Category News

The space facilities around Cape Canaveral on Florida’s east coast are undergoing significant upgrades and expansions in preparation for an increase in spaceflight activity. These developments include the construction of new launch pads, upgrades to processing facilities, and expansions to factories and Port Canaveral itself. These improvements are necessary to accommodate the upcoming generation of […]

ESA’s Rochelle Schneider: AI’s Role in Earth Observation and Society In the rapidly evolving field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the European Space Agency (ESA) is leading the way with their upcoming Φsat-2 mission. The integration of AI in Earth observation has raised both hopes and fears, but Rochelle Schneider, the AI Applications Lead at ESA’s […]

Messier 3 is located in the south-west corner of the constellation Canes Venatici (the Hunting Dogs), near the boundary with Bootes and Coma Berenices. In early May, it is about 90 minutes from culmination as nightfalls, riding high in the southern sky at an altitude of around 60°. It can be observed throughout May’s relatively […]

In a week of highly anticipated launches, two new spacecraft were set to take to the skies: Boeing’s crewed Starliner spacecraft and the first Chang Zheng 6C rocket from China. However, both launches faced delays and rescheduling due to technical issues. The launch of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft was scheduled to be the first crewed launch […]

After years of anticipation, the Boeing CST-100 Starliner capsule is finally ready to embark on its first crewed mission into space. The Crew Flight Test (CFT) will send astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams on a trajectory to rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS), where they will spend about a week. This historic mission […]

ESA’s European Space Operations Centre in Germany is currently preparing for the launch of the EarthCARE satellite. The preparations involve a simulations campaign that helps train the flight control team and support teams from various departments to work cohesively. The simulations include injecting faults into the ground segment to test the team’s reactions to unexpected […]

SpaceX is making significant progress in its engine testing campaign and preparations for upcoming flights. Ship 30 has been rolled out for engine tests, following the same procedure as Ship 29. Notably, Ship 30 is the first ship to be rolled out with engine covers, hinting at a change in testing practices. Ship 30 also […]

Scientists studying samples collected by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) asteroid explorer Hayabusa2 have made an exciting discovery about the effects of space weathering on asteroid 162173 Ryugu. Using a technique called electron holography, the team examined the magnetic properties of the samples to gain insights into the magnetic field in the early solar […]

ESA’s EarthCARE mission, set to launch soon, aims to deepen our understanding of the complex interactions between clouds, aerosols, and radiation in Earth’s atmosphere. As the world grapples with the escalating climate crisis, this mission comes at a critical time and will contribute significantly to improved climate models. EarthCARE is the largest and most intricate […]

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission has captured a breathtaking image that resembles the surface of Mars but is actually the stunning terrain of northwest Namibia. This false-color image, taken in April 2024, unveils the remarkable landscape of the Kunene and Erongo regions. The image allows viewers to zoom in and explore its full 10 m resolution […]