Image: Themis ground and flight models

Image: All-in-one YPSat, Ariane 6 bound

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 05, 2023
The Space Development Agency (SDA), a key player in the United States Department of Defense's strategic initiatives, recently announced a significant milestone in space communication technology. In a series of demonstrations held from November 21-27, 2023, the SDA successfully executed the first-ever network entry using the Link 16 system from low Earth orbit (LEO) to a series of terrestrial rec

Herndon VA (SPX) Dec 05, 2023
Five years ago, HawkEye 360 Inc., a trailblazer in space-based radio frequency (RF) data and analytics, embarked on an ambitious journey with the launch of its Pathfinder satellite cluster. On December 3, 2018, the three Pathfinder satellites were successfully launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, marking a significant milestone in commercial spac

San Diego CA (SPX) Dec 06, 2023
As astrophysics technology and research continue to advance, one question persists: is there life elsewhere in the universe? The Milky Way galaxy alone has hundreds of billions of celestial bodies, but scientists often look for three crucial elements in their ongoing search: water, energy and organic material. Evidence indicates that Saturn's icy moon Enceladus is an 'ocean world' that contains

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