Video: 00:11:35

Hera, ESA’s first planetary defence mission, is headed to space.

Hera will fly to a unique target among the 1.3 million known asteroids of our Solar System – the first body to have had its orbit shifted by human action – to probe lingering unknowns related to its deflection.

Hera is scheduled for launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, USA, today, Monday 7 October, at 16:52 CEST / 15:52 BST.

Los Angeles CA (SMN) Oct 07, 2024
These days, a divorce involves much more than just a formal separation. It is a multi-dimensional process that touches every aspect of finances, emotional well-being, and sociologically, how families stay connected. The difficulties and complications of divorce change along with societal perspectives on marriage and relationships. Modern divorces are impacted by evolving legal policies, ne

Image: Mission control GO for Hera launch

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 04, 2024
Peering deep into the universe's past, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has identified a galaxy with an unusual light signature that could represent an important stage in galactic evolution. The galaxy, GS-NDG-9422, was observed about a billion years after the big bang and may provide clues about the transition between the universe's first stars and more familiar galaxies. "The first thin

Paris, France (SPX) Oct 04, 2024
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London, UK (SPX) Oct 04, 2024
Researchers from Heriot-Watt University have released new high-resolution images of the Nadir Crater, an asteroid impact site buried deep beneath the Atlantic Ocean. The crater, located about 300 meters below the seafloor, spans approximately 9 kilometers in width and was formed by an asteroid collision around 66 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous period. The Nadir Crater, dis

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 04, 2024
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has selected Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) to advance the development of the Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI), the first defensive countermeasure designed to address the growing threat of hypersonic missiles. This next phase of the program follows a three-year collaboration with MDA that has resulted in an innovative design aimed at neutralizing both

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 04, 2024
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Atlanta GA (SPX) Oct 04, 2024
NASA plans to send crewed missions to Mars over the next decade - but the 140 million-mile (225 million-kilometer) journey to the red planet could take several months to years round trip. This relatively long transit time is a result of the use of traditional chemical rocket fuel. An alternative technology to the chemically propelled rockets the agency develops now is called nuclear therma

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 04, 2024
US Space Force and the Department of Commerce, through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Office of Space Commerce, have commenced a dual-track approach for delivering space situational awareness (SSA) services to satellite operators. The two agencies are transitioning spaceflight safety services, currently offered through space-track.org, from US Space Command (U