Beijing (XNA) Jul 11, 2023
A China-Europe joint space mission, Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE), has entered the flight model phase in an all-around way, according to the National Space Science Center (NSSC) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). After a four-day discussion and consultation, the review experts unanimously agreed that SMILE has successfully passed the critical design re

Tempe AZ (SPX) Jul 11, 2023
The origin of Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, is mysterious in many ways. It has a metallic core, like Earth, but its core makes up a much larger fraction of its volume - 85% compared to 15% for Earth. The NASA Discovery-class MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) mission, and first spacecraft to orbit Mercury, captured measurements revealing that

Washington DC (SPX) Jul 11, 2023
A new analysis shows that there are probably many more Earth-like exoplanets with liquid water than had been thought, significantly increasing the chance of finding life. The work finds that even where the conditions are not ideal for liquid water to exist at the surface of a planet, many stars will harbour geological conditions suitable for liquid water under the planet's surface. Present

Boston MA (SPX) Jul 11, 2023
Rivers have flowed on two other worlds in the solar system besides Earth: Mars, where dry tracks and craters are all that's left of ancient rivers and lakes, and Titan, Saturn's largest moon, where rivers of liquid methane still flow today. A new technique developed by MIT geologists allows scientists to see how intensely rivers used to flow on Mars, and how they currently flow on Titan. T

Washington DC (SPX) Jul 11, 2023
It's been one year since CAPSTONE separated from its launch vehicle to become the first commercial spacecraft operating at the Moon. Advanced Space is grateful to our team members and proud of all their accomplishments! b>A Rocky Start br> /b> One year ago, we were sweating a bit. On July 4, after CAPSTONE separated from its launch vehicle, it had deployed its solar arrays; started charg

Houston TX (SPX) Jul 11, 2023
The inaugural CHAPEA, or Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog, mission began Sunday, June 25, when the four-person volunteer crew entered its new home at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to begin a 378-day Mars surface simulation. This is the first of three planned missions. NASA will use research gained from CHAPEA to determine how to best support crew health and performan

Beijing, China (SPX) Jul 11, 2023
LandSpace, a leading private rocket maker in China, will soon carry out the second launch of its ZQ 2, the world's first methane-propelled carrier rocket, at a launch facility in the Gobi Desert. The rocket was transported to its service tower at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China on Thursday, and would go through final function checks, LandSpace said on Friday, noti

Space Coast FL (SPX) Jul 11, 2023
A 229-foot-tall (70-meter) Falcon 9 rocket thundered off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on Sunday at 11:58 p.m. EDT (0358 UTC Monday). SpaceX's Starlink Group mission 6-5 launched 22 Starlink onboard the Falcon 9. This is the fifth launch into a new orbital shell for SpaceX's second-generation Starlink constellation, called Starlink Gen2, that

Hindmarsh, Australia (SPX) Jul 11, 2023
Australian space company Southern Launch is celebrating growing from a start-up with big ideas to a pioneer of Australia's space industry with a brand new logo. Southern Launch CEO Lloyd Damp says, 'Our new logo marks the next chapter for Southern Launch. It signifies the growth we have had as a company over the past 5 years and sends a message to the global space industry that what we hav

Forres UK (SPX) Jul 11, 2023
K-based spaceflight company, Orbex, has extended its footprint by over thirty percent across its Scottish and Danish design and production facilities, in preparation for the launch of its Prime rocket. The company is adding an extra 1,500 square metres of factory and office space to its existing 4,750 square metre estate in Forres, Scotland and Copenhagen, Denmark. The additional space wil