Milky Way's central black hole woke up 200 years ago
Thursday, 22 June 2023 04:28
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Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, is far less luminous than other black holes at the centers of galaxies we can observe, which means our galaxy's central black hole has not been actively gobbling up material around it. Yet new evidence from NASA's IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) telescope suggests the ancient sleeping giant woke recently AST SpaceMobile confirms 4G capabilities to everyday smartphones directly from space
Thursday, 22 June 2023 04:28 Write a comment
AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ: ASTS), the company building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by standard mobile phones, announced it has achieved repeated successful download speeds above 10 Mbps during testing of BlueWalker 3. Space-based cellular communications at 4G speeds using unmodified smartphones is another world first telecommunications achievement Ecuador signs Artemis Accords
Thursday, 22 June 2023 00:15 Write a comment
Ecuador joined the growing roster of countries backing the Artemis Accords for safe and sustainable space exploration June 21.
A trio of images highlight BepiColombo's third Mercury flyby
Wednesday, 21 June 2023 19:28 Write a comment
The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission has made its third of six gravity assist flybys at Mercury, snapping images of a newly named impact crater as well as tectonic and volcanic curiosities as it adjusts its trajectory for entering Mercury orbit in 2025.
The closest approach took place at 19:34 UTC (21:34 CEST) on 19 June 2023, about 236 km above the planet's surface, on the night side of the p Detecting and estimating satellite maneuvers more accurately
Wednesday, 21 June 2023 18:52 Write a comment
Researchers from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), Polytechnic University of Milan and the company GMV have developed a new methodology for detecting and estimating satellite maneuvers that improves the operation of the systems currently in use. This development, which is already being tested in operational environments, may help reduce the problem of space debris.
The number of satellites and fragments of space debris in Earth orbit currently amounts to around 30,000, according to the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA catalogs, although researchers in this field estimate the real number to be around 100,000.
Mynaric to supply laser communications for Raytheon’s missile-tracking satellites
Wednesday, 21 June 2023 18:31 Write a comment
Mynaric will supply laser communications terminals for seven military satellites made by Raytheon Technologies, the company announced June 21.
Intelsat walks away from SES merger talks
Wednesday, 21 June 2023 18:28 Write a comment
Intelsat has ended talks about merging with rival satellite operator SES, a source close to the discussions confirmed.
Europe's Euclid space telescope to launch on July 1
Wednesday, 21 June 2023 16:12 Write a comment
The European Space Agency said on Wednesday its space telescope Euclid is scheduled to launch on July 1, blasting off on a mission to shed light on the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy.
The mission will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida, with the broadcast beginning at 1430 GMT, the ESA said in a tweet.
Euclid was originally planned to ride into space on a Russian Soyuz rocket, but last year Moscow withdrew its launchers in response to sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.
The ESA was forced to turn to its rival SpaceX, the US company of billionaire Elon Musk, to launch the 1.4-billion-euro ($1.5 billion) mission.
Space telescope tracing dark energy to be launched July 1
Wednesday, 21 June 2023 15:32 Write a comment
The Euclid space telescope has a target launch date of July 1, 2023 (18:11 Finnish time at the earliest) with a backup launch date of July 2, 2023.
In six years, Euclid will complete a task that would take older telescopes like Hubble or Webb over a century. The main objective is to solve the problem of dark energy, i.e., why has the expansion of the universe started to accelerate?
A map to reveal the secrets of dark matter and dark energy
Scout Space announces new investors
Wednesday, 21 June 2023 13:00 Write a comment
Scout Space, a startup developing technologies for space situational awareness, announced June 20 it has secured undisclosed funding from the venture capital firm Decisive Point and from government contractor Noblis.
Startup Danti unveils search engine for geospatial data
Wednesday, 21 June 2023 12:16 Write a comment
A new startup, Danti, came out of stealth June 21 with a search engine designed for users of geospatial data.
Industry invited to bid for low-Earth orbit satnav demo
Wednesday, 21 June 2023 11:35 Write a comment
Europe’s Galileo constellation is already the world’s most accurate satellite navigation system, providing metre-level precision to users worldwide. The general expectation is that satnav is going to keep on getting better, in line with increasing user needs and accuracy requirements. But in fact, traditional Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) in medium Earth orbit are approaching their limits of technical performance.
Paris Air Show live - From Earth science to climate action
Wednesday, 21 June 2023 11:15 Write a comment
Paris Air Show live: From Earth science to climate action
22 June at 12:00 CEST: Earth's water and carbon cycles from space
ESA and CNES sign contract to maintain Spaceport, furthering modernisation and environmental sustainability
Wednesday, 21 June 2023 10:55 Write a comment
At the Paris air show today, ESA Director of Space Transportation Daniel Neuenschwander and CNES's Guiana Space Centre Director Marie-Anne Clair signed a contract, maintaining ESA’s role and focusing on objectives including improving flexibility to handle new payloads, reducing carbon footprint and furthering the digital transformation at Europe’s Spaceport to 2027. Looking on were ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and CNES Deputy Chief Executive Lionel Suchet.
CNES has overall responsibility for maintaining the operational condition of the spaceport and modernizing facilities.
Intelsat To sustainably extend life of four satellites by 2027
Wednesday, 21 June 2023 10:36 Write a comment
Intelsat, operator of one of the world's largest integrated satellite and terrestrial networks and leading provider of inflight connectivity (IFC), ordered its second Mission Extension Pod (MEP) from Northrop Grumman Corporation's SpaceLogistics, which will add life to an Intelsat satellite, providing uninterrupted services to many customers. The new contract represents the fourth deal with Spac