For all the optimism about the development of commercial space stations, the International Astronautical Congress also showed the lingering concern about the business case for such stations, be it for research, tourism or other space agencies.

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Press briefing on Ariane 6 progress at ESA Bertrand HQ, 19 October 2022: (l-r at front) Stéphane Israël (Arianespace Chief Executive), André-Hubert Roussel (ArianeGroup Chief Executive), Philippe Baptiste (CNES Chairman and Chief Executive), Joseph Aschbacher (ESA Director General), Daniel Neuenschwander (ESA Director of Space Transportation Systems)

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has captured a lush, highly detailed landscape – the iconic Pillars of Creation – where new stars are forming within dense clouds of gas and dust. The three-dimensional pillars look like majestic rock formations, but are far more permeable. These columns are made up of cool interstellar gas and dust that appear – at times – semi-transparent in near-infrared light.

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The Pillars of Creation are set off in a kaleidoscope of colour in the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope’s near-infrared-light view. The pillars look like arches and spires rising out of a desert landscape, but are filled with semi-transparent gas and dust, and ever changing. This is a region where young stars are forming – or have barely burst from their dusty cocoons as they continue to form.

Protostars are the scene-stealers in this Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) image. These are the bright red orbs that sometimes appear with eight diffraction spikes. When knots with sufficient mass form

Tucson AZ (SPX) Oct 19, 2022
If there ever was life on Mars - and that's a huge "if" - conditions during the planet's infancy most likely would have supported it, according to a study led by University of Arizona researchers. Dry and extremely cold, with a tenuous atmosphere, today's Mars is extremely unlikely to sustain any form of life at the surface. But 4 billion years ago, Earth's smaller, red neighbor may have been mu

Bay St. Louis MS (SPX) Oct 19, 2022
Relativity Space, the first company to 3D print rockets and build the largest metal 3D printers in the world, has detailed its plans to operate one of the largest rocket engine test facilities in the United States. Through an agreement with NASA, Relativity is significantly expanding its facilities and infrastructure at NASA's historic Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Mississippi. T

Pasadena CA (JPL) Oct 19, 2022
Curiosity is focused on wrapping up the drill campaign at the Canaima site before hitting the road again. Curiosity started out with an unexpected 10% surplus in energy known as a "power gift." This two-sol plan will allow Curiosity to complete the Canaima drilling activities before driving away along the Mount Sharp Ascent Route (MSAR). One planned activity is to analyze the Canaima drill

Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Oct 19, 2022
Beyond Gravity, a leading space systems company, has been selected to supply equipment for Loft Orbital's Longbow spacecraft based on Airbus Arrow platform. The physical equipment is referred to as the Power Control and Distribution Unit (PCDU). The PCDU provides mission critical power supply capabilities and in-orbit configurability for "The Hub" that carries all payloads of a Loft Orbita

Paris (ESA) Oct 19, 2022
After a two-week voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, the ship transporting the first Meteosat Third Generation satellite docked at Pariacabo in French Guiana and the precious cargo unloaded. Now safe and sound in one of the spaceport's cleanrooms, satellite engineers will ready it for liftoff on an Ariane 5 rocket in December. Once in geostationary orbit, this new satellite, which carries two new