Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 20, 2023
Millennium Space Systems, a subsidiary of Boeing [NYSE: BA], marked an important milestone on July 18, 2023, as it celebrated the success of its Small Satellite Factory (SSF). Initially unveiled to the public in 2022, the SSF has risen to the challenge of satisfying an uptick in contracts for proliferated satellite constellations. This rapid expansion of production capabilities reflects th

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jul 20, 2023
New research by scientists from NASA and Japan's Osaka University suggests that rogue planets - worlds that drift through space untethered to a star - far outnumber planets that orbit stars. The results imply that NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, set to launch by May 2027, could find a staggering 400 Earth-mass rogue worlds. Indeed, this new study has already identified one such candida

Pasadena CA (JPL) Jul 20, 2023
The six-wheeled geologist is getting some assistance in its search for diverse rock samples that could be brought to Earth for deeper investigation. NASA's Perseverance Mars rover sealed the tube containing its 20th rock core sample on June 23 (the 832nd Martian day, or sol, of the mission), and the mission's science team is excited about its potential. That's because this sample was

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 20, 2023
The initial crew selected for NASA's Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) mission 1, a ground-based Mars habitat simulation, is set to evaluate the efficacy of growing fresh produce in isolation. Commenced on June 25 at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the four-member crew will conduct a series of operations over a year's span, and won't have the facility of fresh food

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jul 20, 2023
The Romanian software services company, AROBS Engineering, part of AROBS Group, has been announced as the primary industrial partner and consortium leader for the software verification and validation of Europe's first reusable space transportation system, Space Rider. This project, funded by the European Space Agency (ESA), is expected to revolutionize access to low orbit. Space Rider's ce

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jul 20, 2023
A global consortium of astrophysicists spearheaded by teams from the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Germany, Harvard University in the United States, and Durham University in the United Kingdom, have taken a bold stride towards understanding the cosmos. The team has recently simulated the formation of galaxies and cosmic structures across vast expanses of space. A unique aspect o

Munich, Germany (SPX) Jul 20, 2023
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), astronomers have found the possible 'sibling' of a planet orbiting a distant star. The team has detected a cloud of debris that might be sharing this planet's orbit and which, they believe, could be the building blocks of a new planet or the remnants of one already formed. If confirmed, this discovery would be the strongest evidence

San Antonio TX (SPX) Jul 20, 2023
NASA has selected Southwest Research Institute to lead a $50 million lunar lander/rover instrument suite, Dating an Irregular Mare Patch with a Lunar Explorer, or DIMPLE, designed to understand if the Moon has been volcanically active in the geologically recent past. DIMPLE, which was developed by SwRI, will use cameras and radioisotope-based dating to determine the age and composition of an ano

Washington DC (UPI) Jul 20, 2023
With only seconds remaining in the countdown late Tuesday, SpaceX aborted the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket with a payload of Starlink satellites. The mission was to deploy 15 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit where they were to join the thousands of other orbitals making up the company's Internet-emanating constellation. However, with only 5 seconds before the scheduled lift of

Washington DC (UPI) Jul 20, 2023
NASA's plans to retrieve samples of soil from Mars and fly them back to Earth seemingly is in deep trouble with a Senate committee. On Wednesday, a Senate appropriations committee offered only $300 million for the plan for the fiscal year 2024, well short of the $949 million for which the space agency is asking. The mission requires several vehicles. The Perseverance rover, which is