Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 06, 2023
Earth planning date: Monday, December 4, 2023: It is not unusual for things to not quite go according to plan when commanding a robotic rover more than 370,000,000 km (233,000,000 miles) away on Mars. Today was one of those days. Our planned weekend activities, including finishing up analyses of the Sequoia drill hole and fines, did not make it onboard Curiosity. However, the team is used

Washington DC (SPX) Dec 06, 2023
NASA's Psyche spacecraft is on a roll. In the eight weeks since it left Earth on Oct. 13, the orbiter has performed one successful operation after another, powering on scientific instruments, streaming data toward home, and setting a deep-space record with its electric thrusters. The latest achievement: On Monday, Dec. 4, the mission turned on Psyche's twin cameras and retrieved the first images

Washington DC (SPX) Dec 06, 2023
Preparations for a safe landing on Earth, such as finding the most even terrain and equipping the appropriate landing gear, are also crucial for Mars missions. Thus, landing a rover on Mars requires careful mapping and planning well before a rover's descent begins. Scientists are working to create accurate 3D surface maps, known as digital terrain models, of the planet by compiling mosaics

Paris (ESA) Dec 06, 2023
For the first time in Europe two CubeSats will venture deep into the Solar System carried onboard Hera. But current deployers used to release cubesats from their mothercraft are unsuitable for the peculiar environment of deep space. A new activity from GSTP and ISIS Space, in the Netherlands, has developed a new deployer to accomplish exactly this. Hera will demonstrate several new technol

Adelaide, Australia (SPX) Dec 06, 2023
In 1963, six years after the first satellite was launched, editors from the Encyclopaedia Britannica posed a question to five eminent thinkers of the day: "Has man's conquest of space increased or diminished his stature?" The respondents were philosopher Hannah Arendt, writer Aldous Huxley, theologian Paul Tillich, nuclear scientist Harrison Brown and hist

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Dec 06, 2023
Galactic Energy, a private rocket maker in Beijing, launched the 11th flight mission of its CERES 1 rocket on Tuesday morning to deploy two satellites into orbit. The rocket blasted off at 7:33 am at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert and placed the Tianyan 16 and Starpool 1A satellites into their preset orbits, the company said in a news release.

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 06, 2023
Capella Space Corp., a pioneering American space technology company known for its innovative data and satellite solutions, has announced a significant milestone in its mission to enhance Earth observation capabilities. In a strategic collaboration with SpaceX, Capella Space will launch two of its Acadia satellites - Acadia-4 and Acadia-5 - in the year 2024. Scheduled for launch during Spac

London, UK (SPX) Dec 06, 2023
Aalyria, a frontrunner in cutting-edge software-defined and optical networking communications, has been awarded a pivotal development contract by the European Space Agency (ESA), with support from the UK Space Agency (UKSA). The project is set to pioneer a unique O-RAN compliant orchestration system, designed to integrate diverse connectivity assets across land, sea, air, and space, thereby enab

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 06, 2023
Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR), a leader in space-based data and analytics, has recently entered into a landmark Space Services contract with Lacuna Space, a prominent satellite IoT connectivity provider. This agreement marks a significant step in expanding global IoT (Internet of Things) networks, with Spire initially slated to build and launch six satellites equipped with Lacuna Space's paylo

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 06, 2023
Sidus Space (NASDAQ: SIDU), a notable player in the Space and Data-as-a-Service sector, has recently announced its expanded involvement in the NASA Artemis missions. The company disclosed that it has secured an additional contract from Bechtel to manufacture supplementary cables for the NASA Mobile Launcher 2, a pivotal structure in the launch of Space Launch System (SLS) rockets. This new