon and Mars. The TCPS will help

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 18, 2024
Severe space weather events, recorded in ancient tree rings, could help prepare for future threats to satellites and astronauts, according to a West Virginia University researcher. Amy Hessl, a geography professor at WVU's Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, explained that tree rings hold evidence of significant historical space weather events, including extreme geomagnetic storms that may affe

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 18, 2024
Recent observations from NASA's IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) mission have provided new insights into the shape of black hole coronae, previously only understood through theoretical models. A corona is a plasma region involved in the matter flow toward a black hole, and the IXPE's findings mark the first time its shape has been directly identified. Black holes, which have gravi

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Oct 18, 2024
Due to launch in the early 2030s, NASA's DAVINCI mission will investigate whether Venus - a sweltering world wrapped in an atmosphere of noxious gases - once had oceans and continents like Earth. Consisting of a flyby spacecraft and descent probe, DAVINCI will focus on a mountainous region called Alpha Regio, a possible ancient continent. Though a handful of international spacecraft plunge

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Oct 22, 2024
In September 2024, AROBS Polska and AROBS Engineering, both part of the AROBS Group, initiated the "Close Proximity Operations Control Unit Development and Qualification" (CRIMSON) project. This initiative, funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) under its Clean Space program, addresses the critical need for a versatile control unit for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) missions, including Active Debris R

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 22, 2024
As the 2024 U.S. presidential election approaches, it's clear that the stakes extend far beyond domestic issues like healthcare and the economy. The next administration will inherit a pivotal moment in space exploration - particularly NASA's Artemis program, which has faced growing scrutiny for cost overruns and delays. In a recent op-ed, Michael R. Bloomberg sharply criticized the program, fram

Image: Cities in Emilia-Romagna, a region in northern Italy, have been hit by severe flooding after heavy rainfall over the weekend. Flooded areas are visible in this multi-temporal image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission. The comparison uses an