Washington (AFP) Feb 26, 2024
An American lunar lander that tipped over during touchdown has sent back its first images from the farthest south any vessel has ever landed on the Moon. The uncrewed Odysseus, built by Houston-based Intuitive Machines, returned the United States to Earth's cosmic neighbor last week after a five-decade absence, in a first for the private sector. But one of its legs caught on the surface

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 27, 2024
NASA's groundbreaking OSIRIS-REx mission has set a new benchmark in space exploration by delivering a staggering 4.29 ounces (121.6 grams) of asteroid material to Earth, marking the largest ever asteroid sample collection. The spacecraft's triumphant return on September 24, 2023, with samples from asteroid Bennu, not only surpassed the mission's initial goal of 60 grams but also highlighted the

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 26, 2024
In a significant collaboration between private sector innovation and military space operations, ATLAS Space Operations, a frontrunner in Ground Software as a Service (GSaaS), has successfully supported the U.S. Space Force's VICTUS NOX program through a contract with Millennium Space Systems, a Boeing Company. This partnership underscores the pivotal role of rapid, adaptable ground support in ad

Washington DC (SPX) Feb 27, 2024
Researchers are studying data from a recent suborbital flight test to better understand lunar regolith, or Moon dust, and its potentially damaging effects as NASA prepares to send astronauts back to the lunar surface under the Artemis campaign. The experiment, developed jointly by NASA and the University of Central Florida, sheds light on how these abrasive dust grains interact with astronauts,

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 27, 2024
In a strategic move poised to significantly impact the landscape of space situational awareness and safety, LeoLabs, a front-runner in monitoring space activity, has announced the appointment of Tony Frazier as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). With a storied career at the confluence of commercial space ventures and national security, Frazier's leadership is expected to catalyze LeoLabs' gr

Washington DC (UPI) Feb 26, 2024
Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency said very early Monday they have regained communication with the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon exploration vehicle after nearly a month. The Japanese space agency said on social media minutes after 12 a.m. local time that after sending a command to the machine, known as SLIM, a response had unexpectedly been received back. "Confirming th

Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 27, 2024
On Feb. 2, a large asteroid safely drifted past Earth at a distance of about 1.8 million miles (2.9 million kilometers, or 7 0.5 times the distance between Earth and the Moon). There was no risk of the asteroid - called 2008 OS7 - impacting our planet, but scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California used a powerful radio antenna to better determine the size, rotation,

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Feb 27, 2024
China has announced plans to undertake around 100 space launch missions within the year, setting a new precedent for its national space industry's activity levels. This ambitious agenda, disclosed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), the leading state-owned space contractor, at a news conference in Beijing, underscores China's accelerating pace in the global space race.

Tel Aviv (AFP) Feb 23, 2024
Omer Sharar had just received the first delivery of his new GPS anti-jamming technology when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7. Since then he and his team at InfiniDome, a start-up based in Caesarea, north of Tel Aviv, have been working around the clock to prevent the Israeli army's mini-drones from being intercepted by cheap and simple jamming in Gaza. Israel - one of the wo

Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 26, 2024
The planning team came in after the weekend to see another beautiful Martian drill hole on the target Mineral King! Mineral King is named after a silver mining district in Sequoia National Park, California. This was a pretty odd-looking rock, with the big overhanging ledges and several different colors, so we were all pretty anxious to see the drilling results. Fortunately, the rock was strong e