Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 08, 2024
The U.S. Space Force's Small Launch and Targets Division at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a segment of Space Systems Command's (SSC) Assured Access to Space (AATS) program, announced the addition of Blue Origin and Stoke Space Technologies Inc. to the Orbital Services Program (OSP)-4 Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. OSP-4, part of the Rocket Sy

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jul 08, 2024
The German Bundeswehr has selected Airbus for the SATCOMBw 3 prime contract, a next-generation secure military satellite system project, worth euro 2.1 billion. This contract encompasses geostationary satellites, ground segment, launch, and operation for a 15-year period, with deployments expected by the decade's end. Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, remarked, "After t

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jul 08, 2024
Chinese researchers have successfully cultivated new varieties of rosa roxburghii, derived from 528 plantlets grown from 28.2 grams of seeds that spent 186 days aboard the Shenzhou XV manned spaceship. Rosa roxburghii, also known as Cili or "thorn pear" in Chinese, is a yellowish, spiny fruit noted for its high vitamin C content and numerous nutritional benefits. For the first time,

Boston MA (SPX) Jul 08, 2024
Microbes that are used for health, agricultural, or other applications need to be able to withstand extreme conditions, and ideally the manufacturing processes used to make tablets for long-term storage. MIT researchers have now developed a new way to make microbes hardy enough to withstand these extreme conditions. Their method involves mixing bacteria with food and drug additives from a

Image: Ariane 6 the day before launch

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 09, 2024
A recent study by Johns Hopkins University, utilizing data from the James Webb Space Telescope, has uncovered that the atmosphere of the exoplanet HD 189733 b contains trace amounts of hydrogen sulfide, known for its rotten egg odor. HD 189733 b, a gas giant similar in size to Jupiter, reveals new information about sulfur's role in planetary formation and atmospheric composition. The prese

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 09, 2024
SpaceX has launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Monday night, carrying Turkey's first home-grown communications satellite. The launch took place at 7:30 p.m. EDT after being delayed due to bad weather. The event was streamed online for viewers worldwide. "All systems are looking good for today's launch of the @Turksat 6A mission from Florida. Weather

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 09, 2024
The Subaru Telescope's comprehensive imaging has significantly contributed to the New Horizons mission, revealing potential extensions of the Kuiper Belt in the outer Solar System. By utilizing a unique analytical method on images captured by the telescope's ultra-wide-field camera, researchers have identified objects that might extend the known boundaries of the Kuiper Belt. Beyond Neptun

London, UK (SPX) Jul 09, 2024
An antenna on ExoMars' Trace Gas Orbiter has been repurposed to help researchers explore new areas of the Martian atmosphere. Using this modified equipment, a team including researchers from Imperial College London has investigated previously unreachable regions of Mars' atmosphere. These areas, which can obstruct radio signals, are vital for future Mars habitation missions. The anal

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 09, 2024
NASA's Artemis program, aimed at returning humans to the Moon and beyond, is making significant strides with key developments in the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. These advancements are vital as the space agency prepares for a series of increasingly ambitious missions to explore cislunar space and establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon. b>Orion Spa