A shoebox-sized satellite looking far to the horizon picked up a strong signal reflection from hundreds of kilometres below it, beside a lonely polar island in the Canadian Arctic. ESA’s PRETTY CubeSat mission team could not be quite certain of what its instrument first light was showing until cross-checking it against a Sentinel-1 radar map of the same location, to find a precise correlation with a stretch of offshore sea ice.

Orono ME (SPX) Mar 04, 2024
Over the last four decades, warming climate and ocean temperatures have rapidly altered the Greenland Ice Sheet, creating concern for marine ecosystems and weather patterns worldwide. The environment has challenged scientists in their attempts to measure how water moves around and melts the ice sheet because equipment can be destroyed by icebergs floating near the glaciers. Collected using

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Mar 07, 2024
GITAI USA Inc. (GITAI), a leader in space robotics innovation, has successfully showcased its advanced robotics technology through the construction of a 5-meter-high communication tower. This achievement was realized in a desert environment meticulously designed to simulate the lunar surface, representing a "first of its kind" demonstration in space robotics. GITAI, in a collaborative effo

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 07, 2024
Teledyne e2v HiRel has announced the launch of its latest product - the TDLNA2050SEP, a radiation-tolerant S-Band low noise amplifier. This product stands out in the market for its exceptional performance tailored to meet the rigorous demands of space and radar applications, where every component's reliability, efficiency, and size play a critical role in the success of the mission. Develo

London, UK (SPX) Mar 07, 2024
In a groundbreaking study led by space weather experts at the University of Surrey, there's a growing call for immediate action to safeguard the burgeoning space tourism industry from the invisible threat of cosmic radiation. The study, recently published in Space Policy, emphasizes the urgent need for collaboration between regulators and space tourism companies to enhance passenger and crew pro

Washington DC (UPI) Mar 6, 2024
NASA completed a full-duration RS-25 engine hot fire Wednesday, as the space agency continues testing the updated engines that will launch Artemis missions to the moon and beyond. The full-duration test was the ninth of 12 scheduled tests, and took place on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA's Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis in Mississippi. The certification engine, which

Houston (AFP) March 7, 2024
Like her ancestors before her, Emirati astronaut Nora AlMatrooshi has spent much of her life gazing up at the stars and dreaming of flying to the Moon. This week, she became the first Arab woman to graduate from NASA's training program, ready to blast off into the cosmos. AlMatrooshi, 30, remembers an elementary school lesson about space in which her teacher simulated a trip to the lu

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 07, 2024
Firefly Aerospace has unveiled the latest cohort of educational payloads destined for space aboard its Alpha rocket, marking a significant stride in its mission to broaden access to outer space. Through its pioneering Dedicated Research Education Accelerator Mission (DREAM) program, Firefly is set to propel CubeSats developed by the University of Illinois, Auburn University, and the Aerospace an

London, UK (SPX) Mar 07, 2024
The escalating challenge of space debris in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) has sparked significant concern among space agencies and operators. With thousands of satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragments from disintegration and collisions whirling around the Earth, the risk of potentially hazardous collisions has never been higher. Traditional radar and radio-telescope systems, while effective

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 07, 2024
Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP) has announced its selection by NASA for an Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract, boasting a ceiling value of $45 million. This contract is aligned with NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate's goals, which encompasses the Flight Opportunities program and the Small Spacecraft Technology program, pivotal arms in the agency's push for