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Back in 2023, we reported on Solar Orbiter’s discovery of tiny jets near the Sun’s south pole that could be powering the solar wind. The team behind this research has now used even more data from the European Space Agency’s prolific solar mission to confirm that these jets exist all over dark patches in the Sun’s atmosphere, and that they really are a source of not only fast but also slow solar wind.

The newfound jets can be seen in this sped-up video as hair-like wisps that flash very briefly, for example within the circled regions of the

In a landmark achievement, ESA successfully migrated Galileo’s Control Centres in a highly complex operation involving over 200 people from the Agency, industry and EUSPA. This milestone marked the beginning of a global operation to upgrade Galileo’s entire Ground Segment, a vast network of stations spread around the world.

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 04, 2025
NASA has revealed a new call for American proposals that outline a public/private partnership to land and operate the agency's VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) mission on the Moon. This initiative aligns with NASA's Artemis campaign and showcases U.S. industry prowess in detecting water ice on the lunar surface while collecting key scientific data. The Announcement f

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 04, 2025
RIDE!, a prominent force in satellite mission management, celebrates its successful Deep Blue RIDE! mission, marking the company's fourth major deployment and the first of 2025. Launched on January 14 aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket through the Transporter-12 rideshare program, Deep Blue RIDE! carried 130 payloads, including a satellite for RIDE!'s longtime partner, SatRev. This accomplish

Paris, France (SPX) Feb 04, 2025
Arianespace has concluded two important deals on Ariane 6 with leading European authorities at the 17th European Space Conference. The European Commission, the European Space Agency (ESA), and EUMETSAT have affirmed ongoing support for Ariane 6, Europe's next-generation heavy-lift vehicle. Under one agreement, the European Commission and ESA have selected Arianespace to launch Sentinel-1D

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 04, 2025
The Expedition 72 crew began February by tidying up after last week's spacewalk, while also conducting ongoing research in space-based farming and microgravity physics. On Monday, they turned their attention to experiments involving human physiology, all while continuing to keep the station in prime working order. NASA astronauts Suni Williams, serving as Commander, and Flight Engineer But

Tucson AZ (SPX) Feb 04, 2025
Nearly one third of known exoplanets are enormous gas giants, similar to Jupiter or Saturn. But whereas our Solar System developed with gas giants far from our Sun, some planetary systems consist of so-called 'hot - or even ultra-hot - Jupiters' orbiting very close to their star, some as close as Mercury is to the Sun. These hot, puffy giants endure extreme temperatures and are sometimes nicknam

Miami FL (SPX) Feb 04, 2025
Before Neil Armstrong took his "giant leap for mankind," NASA staged a series of missions that paved the way for his team's successful Apollo 11 moon landing-from a flight that tested the lunar module in low Earth orbit to a dress rehearsal voyage that tested all aspects of the mission except for the actual landing. Today, with its ambitious Artemis campaign, the iconic space agency has se

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 04, 2025
Astranis enthusiastically reveals it has finalized a new agreement with SpaceX for an additional Falcon 9 mission carrying five MicroGEO satellites before the end of this year. These advanced satellites will be placed in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) to deliver broadband connectivity to users worldwide, including major operators such as Thaicom in Thailand and internet providers like APCO in Mexico,