Paris (AFP) March 29, 2023
European satellite telecommunications provider SES said Wednesday it is exploring a possible merger with US rival Intelsat in what would be another tie-up in the sector as the race for space-based internet service heats up. "In response to rumours in the market, SES S.A. confirms that the company has engaged in discussions regarding a possible combination with Intelsat." The firm added t

Morgantown WV (SPX) Mar 31, 2023
Satellites and spacecraft are running on empty due to a worldwide shortage of traditional propulsion fuels. In response, two West Virginia University researchers are seeking alternative ways of powering the thrusters that keep satellites in orbit and could potentially drive deep space vessels. Earl Scime, Oleg D. Jefimenko professor of physics and astronomy, and Thomas Steinberger, researc

Beijing, China (SPX) Mar 31, 2023
On March 27, an article published in the international academic journal "Nature Earth Science" stated that Chinese and British scholars measured the water in the impact glass beads in the Chang'e-5 lunar samples, and found that the water content in the glass beads decreased from the edges taper off towards the center. The scientific research team speculates that this is because the hydrogen ions

Pasadena CA (JPL) Mar 31, 2023
Signs of spring are all around as most of us come on shift from various locations within the northern hemisphere today. We still have thick snow on the ground here in eastern Canada, but the sounds of melting snow and bird song are all around. Meanwhile on Mars, we may not be tiptoeing through the tulips, but we are certainly, very carefully, tiptoeing our way through the many loose blocks

Washington DC (SPX) Mar 31, 2023
NASA has established the new Moon to Mars Program Office at NASA Headquarters in Washington to carry out the agency's human exploration activities at the Moon and Mars for the benefit of humanity. Amit Kshatriya will serve as the agency's first head of the office, effective immediately. This new office resides within the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, reporting to its Assoc

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Mar 31, 2023
The film we are presenting as a special edition of our 'Mars image of the month' series offers a virtual flight over the Jezero impact crater and its surroundings, the landing site of NASA's Perseverance rover. It was created using an image mosaic consisting of several separate images, which was based on observations made by DLR's High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board ESA's Mars Express

Washington DC (UPI) Mar 30, 2023
Boeing said it was now targeting July 21 as the earliest window for its first manned Starliner flight to the International Space Station, delaying the liftoff by several months. Boeing and NASA said Wednesday that additional time was needed to "close out verification and validation work prior to the systems first flight with crew on board" the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft for the flight

Jerusalem (AFP) March 29, 2023
Israel launched a new spy satellite with advanced imaging capabilities early on Wednesday, the defence ministry said. The Ofek-13 military satellite was launched into orbit at 02:10 am (2310 GMT) from a site in central Israel, the ministry said. "We will continue to prove that even the sky isn't the limit for the Israeli defence establishment and that we continue to enhance its capabil

Beijing (XNA) Mar 30, 2023
The China National Space Administration published the first images taken by an advanced Chinese Earth-observation satellite on Tuesday afternoon. The 14 images were taken by the world-class apparatus on the Hyperspectral Multifunctional Observation Satellite, including a wide thermal infrared imager and an advanced hyper-spectral imager. They will help scientists track greenhouse gases suc

Melbourne FL (SPX) Mar 31, 2023
Inspired by the Milankovitch cycles that play a role in Earth's climate over time, new research at Florida Tech examines how these recurring orbital movements may affect the climate of exoplanets. "Sporadic Spin-Orbit Variations in Compact Multi-planet Systems and their Influence on Exoplanet Climate," a study by Florida Tech exoplanetary scientist and astrobiologist Howard Chen and resear