Paris, France (SPX) Dec 25, 2024
In December 2024, Europe's Themis reusable rocket first-stage demonstrator successfully completed a critical 'full fit-check' at ArianeGroup's Les Mureaux facility in France. This significant step verified that all core components of Themis - including mechanical connections and interfaces - integrate seamlessly, ensuring the lower and upper segments align and connect as intended. St

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Dec 27, 2024
Powered descent guidance (PDG) plays a critical role in enabling reusable rockets to achieve precise landings on Earth. Unlike lunar or planetary landings, endoatmospheric PDG must contend with complex nonlinear dynamics and challenging conditions such as engine thrust fluctuations, aerodynamic uncertainties, and wind disturbances. These factors can significantly affect landing accuracy, increas

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Dec 27, 2024
A study of farside basalts returned by China's Chang'e-6 mission has unveiled evidence of a significant resurgence in the Moon's magnetic field approximately 2.8 billion years ago (Ga). This discovery offers key insights into the lunar dynamo and its impact on the Moon's interior and surface evolution. The Chang'e-6 mission provided the first basalt samples from the Moon's farside, filling

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Dec 27, 2024
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) has announced the successful deployment of a satellite for Synspective, marking the company's 16th mission of 2024 and closing a record-breaking year with a 60% increase in launches compared to 2023. The mission, titled "Owl The Way Up," launched from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, on December 22 at 03:17 NZT. Aboard the Electron rock

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Dec 28, 2024
China concluded a busy year in its human spaceflight program with the launch of the Tianzhou 8 cargo spacecraft on November 16, marking the completion of the country's 2024 space missions. This year featured several significant achievements, including advancements in orbital science, space station operations, and astronaut training. h3>April Launch of Shenzhou XVIII /h3> On April 25, a L

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Dec 28, 2024
Two advanced radio telescopes, each with a 40-meter-diameter antenna, have officially entered service to bolster China's deep space exploration and astronomical research efforts. The telescopes are situated on Changbai Mountain in Jilin province and in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory announced on Friday. The telescopes enhance China's Very Long Bas

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 28, 2024
Operations teams have confirmed NASA's mission to "touch" the Sun survived its record-breaking closest approach to the solar surface on Dec. 24, 2024. Breaking its previous record by flying just 3.8 million miles above the surface of the Sun, NASA's Parker Solar Probe hurtled through the solar atmosphere at a blazing 430,000 miles per hour - faster than any human-made object has ever moved

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Dec 28, 2024
China's Lijian-1 Y6 carrier rocket, a cornerstone of the nation's growing commercial space ambitions, failed during its launch on Friday. The mission was conducted at a commercial aerospace innovation pilot zone in Northwest China, marking an important yet ultimately unsuccessful attempt to expand China's presence in the competitive commercial launch market. The Lijian-1 rocket is part of

Knoxville TN (SPX) Dec 28, 2024
In 2024, space exploration dazzled the world. NASA's Europa Clipper began its journey to study Jupiter's moon Europa. SpaceX's Starship achieved its first successful landing, a critical milestone for future deep space missions. China made From new commercial Moon landers to asteroid investigations, expect a slate of exciting space missions in 2025s with the Chang'e 6 mission, which successfully