US watchdog upholds SpaceX's Moon lander contract
Friday, 30 July 2021 23:53
NASA did not violate regulations when it decided to give SpaceX the sole contract to build a Moon lander, a watchdog said Friday, in a ruling that denied challenges by competitors Blue Origin and Dynetics.
The human landing system (HLS) contract, worth $2.9 billion, was given to Elon Musk's company in April, but was protested by the other bidders, who argued NASA was required to make multipl High-stakes Boeing capsule launch postponed due to mishap at ISS
Friday, 30 July 2021 23:53
Boeing and NASA postponed the launch the company's Starliner space capsule to the International Space Station on Friday after a mishap at the orbital laboratory on Thursday.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket had been scheduled to launch the capsule on an uncrewed test flight from Florida. But a new Russian module, Nauka, created a brief crisis at the space station when the module' Ariane 5 launches two satellites on first mission in nearly a year
Friday, 30 July 2021 21:32
An Ariane 5 successfully launched two commercial communications satellites July 30 in the first flight of the rocket in nearly a year, and the first of two missions before it launches a NASA space telescope.
Ariane 5 launches pioneering reprogrammable telecommunications satellite
Friday, 30 July 2021 20:38
Europe’s Ariane 5 has delivered two telecom satellites Star One D2 and Eutelsat Quantum into their planned transfer orbits.
Eutelsat Quantum liftoff
Friday, 30 July 2021 20:20
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The first flight of Ariane 5 in 2021 delivers two satellites including the ESA-backed telecommunications satellite Eutelsat Quantum into space.
GAO denies Blue Origin and Dynetics protests of NASA lunar lander contract
Friday, 30 July 2021 16:39
The U.S. Government Accountability Office denied protests July 30 that Blue Origin and Dynetics filed of NASA’s award of a single lunar lander contract to SpaceX.
Space Force eyes solar-powered vehicles for operations near the moon
Friday, 30 July 2021 15:34
A startup under contract to the U.S. Space Force is investigating the use of solar-powered vehicles for operations in deep space beyond Earth orbit.
Ariane 5 on the launch pad
Friday, 30 July 2021 15:00
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Ariane 5 is poised for liftoff on flight VA254 at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana China's space propaganda blitz endures at slick new planetarium
Friday, 30 July 2021 14:02
China has opened the doors on what it bills as the world's largest planetarium, a slick new Shanghai facility showcasing the nation's recent extra-terrestrial exploits while notably downplaying those of space pioneers like the United States.
Beijing has spent much of this year bombarding the public with news of the country's rising space prowess, part of a larger propaganda blitz highlighting Chinese achievements under the ruling Communists to mark the party's 100th anniversary.
In recent months, China has landed a spacecraft on Mars, set loose a rover to explore it, and sent the first astronauts to a Chinese space station.
Scale-model replicas of spaceships from these and other missions figure prominently at the new Shanghai Planetarium, along with paeons to China's rapid scientific advancement, and clips of President Xi Jinping addressing the nation's taikonauts.
"This year we had several astronauts go to space, which is a source of pride for China," said a woman surnamed Zhou, who brought her young daughter.
Russia blames space station lab incident on software failure
Friday, 30 July 2021 13:59
Apollo 11 ascent stage may still be orbiting the moon
Friday, 30 July 2021 11:12
James Meador, an independent researcher at the California Institute of Technology, has found evidence that suggests the Apollo 11 ascent stage may still be orbiting the moon. He has written a paper outlining his research and findings and has posted it on the arXiv preprint server.
In 1969, NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history when they landed a craft successfully on the moon. After more than 21 hours on the surface, the astronauts blasted off the surface in a part of the Eagle lander called the ascent stage. They soon thereafter rendezvoused with Michael Collins in the command module which carried them back to Earth. Before departing for Earth, the ascent stage was jettisoned into space—NASA engineers assumed that it would crash back to the moon's surface sometime later. Meador reports that the ascent stage may not have crashed into the moon after all and might, in fact, still be orbiting the moon.
Meador began his investigation by considering whether it might be possible to find the ascent stage, which he assumed would be on the surface of the moon.
Week in images: 26 - 30 July 2021
Friday, 30 July 2021 10:43
Week in images: 26 - 30 July 2021
Discover our week through the lens
Nelson remains hopeful Congress will provide additional lunar lander funding
Friday, 30 July 2021 10:09
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson says he remains confident that Congress will provide NASA with additional funding so it can select a second lunar lander developer but declined to comment on Blue Origin’s proposal to lower its costs to enable a contract.
Lift off for UK spaceflight as regulations passed
Friday, 30 July 2021 09:49
Another step towards space exploration from UK soil has been unlocked, with the passing of the spaceflight regulations, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced 29 July 2021.
The legislation provides the framework to regulate the UK space industry and enable launches to take place from British soil for the very first time. It will unlock a potential 4 billion pounds of market opportuniti Two more Artemis I deep space cubesats prepare for launch
Friday, 30 July 2021 09:49
Two additional secondary payloads that will travel to deep space on Artemis I, the first flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft, are ready for launch.
The Team Miles and EQUilibriUm Lunar-Earth point 6U Spacecraft (EQUULEUS) CubeSats are tucked into dispensers and installed in the Orion stage adapter - the ring that connects Orion to the SLS rocket. They are jo