NASA has postponed the launch of the asteroid mission Psyche a week to update the configuration of thrusters on the spacecraft. The post NASA delays Psyche launch a week appeared first on .
China has launched another new Yaogan reconnaissance satellite. A Long March 4C rocket lifted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert at 4:15 p.m. EDT on Sept. 26 (2015 GMT; 4:15 a.m. Beijing Time on Sept. 27). The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced the successful launch within an hour…
he chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) during a hearing Sept. 28 grilled military officials over their role in the Biden administration’s decision to keep U.S. Space Command’s headquarters in Colorado. The post Rogers to continue to challenge decision to keep Space Command in Colorado appeared first on .
A massive star that exploded in the Pinwheel Galaxy in May appears to have unexpectedly lost approximately one sun’s worth of ejected mass during the final years of its life before going supernova, new observations have shown. This discovery reveals more about the enigmatic end days of massive stars. On the night of May 19,…
Astroscale says a mission to inspect an upper stage abandoned in low Earth orbit, as a precursor to removing it, is ready for launch, but a recent launch failure will keep it on the ground for the time being. The post Astroscale inspector satellite ready for launch appeared first on .
China’s Shenzhou 16 astronauts conducted an eye-raising experiment in space involving naked flames aboard the Tiangong space station. Astronauts Gui Haichao and Zhu Yangzhu lit a candle during a live lecture broadcast from China’s Tiangong space station on Sept. 21 to demonstrate how flames burn in microgravity. Strikingly, the flames appear nearly spherical, rather than…
NASA is forming a response team after an independent review board examined the agency’s ongoing plans and objectives for its upcoming mission to retrieve samples from Mars. The Mars Sample Return, an operation in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), would involve the first-ever launch into space from another planet and the first-ever rendezvous…
Iran just sent its third military satellite to orbit. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, a branch of the nation’s armed forces, launched the Noor 3 spacecraft atop a three-stage Qasem rocket on Wednesday (Sept. 27), according to state media. Those reports have been confirmed by the U.S. Space Force, which catalogued two objects — likely the satellite and…
As commercial spaceflight operations ramp up and potentially thousands of passengers take to space in the coming decades, there will be ample opportunity for these passengers to participate in research programs and scientific studies. However, there are currently limited ethical guidelines around such research, and a team of experts are expressing urgency in laying the…
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Is making progress on its rover for a joint mission with India to the south pole of the moon. JAXA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) agreed to the cooperative project back in 2019. ISRO, which recently made India the fourth country to soft-land on the moon, will…
Red quasars filled with cosmic dust produce stronger radio emissions than their bluer, dust-free counterparts — and these phenomena, scientists say, could represent a generation of younger active galaxies with supermassive black holes that only recently switched into overdrive. “There are still many unanswered questions surrounding red quasars, such as whether black hole winds or…
On Oct. 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse will occur across the Americas during which part of the moon’s shadow will travel faster than 5,500 mph, more than twice as fast as a bolt of lightning. It will also travel as slow as 1,250 mph, about the same as a jet fighter. It all depends…
Jan Davis grew up in a rocket town, and she became an astronaut who flew on rockets. The retired NASA astronaut cites her father, Benjamin Smotherman, as a large influence, and shares both of their stories in a new book: “Air Born: Two Generations in Flight” (Ballast Books, 2023). It details her father’s military service…
A collision between two ancient icy moons that may have once orbited Saturn could have given rise to the planet’s iconic ring system, a new study reveals. Saturn is probably the most eye-catching planet in the solar system, but it may also be one of the most mind-boggling. Surrounded by a series of seven concentric…
Mynaric’s laser communications terminals passed key ground tests required to be deployed on Space Development Agency satellites The post Mynaric optical terminals selected for Northorp Grumman satellites pass key tests appeared first on .
Eutelsat has combined its geostationary satellite business with OneWeb’s low Earth orbit constellation after shareholders voted Sept. 28 to support the all-share deal. The post Eutelsat completes multi-orbit OneWeb merger after shareholder vote appeared first on .
A small mission to test technology to detect radio waves from the cosmic Dark Ages over 13.4 billion years ago will blast off for the far side of the moon in 2025. The Lunar Surface Electromagnetic Experiment-Night mission, or LuSEE-Night for short, is a small radio telescope being funded by NASA and the U.S. Department…
We’re just a week away from the first-ever interplanetary mission for SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket. The Falcon Heavy is scheduled to launch NASA’s Psyche spacecraft from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 5. It will be the eighth mission overall for the powerful SpaceX launcher, which debuted in February 2018, and its…
The Federal Aviation Administration announced Sept. 26 it had closed the mishap investigation into a failed launch by Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle more than a year ago, but said the vehicle is not yet cleared to resume flights. The post FAA closes New Shepard mishap investigation appeared first on .
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory awarded X-Bow Systems, a startup that specializes in solid rocket propulsion, a $17.8 million contract to demonstrate additive manufacturing technologies. The post X-Bow to demonstrate additive manufacturing of solid rocket motors for U.S. Air Force appeared first on .