Rocket Lab receives FAA authorization to resume launches
Thursday, 26 October 2023 11:29Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) has received authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to resume Electron launches from Launch Complex 1. The authorization comes after Rocket Lab experienced an in-flight anomaly on September 19th during the Company's 41st Electron launch. The FAA, the federal licensing body for U.S. launch vehicles, has now confirmed that Rocket Lab's laun
NASA's First Two-way End-to-End Laser Communications System
Thursday, 26 October 2023 11:29NASA is demonstrating laser communications on multiple missions - showcasing the benefits infrared light can have for science and exploration missions transmitting terabytes of important data. The International Space Station is getting a "flashy" technology demonstration this November. The ILLUMA-T (Integrated Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Term
UK and Axiom sign agreement on plans for historic human spaceflight mission
Thursday, 26 October 2023 11:29The agreement between the UK Space Agency and Axiom Space sets out plans for the 2 organisations to work together to pursue a commercially sponsored, UK astronaut mission. The announcement comes as Science Minister George Freeman, is due to open the London Stock Exchange today (25 October), where he will speak about opportunities to bring further investment into the UK space sector. On thi
How could a piece of the Moon become a Near-Earth asteroid
Thursday, 26 October 2023 11:29team of astronomers has found a new clue that a recently discovered near-Earth asteroid, Kamo`oalewa, might be a chunk of the moon. They hypothesized that the asteroid was ejected from the lunar surface during a meteorite strike-and they found that a rare pathway could have allowed Kamo`oalewa to get into orbit around the sun while remaining close to the orbits of the Earth and the Moon. T
Mystery of the Martian core solved
Thursday, 26 October 2023 11:29For four years, NASA's InSight lander recorded tremors on Mars with its seismometer. Researchers at ETH Zurich collected and analysed the data transmitted to Earth to determine the planet's internal structure. "Although the mission ended in December 2022, we've now discovered something very interesting," says Amir Khan, a Senior Scientist in the Department of Earth Sciences at ETH Zurich.
Sampling unique bedrock at the margin unit
Thursday, 26 October 2023 11:29The Mars 2020 team has been exploring a new area of the Margin Unit at Jezero Crater, where distinct carbonate signatures have been observed from orbit. Importantly, carbonates that form in rocks can store a record of the climate during formation, and they can also preserve biosignatures (residues of ancient life). Perseverance is on its way to a particularly interesting region of the Marg
Terran Orbital awarded $4.7 Million Contract by European Space Agency
Thursday, 26 October 2023 11:29Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP), a global leader in satellite-based solutions primarily serving the aerospace and defense industries, has announced its wholly-owned international subsidiary, Tyvak International s.r.l., has been chosen as a prime contractor under a $4.7 million or euro 4.5 million contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) for a proximity operations and in-orbit servici
Tightbeam tech set to revolutionize Global Marine Internet through Aalyria-HICO Partnership
Thursday, 26 October 2023 11:29Aalyria Technologies and HICO Investment Group are joining forces to revolutionize maritime communications, having recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The agreement sets forth the scope and aims of a partnership that seeks to introduce Aalyria's Tightbeam high-speed, free-space optics communications systems across the maritime sector in various global regions, including the Midd
China discloses tasks of Shenzhou-17 crewed space mission
Thursday, 26 October 2023 11:29The Shenzhou-17 astronauts will perform various in-orbit space science and application payload tests and experiments, a senior official from the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced at a press conference on Wednesday. They will carry out extravehicular activities (EVAs), install extravehicular payloads and conduct space station maintenance and other tasks, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy di
High-resolution atmospheric modeling gets a boost with next-gen GEOS-Chem software
Thursday, 26 October 2023 11:29In a significant leap forward for atmospheric science, researchers from Washington University's McKelvey School of Engineering have rolled out an advanced version of GEOS-Chem, known as High Performance GEOS-Chem. This next-generation software paves the way for researchers, policymakers, and citizen scientists to conduct highly detailed studies of air quality and greenhouse gases, using meteorol
QuickSounder Spacecraft contract awarded by NASA
Thursday, 26 October 2023 11:29NASA, on behalf of NOAA, has awarded a delivery order under the Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition IV (Rapid-IV) contract to Southwest Research Institute of San Antonio for the QuickSounder spacecraft. The firm-fixed-price delivery order covers all phases of QuickSounder's operations to include spacecraft development, integration of NOAA's Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder Engineering Develo
Hot summer for Europe's reusable rocket engine
Thursday, 26 October 2023 11:00An ongoing project to develop a low-cost, reusable engine for European rockets made considerable progress over the summer and autumn, with a series of tests that achieved full ignition and, ultimately, a 30-second burn with re-ignition of an early prototype of the Prometheus engine.
Shenzhou-17 crew arrives at Tiangong space station
Thursday, 26 October 2023 10:16Six trends to watch in commercial Earth observation
Thursday, 26 October 2023 08:20With a multitude of opportunities for start-ups, established companies and investors, commercial Earth observation is a vibrant sector with fast-moving innovations in technology, datasets and downstream applications. ESA is a key driving force for the development of European Earth observation and provides impetus through its many programmes and initiatives.
To set the scene ahead of ESA’s Earth Observation Commercialisation Forum next week, here is some need-to-know background information on the evolution and state of play of the Earth observation industry.
Mission Spatiale arrives at the Cité des sciences et de l’industrie in Paris
Thursday, 26 October 2023 08:16The permanent exhibition Mission Spatiale just opened its doors at the Cité des sciences et de l’industrie in Paris. Produced in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), this immersive exhibition is dedicated to space exploration and invites visitors to embark on an interactive journey structured into five steps: Explore, Travel, Transit, Stay and Questions.