Satellite News
European Space Agency plans network of moon satellites
The European Space Agency plans to build a communications and navigation network of satellites around the moon to aid future missions
Telesat + TIM Complete Their On-Orbit Testing Of 4G Over Satellite
Artistic rendition of the Telesat Phase 1 LEO satellite. Telesat and TIM Brasil have completed their on-orbit testing across several applications with Telesat’s Phase 1 LEO satellite. This first-of-its-kind LEO backhaul testing in Brazil was conducted with TIM Brasil’s Innovation Department staff at their state-of-the-art teleport in Rio de Janeiro, leveraging an 85 cm Intellian […]
Exploration News
China releases first pictures from Zhurong rover since Mars landing
China’s space agency released the first pictures from the Zhurong Mars rover rover Wednesday, showing the six-wheel robot ready to drive down a ramp from its landing platform to begin exploring the Red Planet.
SpaceShipTwo makes first flight to space from New Mexico
Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo made its first flight to space in more than two years May 22, completing the first in a series of four suborbital flights planned by the company over the next several months.
Launcher News
United Launch Alliance nears first fueling test on Vulcan rocket
United Launch Alliance could load cryogenic methane and liquid oxygen propellants into a Vulcan rocket test article at Cape Canaveral for the first time in the coming weeks, timing key tests for the next-generation rocket in between flights of Atlas 5 rockets that will share the same launch complex for the next few years.
Small Rocket Launch Site Given The O.K. By Australia’s Queensland Government
Locals and tourists in the Whitsunday region of Australia could soon be watching rockets launching into space, with the Queensland government announcing their support for the local space launch industry. In a statement, Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Steven Miles, said, “Growing our space industry in Queensland will add billions to the economy […]
New ESA Contracts to Advance Prometheus and Phoebus Projects
ESA is forging ahead with advanced developments in two flagship space transportation demonstration projects, Prometheus and Phoebus. This will benefit Europe’s new Ariane 6 launcher in the near-term, and prepare for a new generation of European launch vehicles in the next decade. Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA Director of Space Transportation, André-Hubert Roussel, CEO at ArianeGroup and Pierre Godart, CEO at ArianeGroup in Germany signed contracts
Aevum says launching satellites will be side gig for cargo-delivery drone
Space launch startup Aevum on May 18 said that its Ravn X unmanned aircraft will be used to both deliver cargo and launch rockets, pending approval from the FAA.
NewSpace News
Series A Growth Investments Received By Horizon Technologies
Artistic rendition of Horizon Technologies’ AMBER cubesat on-orbit. Horizon Technologies has received a significant growth investment in a multi-million-pound Series A round of financing. This Series A investment will aggressively advance Horizon Technologies’ space-based Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) Amber data service. Maven Capital Partners led the latest investment round with participation from Virgin Money.
Precision, On-Orbit Servicing Is The Focus of Starfish Space
The future of the space economy relies heavily on servicing infrastructure and vehicles that can make precision maneuvers to successfully approach, inspect and dock with spacecraft in need of refueling, maintenance and a wide range of on-orbit services. Starfish Space, a satellite servicing company and Benchmark Space Systems are now engaged in a strategic collaboration
Smallsat Thruster Modules From ENPULSION Now In Orbital Transport’s SmallSat Catalog
The SmallSat Catalog from Orbital Transports has expanded their line of smallsat propulsion products with additions from ENPULSION of their NANO and MICRO product families broadens the range of capabilities available through the digital catalog of products and services for the smallsat industry. ENPULSION’s modular Field Emission Electric Propulsion (FEEP) technology enables custom propulsion solutions .
Space Safety News
Tyvak smallsat launched by SpaceX to validate miniature space debris telescope
Tyvak, a manufacturer of small satellites, disclosed new details Monday about an experimental spacecraft launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Saturday, revealing plans to validate compact optical telescopes that could offer a new way to monitor space traffic and orbital debris.
Science & Technology News
Heavy Metal Vapours Unexpectedly Found in Comets Throughout Our Solar System – and Beyond
A new study by a Belgian team using data from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) has shown that iron and nickel exist in the atmospheres of comets throughout our Solar System, even those far from the Sun. A separate study by a Polish team, who also used ESO data, reported that nickel vapour is also present in the icy interstellar comet 2I/Borisov.
Aircraft Could fly at Mach 17 on Shockwaves From Continuous Detonations
Ever felt the need to get somewhere really, really quickly? Would Mach 17 work? That’s the speed a new prototype engine from researchers at the University of Central Florida (UCF) could potentially hurl an aircraft through the skies, making a trip from New York to Los Angeles in under half an hour.
May 26 Lunar Eclipse
The total lunar eclipse of May 26th – the first in more than two years – favors western North America, but much of the continent will see the partial phases, provided skies are clear.
A revolutionary method to drastically reduce stray light on space telescopes
A team of researchers at the Centre Spatial de Liege (CSL) of the University of Liege has just developed a method to identify the contributors and origins of stray light on space telescopes.
