Taiyuan, China (XNA) Mar 31, 2023
China launched four Earth-observation satellites from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province on Thursday afternoon. The group consists of one 320-kilogram pivot satellite and three 270-kg assistant satellites, and are the first space-based assets in the Hongtu 1 network. The satellites were sent into space by a Long March 2D carrier rocket that blasted off at 6:50 pm.

Beijing (XNA) Apr 02, 2023
The astronauts of China's Shenzhou XV crew have completed three spacewalks since their journey into space four months ago, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). The third spacewalk was conducted on Thursday by astronauts Fei Junlong and Zhang Lu, in collaboration with the astronaut Deng Qingming who was inside the space station. The pair accomplished all their scheduled tasks

Greenwich CT (SPX) Apr 02, 2023
O'Shaughnessy Ventures LLC ("OSV"), a creative investment firm, has invested in Atomos Nuclear and Space Corporation. Since its founding in late 2017 by Vanessa Clark and William Kowalski, Atomos Space has worked to revolutionize space logistics by developing and operating orbital transfer vehicles ("OTVs") to perform orbit-raising, precision insertion, phasing, and plane change services f

Rennes, France (SPX) Apr 02, 2023
Unseenlabs, the first world radio frequency data and solutions provider for Maritime Domain Awareness, is announcing the coming launch of BRO-9, the 9th satellite of its constellation dedicated to the geolocation of all the vessels at sea. BRO-9 will be launched in April 2023 as part of Transporter-7 Mission aboard SpaceX's launcher Falcon 9 from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Californ

Washington DC (UPI) Mar 31, 2023
SpaceX on Friday delayed the first launch of its Space Force Tranche 0 satellites for the second time in as many days. The company tweeted that it was now targeting a launch from California's Vandenberg Spae Force Base on Saturday "to allow more time for vehicle preparations." The launch had previously been scheduled for Thursday morning but had an auto abort just before the coun

Beijing, China (SPX) Apr 02, 2023
On March 30, 2023, at 18:50, the Long March 2D carrier rocket blasted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, successfully launching four satellites of Group 01 of Hongtu 1 into the predetermined orbit. The launch mission was a complete success. The Long March 2D carrier rocket used in this launch mission is a normal-temperature liquid secondary carrier rocket developed by the Genera

Washington (AFP) March 31, 2023
Virgin Orbit, the satellite launch company founded by Richard Branson, said it will lay off 85 percent of its employees, according to a filing to the US stock market regulator. The California-based company will lay off around 675 people to reduce expenses, "in light of (its) inability to secure meaningful funding", it said in a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission dated Thursd

Madrid, Spain (SPX) Apr 02, 2023
GMV is leading one of the two Pre-Phase A studies of the European Moon Rover System (EMRS). This project focuses on finding the best solution for a potential future European rover, with the ability to carry out different missions in different places on the lunar surface. As such, the GMV's EMRS team (OHB, AVS, HTR, DLR) has selected a modular approach, allowing different capabilities to be

Pasadena CA (JPL) Apr 02, 2023
MOXIE, the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, is a Perseverance Rover payload on Mars. MOXIE uses a scroll pump to capture the thin, carbon-dioxide dominate air of Mars and flows it into a Solid Oxide Electrolysis (SOXE) stack. The SOXE performs an electrochemical process that strips oxygen atoms off the carbon dioxide. This oxygen is a valuable resource for rocket propellant o

Pasadena CA (JPL) Apr 02, 2023
NASA's Perseverance rover cored and stored the first sample of the mission's newest science campaign on Thursday, March 30. With each campaign, the team explores and studies a new area. On this one, the rover is exploring the top of Jezero Crater's delta. Perseverance has collected a total of 19 samples and three witness tubes, and it recently deposited 10 tubes as a backup cache on the Martian