Since it was launched more than 12 years ago, ESA’s CryoSat ice mission has dazzled by way of its sheer technological and scientific excellence. This superb Earth Explorer satellite has returned a wealth of information that has transformed our understanding of Earth’s ice and how it is responding to climate change. In some circumstances, however, being dazzled isn’t a good thing, particularly when it comes to measuring the height of sea ice from space during the summer.

A paper published in Nature describes how scientists have now found an ingenious way of removing

Europe’s first generation Galileo constellation is already the world’s most precise satellite navigation system – delivering metre-scale positioning to more than 3.5 billion users worldwide – but Galileo Second Generation will enable still better performance and an expanded range of services. Essential elements of the G2 system are currently being evaluated in ESA laboratories, including key algorithms to synchronise satellite timings and determine orbits as well as test versions of a satnav receiver and emergency beacon.

Falls Church VA (SPX) Sep 13, 2022
When you think of a rocket launch, you probably imagine a glistening white cylinder emerging from a cloud of smoke and fire making its way into outer space. But while the sight of a launch may only last a few minutes, not many see the dedication, long hours and incredible team effort that made it all possible. "It's not the hardware or the software-it's the people on the launch vehicle tea

Brampton, Canada (SPX) Sep 12, 2022
MDA Ltd. (TSX: MDA), a leading provider of advanced technology and services to the rapidly expanding global space industry, has been selected by Airbus OneWeb Satellites, LLC (AOS) to design and build Ka-Band steerable antennas. The MDA antennas will be integrated into the portfolio of Arrow commercial small satellites manufactured by AOS. "We are pleased to be selected by Airbus OneWeb Sa

Melbourne, Australia (SPX) Sep 13, 2022
Strange diamonds from an ancient dwarf planet in our solar system could lead to the production of ultra-hard machine parts, according to scientists. A team of researchers, including those from Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, has confirmed the existence of lonsdaleite in ureilite meteorites from the dwarf planet's mantle. Lonsdaleite is a rare, hexagonal-shaped diamond bel

Long Beach CA (SPX) Sep 13, 2022
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) is preparing to launch its 30th Electron rocket and 150th satellite to space during a dedicated mission for Japanese Earth-imaging company Synspective on Wednesday, September 14 UTC. The launch will take place from Pad B at Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula. The launch window opens 20:30 UTC on September 14th (08:30 NZST, Septe

Paris, France (SPX) Sep 13, 2022
Redwire Corporation (NYSE: RDW), a leader in space infrastructure for the next generation space economy, today signed a formal teaming agreement with Sodern, a world leader in star trackers and neutron systems, to produce the Eagle Eye star tracker. The Eagle Eye star tracker will offer superior performance by leveraging the exceptional flight heritage of Sodern's highly resilient modular

Los Alamos NM (SPX) Sep 13, 2022
We've all walked outside on a cold morning and seen frost on the grass, but you might be surprised to know that frost can also form on Mars! Several missions have searched for frost including Opportunity and most recently Curiosity with its REMS and ChemCam instruments. This week, Perseverance followed in its siblings' footsteps by searching for frost at Jezero Crater using its MEDA and SuperCam

Morgantown WV (SPX) Sep 13, 2022
Students across the Mountain State will simulate growing crops on the moon and learn, via hands-on experiments, about NASA's Artemis mission, thanks to funding secured by the NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium housed at West Virginia University. On Friday (Sept. 9), Vice President Kamala Harris, in her role as chair of the National Space Council, announced new NASA funding for sever

Beijing (XNA) Sep 13, 2022
At least since the first manned missions to the moon in the 1960s and early '70s, the general belief was that Earth's orbiting partner was bone dry. Then, about two years ago, several lunar missions showed that's not absolutely true. Some lunar soil contains minute amounts of water molecules. But where did water on the moon come from? Answering that question can help us understand the moon