Category News

The James Webb Space Telescope’s observations (which combine near- and mid-infrared light from Webb’s NIRCam [Near-InfraRed Camera] and MIRI [Mid-Infrared Instrument], respectively) clearly show that the interacting galaxies Arp 142, nicknamed the Penguin (NGC 2936) and the Egg (NGC 2937), are joined by a blue haze that is a mix of stars and gas, a […]

Before Wilmore and Williams can return home, engineering teams need to run more simulations of similar thrusters and helium seals on the ground, to better understand the root causes of some of the technical issues Starliner experienced — and modify the way it will fly down, if necessary. It was known there was one helium […]

An international team of astronomers has created an enormous catalogue of the motions of stars in Omega Centauri, measuring the velocities for 1.4 million stars by studying over 500 images from the Hubble Space Telescope spanning two decades. Most of these observations were intended for instrument calibration rather than scientific use, but they turned out […]

In the weeks leading up to launch, the Ariane 6 rocket underwent rigorous testing and preparations at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Engineers meticulously checked every system, ensuring the vehicle was ready for its maiden voyage into space. The launch campaign culminated in the final countdown, as the powerful rocket was raised to the vertical […]

The Earth Return Orbiter (ERO) is a groundbreaking spacecraft designed by the European Space Agency (ESA) to play an important role in the Mars Sample Return campaign. This ambitious endeavor aims to bring Martian rock, soil, and atmospheric samples back to Earth for the first time, enabling scientists to conduct in-depth analyses that could unravel […]

Ariane 6, Europe’s new heavy-lift rocket, marks a significant milestone in the continent’s space exploration endeavors. Conceived in the 2010s, this powerful launch vehicle is designed to replace the retired Ariane 5 rocket, halving the launch costs over time while offering the potential for more launches each year. The configuration for Ariane 6’s maiden flight […]

China’s private space industry has witnessed a remarkable surge in recent years. Most private space enterprises were established after November 2014, when the State Council encouraged private capital participation in civil space infrastructure construction. This move came over a decade after Elon Musk founded SpaceX, a pioneering private aerospace company in the United States. The […]

As many as four SpaceX Falcon 9 missions are on the roster for this week’s launch schedule. The four missions will be split evenly between Starlink and two payloads for other customers. At least one of the SpaceX missions is likely to be affected by the severe weather currently being experienced on the east coast […]

Scientists have long sought to determine the rate of meteoroid impacts on Mars, employing two primary methods before the availability of seismic data. One approach involved calculating the impact rate from lunar crater chronology models, which are based on studies of craters on the Moon and adjusted to account for Mars’ atmosphere and proximity to […]

In the Martian atmosphere billions of years ago, the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation broke down carbon dioxide (CO2) molecules through a process called photolysis. This photochemical reaction split CO2 into carbon monoxide (CO) and oxygen. However, the process occurred more rapidly for the lighter carbon-12 isotope than for the heavier carbon-13 isotope. As a result, the […]