Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 12, 2024
NASA and SpaceX are now targeting Monday, October 14, 2024, for the launch of the Europa Clipper mission. Following the impact of Hurricane Milton, teams have been carrying out system checks to ensure the spacecraft is ready for flight. The launch will take place from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The Europa Clipper mission is ai

Week in images: 07-11 October 2024

Discover our week through the lens

Image: Resembling a Martian-like surface, this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image shows part of the Hardap region in south-central Namibia on the western edge of the Kalahari Desert.

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 11, 2024
While moons beyond our solar system have yet to be directly confirmed, a NASA-led study may offer indirect evidence suggesting the presence of a volcanic moon orbiting a distant planet 635 light-years away. Researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have identified a significant clue - a sodium cloud - that may indicate the existence of a volcanic moon orbiting the Saturn-sized gas gi

Paris, France (SPX) Oct 11, 2024
A new camera designed for the Moon has become a key tool for astronauts during ESA's latest PANGAEA geology training session in Lanzarote, Spain. Engineers, scientists, and astronauts tested the Handheld Universal Lunar Camera (HULC) as part of efforts to refine its design for NASA's Artemis missions to the Moon. The international team evaluated various features of the camera, including te

Paris, France (SPX) Oct 11, 2024
The European Space Agency's Hera mission has successfully launched and is now en route to the Didymos binary asteroid system, despite initial concerns about weather conditions. With an 85% chance of delay due to poor weather, the day ended with a successful launch from Cape Canaveral aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on October 7, 2024, at 16:52 CEST (14:52 UTC). After a smooth 76-minute asc

Paris, France (SPX) Oct 10, 2024
ESA's Mars Express has unveiled a striking collection of landforms as winter frost melts in Mars' southern polar region. Some of these darker features, emerging from the ice, have been dubbed "cryptic terrain" due to their distinct contrast with the surrounding frost. The polar caps on Mars consist mostly of carbon dioxide ice, with some water ice. During spring, the ice sublimates, releas

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 11, 2024
NASA, in collaboration with several partners, has introduced the Lunar Autonomy Challenge, a competition for U.S. college and university students aimed at honing their software development skills in a virtual lunar environment. Participating teams will create an autonomous agent that can perform pre-set tasks on a simulated version of the Moon's surface without human assistance. The agents will

Washington DC (SPX) Oct 11, 2024
When NASA conducts research beyond our world, scientists on Earth prepare as much as possible before sending instruments on extraterrestrial journeys. One way to prepare for these exploration missions is by using machine learning techniques to develop algorithms with data from commercial instruments or from flight instruments on planetary missions. For example, NASA uses mass spectrometer

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 11, 2024
Starfighters Space Inc, based at Kennedy Space Center and known for operating the only commercial fleet capable of sustained MACH 2+ speeds and mid-air payload launches, has announced the expansion of its launch capabilities to include a second facility at the Midland, Texas Spaceport. Recent key developments include; The Midland Spaceport will become the home for Starfighters' hypersonic