Houston TX (SPX) Jul 12, 2024

When the first humans travel to the Red Planet, they will need to know how to repair and maintain equipment, grow their own food, and stay healthy, all while contending with Earth-to-Mars communication delays. They must also find ways to build comradery and have fun.

The first all-volunteer CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) crew accomplished all of that and more durin

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 12, 2024

Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) has announced the completion of a new manufacturing facility in Phoenix, Arizona. This facility will handle the final assembly of the Company’s next-generation Delta spaceships, with production slated to start in Q1 2025.

The initial team, comprising Virgin Galactic’s technical operations and manufacturing personnel, is currently preparing the fa

A duo of interacting galaxies known as Arp 142 commemorates the second science anniversary of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope.

Washington (AFP) July 10, 2024

A pair of US astronauts stuck waiting to leave the International Space Station said Wednesday they were confident that the problem-plagued Boeing Starliner they rode up on would soon bring them home, even as significant uncertainties remain.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams blasted off on June 5 aboard the brand new spaceship that NASA is hoping to certify to ferry crews to-and-from the orbit

An international team of astronomers has used more than 500 images from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope spanning two decades to detect seven fast-moving stars in the innermost region of Omega Centauri, the largest and brightest globular cluster in the sky. These stars provide compelling new evidence for the presence of an intermediate-mass black hole.

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Europe’s new rocket Ariane 6 powered into space on 9 July 2024 from a newly built dedicated launch pad in French Guiana. Liftoff occurred at 16:00 local time (20:00 BST, 21:00 CEST). Europe’s new rocket Ariane 6 powered Europe into space taking with it a varied selection of experiments, satellites, payload deployers and reentry demonstrations that represent thousands across Europe, from students to industry and experienced space actors. This inaugural flight, designated VA262, is a demonstration flight to show the capabilities and prowess of Ariane 6 in escaping Earth’s gravity and operating in space. Nevertheless, it had several passengers on board. Ariane 6 was built by prime contractor and design authority ArianeGroup. In addition to the rocket, the liftoff demonstrated the functioning of the launch pad and operations on ground at Europe’s Spaceport. The new custom-built dedicated launch zone was built by France’s space agency CNES and allows for a faster turnover of Ariane launches. Ariane 6 is Europe’s newest heavy-lift rocket, designed to provide great power and flexibility at a lower cost than its predecessors. The launcher’s configuration – with an upgraded main stage, a choice of either two or four powerful boosters and a new restartable upper stage – will provide Europe with greater efficiency and possibility as it can launch multiple missions into different orbits on a single flight, while its upper stage will deorbit itself at the end of mission. ESA’s main roles in the Ariane 6 programme is as contracting authority – managing the budget from Member States participating in the Ariane 6 development programme; and as launch system architect – ensuring that the rocket and launch pad infrastructure work together. Ariane 6 is the latest in Europe’s Ariane rocket series, taking over from Ariane 5 featuring a modular and versatile design that can launch missions from low-Earth orbit and farther out to deep space. Access all the replays from the launch event.  Access all the launch campaign footage in broadcast quality.  

Paris, France (SPX) Jul 08, 2024

ESA’s Earth Return Orbiter (ERO), the pioneering spacecraft designed to capture and return samples from Mars, has achieved a significant milestone, completing its critical design review (CDR). This essential phase confirms the performance, quality, and reliability of the spacecraft’s systems, enabling the next steps in its development.

A CDR is a crucial stage in any spaceflight project, e

Europe’s new heavy-lift rocket, Ariane 6, has successfully launched on its maiden flight. Liftoff occurred…
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Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jul 03, 2024

The trial of Tianlong 3 a two-stage kerosene-liquid oxygen rocket developed by Beijing Tianbing Technology failed in Gongyi, Henan province, on Sunday. The company apologized on Tuesday for the accident.

Most private space enterprises were founded after November 2014, when the State Council started encouraging private capital to participate in space infrastructure construction for civil us

As many as four SpaceX Falcon 9 missions and the long-delayed inaugural flight of Ariane…
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