Washington DC (UPI) Nov 22, 2021
NASA scientists have discovered another 301 exoplanets - those outside the solar system. The new discoveries bring the total of validated exoplanets to 4,569 since the discovery of the first ones in the mid-1990s. NASA said Monday that the discoveries can be attributed to a new network called ExoMiner, that leverages NASA's Supercomputer, Pleiades, and can distinguish real exopl

Washington DC (UPI) Nov 22, 2021
The stock price for small-rocket company Astra Space, of California, rose more than 30% at one point Monday after the firm reached orbit for the first time over the weekend, carrying a U.S. Space Force test payload from Alaska. The Astra Rocket 3 was only the seventh one built by the company based in Alameda, near San Francisco. Astra Space now joins the small number of commercial orbit

Washington (AFP) Nov 22, 2021
The launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, which astronomers hope will herald a new era of discovery, has been delayed until December 22 after an accident at its launch facility in French Guiana, NASA said Monday. Technicians were preparing to attach the $10 billion observatory to a launch vehicle adapter, used to fix it to the upper stage of an Ariane 5 rocket. "A sudden, unplanned r

Cleveland OH (SPX) Nov 22, 2021
Exploration of the Moon and Mars requires the power of human imagination and vision. It also takes the power of electricity to bring science and technology to life when astronauts land and stay on the surface. NASA has plans for a robust presence on the Moon under Artemis and eventually Mars, including the development of a fission surface power system for safe, efficient, and reliable elec

Bletchley UK (SPX) Nov 23, 2021
Pulsar Fusion Ltd, a UK nuclear fusion company based in Bletchley, has just developed and tested its first launch capable, high-power chemical rocket engine in the UK. These rocket engines could be used for a variety of applications, including launching people and satellites into space. This successful set of test firings showcases the rapid design development and test process of hig

Washington DC (SPX) Nov 23, 2021
The DoD has a role in orbital and lunar missions as defined by the US Space Force (USSF) Space Capstone Publication. In this document, USSF notes the "inherent value of the space domain and the tremendous influence space has on U.S. prosperity and security." There is a critical DoD need for the continued development and future expansion of orbital manufacturing to enable and ensure supply chain

Bethesda MD (SPX) Nov 23, 2021
On November 15, 2021, the International Space Station (ISS) Flight Control team was notified of indications of a satellite breakup that may create sufficient debris to pose a collision threat to the station. NASA's Administrator, Bill Nelson, released the following statement. "Earlier today, due to the debris generated by the destructive Russian Anti-Satellite (ASAT) test, ISS astronauts a

Washington DC (UPI) Nov 22, 2021
NASA is set to launch a spacecraft from California on Tuesday night to smack head on into an asteroid next fall in an effort to understand how humanity could prevent such a space body from colliding with Earth. Elon Musk's SpaceX plans to launch the DART mission, or Double Asteroid Redirection Test, on a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 10:20 p.m. PST. The spac

Washington DC (UPI) Nov 22, 2021
NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity completed its 16th flight over the weekend, the space agency announced Monday. The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory said the helicopter captured color images of Mars' surface during the flight, which saw it travel 116 meters northeast for 109 seconds. "Mars helicopter continues to thrive!" the lab wrote on Twitter. The 16th flight over seven

Small and medium satellites can expect new launch opportunities on the Spectrum launch vehicle thanks to an ESA Boost! co-funding contract worth €11 m with Isar Aerospace Technologies in Germany.