Colorado Springs (Sputnik) Sep 01, 2021
Russian space agency Roscosmos has offered the European Space Agency (ESA) to continue using Russia's Soyuz carrier rockets from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana for different payloads, and the talks are ongoing, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher told Sputnik. "The extended use of Soyuz is one of the topics we're considering right now. In fact, I have discussed it with Mr. [Dmitry

Traverse City, MI (SPX) Sep 01, 2021
SpaceFund has announced at the North American Space Summit, the formation of its SpaceFund Labs idea incubator. The goal of this new division of SpaceFund is to capture and turn exciting ideas into funded businesses by creating a unique incubation plan for each idea that is accepted into the program. "SpaceFund Labs is about discovering and nurturing the most brilliant ideas in AI, biotech

West Lafayette IN (SPX) Sep 01, 2021
A drag sail that a team at Purdue University developed to pull launch vehicles in space back to Earth is scheduled to undergo a test launch on Thursday (Sept. 2). The mission, set to take off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, will evaluate how well the prototype helps its vehicle deorbit from space after mission completion. A livestream of the launch will be available through

Houston TX (SPX) Sep 01, 2021
For centuries, humans have mined materials to build the tools we use every day, from batteries and cell phones to airplanes and refrigerators. While the process of obtaining these important minerals used to rely entirely on heavy machinery, fire, and human labor, scientists have learned how to harness the natural power of microbes to do some of the work. This process, called biomining, has

Yokneam, Israel (SPX) Sep 01, 2021
Ramon.Space has been selected by the Israel Space Agency to provide a space computing payload for a mission scheduled to launch in early 2022. As part of the mission, Ramon.Space digital payload will perform computing on-orbit including software updates and upgrades using the company's programmable space computing systems. Ramon.Space high performance computing systems are based on in-hous

Pasadena CA (JPL) Sep 01, 2021
A new study offers a tantalizing explanation for how a peculiar cosmic object called WISEA J153429.75-104303.3 - nicknamed "The Accident" - came to be. The Accident is a brown dwarf. Though they form like stars, these objects don't have enough mass to kickstart nuclear fusion, the process that causes stars to shine. And while brown dwarfs sometimes defy characterization, astronomers have a good

Boston MA (SPX) Sep 01, 2021
A new technique using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has allowed astronomers to obtain an unprecedented look at a black hole system in the early Universe, as reported in our latest press release. This is providing a way for astronomers to look at faint and distant X-ray objects in more detail than had previously been possible. Astronomers used an alignment in space that shows "gravitatio

Houston TX (SPX) Sep 01, 2021
NASA is asking American companies for additional input on approaches and solutions for a vehicle to transport Artemis astronauts around the lunar South Pole later this decade. The lunar terrain vehicle (LTV), an unenclosed rover that astronauts can drive on the Moon while wearing their spacesuits, will need to last at least 10 years, spanning multiple Artemis missions. Through a request fo

Beijing, China (SPX) Sep 01, 2021
The universe, and everything it encompasses, has kindled the curious human mind for ages, leading to numerous "eureka" moments in understanding the intricacies of "outer space." Several manned and unmanned space explorations have been successfully deployed to date, using chemical energy and solar energy as the primary sources of energy. However, these sources may not be very energy-efficient or

Washington DC (UPI) Aug 31, 2021
U.S. Air Force rescue teams have completed training in preparation for possible emergency bailouts of space launches by SpaceX and Boeing. The training took place last week in the Atlantic Ocean and the Banana River near the Florida-based Patrick Space Force Base, the Air Force said Monday in a press release. The teams included pararescuemen, airmen and maritime operations from t