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On 23 November 2023 the Ariane 6 rocket test model at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana was prepared for a combined hot-fire test to test its core stage and main engine for eight minutes of firing – the full duration of a launch.

The mobile building weighs 8200 000 kg – heavier than France's Eiffel Tower. Its platforms provide access to the rocket before a launch. It protects Ariane 6 until its doors are opened and is retracted before a launch or test. The mobile gantry stands on 16 bogies with eight wheels each and every wheel is

Spire joins ESA's Third Party Mission Programme

Image: Members of the reserve of ESA's astronaut class of 2022 visit the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne.

Image: A satellite’s death spiral

Ann Arbor MI (SPX) Nov 23, 2023
If you look at massive galaxies teeming with stars, you might be forgiven in thinking they are star factories, churning out brilliant balls of gas. But actually, less evolved dwarf galaxies have bigger regions of star factories, with higher rates of star formation. Now, University of Michigan researchers have discovered the reason underlying this: These galaxies enjoy a 10-million-year del

Washington DC (UPI) Nov 22, 2021
NASA has awarded $2.3 million to scientists to study how to grow vegetation in lunar soil as human exploration prepares to go beyond Earth's atmosphere, scientists said Tuesday. Researchers say their priorities are advancing work that will grow organisms in lunar soil as part of the Thrive in DEep Space, or TIDES, program. "The ultimate goal of the TIDES initiative is to enable l

Washington DC (UPI) Nov 22, 2021
An autonomous excavator developed by researchers at the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland, has successfully constructed 19.6-foot-tall and 130-foot-long wall. The excavator, named HEAP, scans rocks to determine their size, shape and center of gravity. An algorithm then determines the best location to place each rock. "Using sensors, the excavator can au

San Francisco (AFP) Nov 22, 2023
Sam Altman's shock return as chief executive of OpenAI late Tuesday - days after being sacked - caps a chaotic period that highlighted deep tensions at the heart of the Artificial Intelligence community. The board that fired Altman from his role as CEO of the ChatGPT creator has been almost entirely replaced following a rebellion by employees, cementing his position at the helm of the firm

Washington DC (UPI) Nov 22, 2021
SpaceX lofted 23 Starlink internet satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Wednesday morning after pushing the launch back twice. This was the third Falcon 9 launch in just over 4 days and the latest in a series of Starlink launches for the company. The Falcon 9 rocket rumbled into motion from the Cape's Space Complex 40 and lifted off at 2:47 a.m. EST amid a brilliant fie

Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 23, 2023
Finding and studying Earth-like planets orbiting nearby stars is critical to understand whether we are alone in the universe. To study such planets and assess if they can sustain life, it is necessary to directly image them. However, these planets are difficult to observe, since light from the host star hides them with its glare. A coronagraph instrument can be used to remove the glare light fro