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NASA has set a provisional launch date of July 2028 for its Dragonfly mission, meant to explore Saturn’s largest moon Titan, with budgetary uncertainty cited as the reason for the project’s one-year delay. The Dragonfly team can now move forward with the next stage of development  —  Phase C  —  for the car-sized, nuclear-powered rotorcraft …

Nuclear-powered Dragonfly mission to Saturn moon Titan delayed until 2028, NASA says Read More »

On the sidelines of the ongoing COP28 in Dubai, UAE, the Rwanda Space Agency has signed a memorandum of understanding with the UAE Space Agency to establish collaboration frameworks in civil space activities, fostering research and development, space technologies, geospatial data sharing, and initiating joint space sector projects. Furthermore, the agreement offers opportunities for capacity …

Rwanda and UAE Sign MoU on Civil Space Activities Read More »

Japan will make moon-exploration history in the middle of next month, if all goes to plan. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced today (Dec. 5) that it’s targeting Jan. 19 for the lunar landing of its robotic SLIM (“Smart Lander for Investigating Moon”) spacecraft. The newly revealed plan calls for SLIM to begin its …

Japan targeting Jan. 19 for nation’s 1st-ever moon landing Read More »

Egypt has one of the earliest and most robust space programmes in Africa. With two launched satellites, a space city under construction, the operationalisation of the African Space Agency in the country,  several bilateral agreements in advancements in space technology, and other satellite projects in various development stages, Egypt led the African space technology development …

Actualising Egypt’s Ambition to Lead Space Technology in Africa Read More »

In a news report by Xinhua, China has launched Egypt’s remote sensing satellite, MisrSat-2, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China onboard the Long March-2C carrier rocket. With a 2-meter panchromatic and an 8-meter multispectral resolution, the EO satellite will be utilised by Egypt to advance the country’s land and resource management, water …

Egypt Launches MisrSat-2 Read More »

SpaceX has acquired Pioneer Aerospace, a company that provided components for Dragon spacecraft parachutes before filing for bankruptcy. Elon Musk‘s aerospace company paid $2.2 million to rescue Pioneer Aerospace , according to a Florida bankruptcy filing in November by Aviation Safety Resources (ASR), the parent company of Pioneer. The deal was first reported by The …

SpaceX buys parachute manufacturer Pioneer Aerospace Read More »

Europe’s new heavy-lift rocket has a firm launch date at last. The European Space Agency (ESA) Ariane 6 rocket from Arianespace will bring its debut mission to space no earlier than June 15, 2024, officials with the testing team announced Thursday (Nov. 30). On board will be a set of small satellites, including two from …

1st launch of Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket finally has June 2024 launch target Read More »

President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço of Angola has officially signed the Artemis Accord on behalf of his nation, solidifying Angola’s commitment to deep space exploration and international collaboration. This step marks Angola as the third African country and the 33rd nation globally to endorse this agreement, following in the footsteps of Nigeria and Rwanda, who …

Angola Signs NASA Artemis Accord Read More »

Chinese launch startup Landspace is set to launch its methane-powered rocket early next month. This time, the Zhuque 2 (Vermillion Bird 2) rocket will be carrying satellites and aims to demonstrate its operational launch capabilities. The launch comes just under a year after its first Zhuque-2 launch which ended in failure. It bounced back with …

China’s Landspace gears up for 3rd launch of its methane-powered rocket Read More »

The world’s largest iceberg is drifting beyond Antarctic waters and satellites are tracking its movement from space. The iceberg, called A23a, has broken loose and is moving past the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula after being grounded for more than three decades. Recent satellite images reveal that the iceberg, weighing nearly a trillion tons, …

Satellites Watch World’s Largest Iceberg Break Away from Antarctica Read More »