ESA Celebrates Mars Express Success with Live Imagery Broadcast
The European Space Agency celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Mars Express mission by broadcasting an hour of live imagery from the orbiter.
Read MoreBiden Welcomes 90 Space Force Guardians at Air Force Academy Graduation
President Joe Biden welcomed 90 new lieutenants to the Space Force on Thursday in Colorado with an Air Force Academy commencement address that highlighted the space service’s contribution to America’s Ukrainian allies.
Read MoreNASA selects Blue Origin for its second lunar lander, 2029 mission to Moon’s south pole
Five astronauts will ride Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander for the 2029 Artemis V mission to the lunar south pole as part of a $7 billion deal announced May 19, 2023.
Read MoreEuropean Space Agency Launches Scientific Mission Bound for Jupiter’s Icy Moons
The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explore (Juice) mission is set to launch on April 13 on the penultimate Ariane 5 rocket, which will begin the spacecraft’s long journey to the largest planet in our solar system to search for signs of life.
Read MoreSix Telescope Launches to Watch this Decade
Barring schedule slips, a half dozen of the most powerful telescopes ever imagined will launch this decade. The most notable, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, is set to launch Dec. 18, 2021, kicking off a new era of cosmology . . .
Read MoreStrikes in Ukraine Spotlight U.S., European Deficits in Hypersonic Arms Race
Russia’s use of hypersonic weapons in Ukraine is the latest escalation in a growing arms race for missiles that can travel through the atmosphere at more than Mach 5. The U.S. and its allies are accelerating spending on hypersonic weapons development, but haven’t fielded one to date, prompting leaders to fear a missile gap. . .
Read MoreFirst Three Months of 2023 Set Orbital Launch Record
Global orbital launch activity continued to accelerate in the first quarter of 2023. For the first time in history, over 50 launches were attempted before March 31 although four of the 52 attempts were unsuccessful.
Read MoreSpace Force Outlines Culture Goals in Handbook
America’s newest military service in April got its first document outlining the culture Space Force leaders want their troops to embrace. “The Guardian Spirit,” is a manual for Space Force officers and enlisted Guardians that lists the behaviors they are expected to emulate and is considered the service’s guidebook on culture. It’s a work that’s…
Read MoreNASA’s Artemis Plans Call for $8.1 billion in 2024
NASA made headlines in April by naming the crew for the Artemis II lunar fly-by mission that’s expected to launch in late 2024. But even flying past the moon, much less landing, will require a Herculean effort on the ground and massive federal spending in the budget now under consideration by lawmakers. The second Artemis…
Read MoreSolar Cycle 25 Could Disrupt Satellites, Other Services, but Scientific Probes Are Providing New Data
The Sun lies at the center of our solar system and sets the cycle of our daily lives, yet so much remains unknown about how it functions. As the Sun enters into a years-long phase of increasing solar eruptions, its increased activity poses risks to thousands of Earth- and space-based infrastructure assets. The increased solar…
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