On May 17, 1974, NASA launched the first Synchronous Meteorological Satellite, SMS-1. This was the first satellite designed to monitor meteorological conditions from a geostationary orbit. This kind of orbit allowed it to stay above a fixed location as Earth rotates. One of the instruments on this spacecraft was a visible infrared spin-scan radiometer (VISSR), …
The BepiColombo spacecraft, operated by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), could be feeling the heat even before it reaches its destination: Mercury. Thanks to a glitch, the spacecraft’s thrusters are no longer operating at full power. The team has yet to determine how this will impact upcoming maneuvers, like …
Japanese-European Spacecraft Bound For Mercury Weakened By Thruster Glitch Read More »
As you might’ve heard, there’s a little bit of solar activity going on. Okay, a lot of solar activity. In fact, there’s been so much solar activity that some heliophysicists — not to mention laypeople waiting to witness the aurora — have probably not slept for the last week or so. Of course, space agencies across the …
India’s Space Agency Has Been Carefully Watching Our Sun’s Solar Tantrums. Read More »
India has announced a breakthrough that could boost its efforts to grow as a space-faring nation. On May 9, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) performed a successful hot-fire test of a liquid-fueled rocket engine that was built using additive manufacturing (colloquially known as 3D printing) technology. The engine, which burns a hypergolic mix of …
India Makes Breakthrough By Test-firing New 3D-Printed Rocket Engine. Read More »
Astronomers have discovered three ancient stars “on the run” in the outskirts of the Milky Way galaxy, racing the wrong way at hundreds of thousands of miles per hour. Despite being spritely for their age, the three stars are so old that they date back to the formation of the first galaxies. That’s between one …
In The Milky Way, 3 Intruder Stars Are ‘On The Run’ — In The Wrong Direction. Read More »
