Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 31, 2024
BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY), a leader in geospatial intelligence and global monitoring, has achieved a significant milestone by advancing to the third and final phase of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity's (IARPA) multi-year Space-based Machine Automated Recognition Technique (SMART) program. This progression underscores BlackSky's pivotal role in enhancing the capab

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Feb 01, 2024
In a significant stride for X-ray astronomy, the German eROSITA consortium has unveiled data from the first all-sky survey by the eROSITA telescope, stationed on the Spectrum-RG (SRG) satellite. This landmark release, encapsulating around 900,000 distinct X-ray sources, forms the largest X-ray catalogue to date. The consortium also issued a series of scientific papers today, spanning topics from

San Diego CA (SPX) Feb 01, 2024
Solar flares occur when magnetic energy builds up in the Sun's atmosphere and is released as electromagnetic radiation. Lasting anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, flares usually reach temperatures around 10 million degrees Kelvin. Because of their intense electromagnetic energy, solar flares can cause disruptions in radio communications, Earth-orbiting satellites and even result in blac

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 01, 2024
In a significant advancement in the field of exoplanetary science, astronomers have unveiled the discovery of a new 'super-Earth', TOI-715 b, orbiting within the habitable zone of a red dwarf star. This discovery, made possible by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), has ignited interest in the astronomical community due to its potential implications in the ongoing search for life b

Washington DC (SPX) Feb 01, 2024
NASA is wrapping up the initial phase of its Fission Surface Power Project, which focused on developing concept designs for a small, electricity-generating nuclear fission reactor that could be used during a future demonstration on the Moon and to inform future designs for Mars. NASA awarded three $5 million contracts in 2022, tasking each commercial partner with developing an initial desi

Tokyo (AFP) Feb 1, 2024
After a brief awakening, Japan's Moon lander is out of action again but will resume its mission if it survives the two-week lunar night, the space agency said Thursday. The unmanned Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) touched down last month at a wonky angle that left its solar panels facing the wrong way. As the sun's angle shifted, it came back to life for two days this week and

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 01, 2024
In a significant move for the future of private space exploration, Starlab Space, a joint venture between Voyager Space and Airbus, has inked a deal with SpaceX, a leader in space transport services, to launch its commercial space laboratory into low-Earth orbit. This partnership marks a pivotal step in Starlab's ambitions to become a successor to the International Space Station (ISS). The

London, UK (SPX) Feb 01, 2024
Pulsar Fusion has marked a significant achievement in the realm of space technology by successfully demonstrating a cutting-edge space engine, distinguished as the largest ever fired in Britain. This new engine, designed to propel a more advanced generation of satellites, represents a leap in the capabilities of in-space propulsion systems. In a recent test conducted at the University of S

Oxford UK (SPX) Feb 01, 2024
It is difficult to emphasise the significance of the milestone surpassed by Nasa's Mars helicopter, Ingenuity. The little (1.8kg) helicopter touched down with the Perseverance rover in 2021. On 25 January, Nasa announced that the flying vehicle had to perform an emergency landing which damaged one of its rotors and ended its mission. This reminds us that space exploration is still di

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Feb 01, 2024
In a significant advancement for small satellite capabilities, the NorSat-TD microsatellite, developed by the Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) for the Norwegian Space Agency (NOSA), has successfully established an optical satellite-to-ground communications link. This achievement marks a pioneering moment for a Dutch-built laser communication device and positions the NorSat-TD among the early micros