China launched the latest in its secretive Shiyan satellite series over the weekend. A Long March 4C rocket lifted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, northwest China, at 7:43 p.m.EDT on May 11 (2343 GMT, or 7:43 a.m. Beijing time on May 12). Chinese authorities revealed the mission payload to be …
Pieces of a SpaceX spacecraft might have landed in Saskatchewan. A charred piece of debris, possibly from a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, was found in a Canadian farmer’s field in a town northeast of Regina, one of the largest cities in the prairie province. “We knew it came from the sky, because it couldn’t get …
Junk From A SpaceX Dragon ‘Trunk’ May Have Crashed Into A Canadian Farmer’s Field. Read More »
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 »
Introduction: Unearthing Potential—Space Technology’s Role in Transforming Africa’s Mining Industry The mining sector remains a cornerstone of economic development across Africa, endowed with vast reserves of critical minerals and metals that fuel global industries from electronics to energy. As a key driver of economic growth, the mining industry contributes significantly to national GDPs and generates …
The Impact of Space Technology on Africa’s Mining Sector. Read More »
The sunspot AR3664, which is about 15 times wider than Earth, has finally rotated out of our planet’s view — but not before firing off two more big solar storms. The most recent solar flares from AR3664 were in the X class, the strongest category — an X3.4 monster that peaked today (May 15) at …
Huge, Solar Flare-Launching Sunspot Has Rotated Away From Earth. Read More »
Astronomers have discovered a new planetary oddball beyond the solar system that is as fluffy and light as cotton candy. The extrasolar planet or “exoplanet” named WASP-193 b is around 1.5 times the width of Jupiter but has just over a tenth of the solar system gas giant’s mass. This makes it the second-lightest planet …
Cotton Candy Exoplanet Is 2nd Lightest Planet Ever Found. Read More »
