Beijing (XNA) Oct 26, 2022
China's Mengtian space lab module and its carrier - a Long March 5B rocket - were moved to a service tower on Tuesday morning to undergo final tests before their planned flight in the coming days, according to the China Manned Space Agency. The agency said in a brief news release that prelaunch preparation work is underway at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in the southernmost island prov

Washington DC (UPI) Oct 25, 2021
The International Space Station adjusted its orbit Monday night to avoid space debris, NASA said. "This evening, the International Space Station's Progress 81 thrusters fired for 5 minutes, 5 seconds in a Pre-Determined Debris Avoidance Maneuver to provide the complex an extra measure of distance away from the predicted track of a fragment of Russian Cosmos 1408 debris," according to a

Vilnius, Lithuania (SPX) Oct 26, 2022
NanoAvionics has announced a multi-million investment plan to support and accelerate its goal of becoming the prime supplier for small satellite constellations, globally. As a result of the recent acquisition by Kongsberg and part of its growth plan, the company seeks to significantly grow its production capacity over the next two years as well as ramping up its research and development (R and D

Washington DC (UPI) Oct 25, 2021
The last solar eclipse of the year was visible across Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia and Africa on Tuesday. The partial eclipse is the second of the year and began at about 4:48 a.m. ET with the moon beginning to overlap with the sun. At its peak, about 82%-86% of the sun will be eclipsed. This will happen around 11:10 a.m., though the best spot to observe will be the North P

Gold Coast, Australia (SPX) Oct 25, 2022
Global electrification specialist Equipmake has been selected by Australia's leading space company, Gilmour Space Technologies, to support its commercial space rocket programme with the supply of advanced electric motors and inverters. Led by former F1 engineer Ian Foley, Equipmake has forged its reputation by developing advanced EV technology for automotive OEMs and specialist supercar ma

Edwards AFB CA (SPX) Oct 24, 2022
The Air Force Research Laboratory upgraded its fabrication shop equipment with 20 new state-of-the-art machines for manufacturing rocket components that will enhance capabilities, increase accuracy and save money. The Rocket Propulsion Division, part of AFRL's Aerospace Systems Directorate, recently modernized its fabrication shop with five new computer numerical control, or CNC, milling m

Orlando FL (SPX) Oct 26, 2022
As part of NASA's Artemis program to establish a long-term presence on the moon, it aims to build an Artemis base camp that includes a modern lunar cabin, rover and mobile home. This fixed habitat could potentially be constructed with bricks made of lunar regolith and saltwater, thanks to a recent discovery from a team of UCF researchers. Associate Professor Ranajay Ghosh of UCF's Departme

Evanston IL (SPX) Oct 26, 2022
When Mars' first samples return to Earth, scientists should be on the lookout for ancient sleeping bacteria, a new study has found. In a first-of-its-kind study, a research team, including Northwestern University's Brian Hoffman and Ajay Sharma, found that ancient bacteria could survive close to the surface on Mars much longer than previously assumed. And - when the bacteria are buried and

Bethesda MD (SPX) Oct 26, 2022
As the goals of Mars exploration expand to include sample return, it becomes important to protect Earth from potential extraterrestrial sources of contamination. Likewise, it is important to avoid mistaking Earth life for indigenous life brought back from Mars. In a new study, scientists examine the effects of desiccation and freezing on microbial ionizing radiation survivability on Mars.

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ESA’s Proba-2 captured two partial solar eclipses on 25 October 2022.

A solar eclipse is caused by the movement of the Moon around Earth. Despite their much different sizes, due to their separation, the Moon appears to be about the same size as the significantly larger Sun in the sky. Occasionally, the Moon passes in front of the Sun, blocking its light, so that part of the Earth’s surface is in the Moon’s shadow. The line-up is not always perfect, and so not every eclipse is a total solar eclipse.

On 25 October only part of the Sun’s light was