Rocket Lab just bounced back from a launch failure. The company’s Electron rocket lifted off from New Zealand tonight (Dec. 14) a little after 11:00 p.m. EST (0400 GMT and 5:00 p.m. New Zealand time on Dec. 15), carrying the Tsukuyomi-1 satellite for the Japanese Earth-imaging company iQPS skyward. All went according to plan; Electron …
Rocket Lab returns to flight with successful launch of Japanese satellite Read More »
China has launched its reusable space plane for the third time. A Long March 2F rocket lofted China’s experimental spacecraft from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Thursday (Dec. 14) to conduct space science experiments and “provide technical support for the peaceful use of space,” according to Xinhua news. The launch comes just seven months …
China launches secret space plane on 3rd-ever mission Read More »
In 2021, Namibia launched a National Space Science and Technology Policy to guide the use of space resources to contribute towards the socio-economic growth and development of the country. The policy has an implementation period of eight years, concluding in 2030. Namibia’s collaboration with China has led to the ongoing construction of an impressive Satellite …
2023 in Review: Establishing an Enabling Space Environment in Namibia Read More »
NASA’s Voyager 1 probe is currently unable to transmit any scientific or systems data back to Earth. The 46-year-old spacecraft is capable of receiving commands, but a problem seems to have arisen with the probe’s computers. Voyager 1’s flight data system (FDS), which collects onboard engineering information and data from the spacecraft’s scientific instruments, is …
NASA’s Voyager 1 probe in interstellar space can’t phone home (again) due to glitch Read More »
Ireland has joined the space club with the launch of its first satellite to low-Earth orbit, setting the stage for students of all ages across the Emerald Isle to get involved in space science. The Educational Irish Research Satellite-1 (Eirsat-1) blasted into space from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 …
Eirsat-1, Ireland’s 1st satellite, makes space history Read More »
After 4,000 hours flying in 40 different airplane types for the military, Canadian astronaut Josh Kutryk is ready to redeploy that experience to a new type of craft. Last month, Kutryk, a Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut, was assigned to Starliner 1, the first operational crewed mission of Boeing‘s new Starliner spacecraft. A colonel in …
What 8,000 hours flying military jets taught 2 Canadian astronauts Read More »
A SpaceX mission featuring the first private spacewalk is delayed once again, this time to April 2024. It’s known as Polaris Dawn. Jared Isaacman, the billionaire funding the private space mission in collaboration with SpaceX, disclosed the news Saturday (Dec. 9) in replies on X (formerly Twitter) to a question about when his mission will …
SpaceX private Polaris Dawn space mission delayed to April 2024 Read More »
China launched a new trio of reconnaissance satellites over the weekend on a mission that also marked the 500th Long March rocket launch. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 8:58 p.m. EST on Dec. 9 (0158 GMT, or 9:58 a.m. Beijing time, Dec. 10). The rocket rose into …
China lofts Yaogan spy satellites on 500th Long March rocket launch Read More »
Blue Origin will end its 15-month spaceflight hiatus next week, if all goes according to plan. The company, which was founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, hasn’t flown since its New Shepard suborbital vehicle suffered an anomaly during an uncrewed research flight on Sept. 12, 2022. But that long drought is about to end. “We’re targeting …
Blue Origin will return to flight with uncrewed mission on Dec. 18 Read More »
SpaceX could give us a launch doubleheader on Wednesday night (Dec. 13). The company aims to launch 23 more of its Starlink internet satellites from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Wednesday atop a Falcon 9 rocket, during a nearly four-hour window that opens at 11:07 p.m. EST (0407 GMT on Dec. 14). You …
SpaceX to launch 23 Starlink satellites from Florida Dec. 13 Read More »
