Maine company successfully launches prototype rocket
Sunday, 31 January 2021 08:47
A Maine company that's developing a rocket to propel small satellites into space passed its first major test on Sunday.
Brunswick-based bluShift Aerospace launched a 20-foot (6-meter) prototype rocket, hitting an altitude of a little more than 4,000 feet (1,219 meters) in a first run designed to test the rocket's propulsion and control systems.
It carried a science project by Falmouth High School students that will measure flight metrics such as barometric pressure, a special alloy that's being tested by a New Hampshire company—and a Dutch dessert called stroopwafel, in an homage to its Amsterdam-based parent company.
Opportunities for industry to renew Europe’s Spaceport
Sunday, 31 January 2021 08:35
ESA invites European space and non-space companies to get involved in the modernisation of facilities at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. A total budget of €140 million has been allocated to finance this work over the 2020–24 period.
Startup tests hybrid engine for small launch vehicle
Sunday, 31 January 2021 01:24
WASHINGTON — A Maine startup made its first, albeit small, step towards space Jan. 31 with the successful launch of a rocket testing the engine technology it plans to use on future small launch vehicles.
The Stardust 1.0 rocket by Braunschweig, Maine-based bluShift Aerospace launched at about 3 p.m.
Umbra raises $32 million for radar satellite constellation
Sunday, 31 January 2021 00:55
SAN FRANCISCO – Earth observation startup Umbra raised $32 million in an investment round led by the family office venture fund of Passport Capital founder John Burbank with participation from existing Umbra investors including CrossCut Ventures, Starbridge Ventures, Hemisphere Ventures and PonValley.
NASA, SpaceX to launch second Commercial Crew Rotation Mission to ISS
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05
NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than Tuesday, April 20, for launch of the second crew rotation mission with astronauts on an American rocket and spacecraft from the United States to the International Space Station.
NASA's SpaceX Crew-2 mission will launch four astronauts aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket to the space station. It will be the first mission to fly NASA, Boeing test crew return and recovery procedures
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05
Landing and recovery teams from Boeing and NASA recently completed a crew landing dress rehearsal at the U.S. Army's White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, in preparation for missions returning with astronauts from the International Space Station as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program.
When astronauts land after their journey to the space station on Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spa SpaceX violated test license terms last year prompting FAA probe
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05
Famous entrepreneur and space enthusiast Elon Musk gave the Federal Aviation Administration a piece of his mind on Twitter this Thursday, accusing the agency of having a "fundamentally broken regulatory structure," just after a test flight for Space X's Starship rocket was delayed.
Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched a formal investigation into Elon Musk's SpaceX, Space firm plans first all-private crew for 2022 launch
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05
The first private crew, consisting of four astronauts, plans to fly to the International Space Station in January 2022 on a SpaceX mission arranged by Houston-based firm Axiom Space.
Former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría, a vice president at Axiom, would be flight commander. Ohio real estate and financial technology entrepreneur Larry Connor, who has flown fighter jets, would be NASA proceeds with plans for second hot fire test
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05
Bay St. Louis MS (SPX) Feb 01, 2021
NASA plans to conduct a second Green Run hot fire test as early as the fourth week in February with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket's core stage that will launch the Artemis I mission to the Moon. The Green Run is a comprehensive assessment of the rocket's core stage prior to launching Artemis missions.
While the first hot fire test marked a major Milestone for Europe's new launcher
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05
Europe's new launcher, Ariane 6, is nearing completion. Like its predecessor, Ariane 5, the upper stage of the new European Space Agency (ESA) rocket is being built at ArianeGroup in Bremen. On the night of 28 to 29 January 2021, a fully functional, full-size test model, identical to the model that will be used for Ariane 6 launches, began a very special journey to southern Germany in a transpor Peering at the Surface of a Nearby Moon
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05
Among Jupiter's Galilean moons, icy Europa or volcanic Io often take the spotlight - but their sibling moon Ganymede has plenty of secrets to share. Powerful new millimeter observations have now provided insight into this complex satellite's surface.
The frozen, alien landscape of Ganymede contains a little of everything. Shadowy regions of ancient, battered dark terrain are cross-cut by n Could game theory help discover intelligent alien life
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05
New research from The University of Manchester suggests using a strategy linked to cooperative game playing known as 'game theory' in order to maximise the potential of finding intelligent alien life.
If advanced alien civilisations exist in our galaxy and are trying to communicate with us, what's the best way to find them? This is the grand challenge for astronomers engaged in the Search Ball Aerospace completes integration of NASA's IXPE Observatory
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05
Ball Aerospace recently completed the spacecraft and payload assembly integration of NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) space-based astrophysics observatory at its Boulder, Colo. facility. Ball will now begin environmental testing of the integrated observatory, which includes all instruments and the spacecraft bus.
Scheduled to launch later this year, once on orbit, IXPE will Earth will soon forever lose its 'second moon', astronomers say
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05
NASA has confirmed that the enigmatic object, 2020 SO, is the remains of a Centaur rocket booster from the mid 20th century Space Age, adding that the orbiting space junk can be classified as a mini-moon to our planet.
Near-Earth orbiting object 2020 SO, informally dubbed by astronomers "the planet's second moon", is expected to pass at a relatively close distance to our planet on 2 Februa MDA extends satellite operations capability through contract award by the Canadian Space Agency
Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:05
MDA will provide spacecraft health monitoring and control, operational analysis, basic system maintenance, data order handling, image quality control and data processing and archiving for the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM), SCISAT and NEOSSat from the CSA's Multi-Mission Control Centre in Longueuil, Quebec.
MDA has partnered with two leading Canadian space firms - Calian Advanced T