The first satellite to be built under ESA’s Eurostar Neo programme stands ready to be shipped to its launch site.
Space News & Blog Articles
The future of space exploration – ESA at IAC 2022
Join us at the ESA stand at the 73rd International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2022), taking place from 18 to 22 September at the Paris Convention Centre in Paris. A week of lively interactions awaits the world space community, this year under the theme 'Space for @ll'. The congress will open its doors to the general public on 21 September.
Launch of Artemis 1 moon rocket delayed to Sept. 27 at the earliest
Sept. 23 is no longer an option for the launch of NASA's Artemis 1 moon mission. The agency is now targeting Sept. 27, with a possible backup date of Oct. 2.
Want to Stay Healthy in Space? Then you Want Artificial Gravity
Space travel presents numerous challenges, not the least of which have to do with astronaut health and safety. And the farther these missions venture from Earth, the more significant they become. Beyond Earth’s protective atmosphere and magnetosphere, there’s the threat of long-term exposure to solar and cosmic radiation. But whereas radiation exposure can be mitigated with proper shielding, there are few strategies available for dealing with the other major hazard: long-term exposure to microgravity.
NASA delays SLS tanking test, next launch opportunity
NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket on its launch pad. Credit: Michael Cain / Spaceflight Now / Coldlife Photography
NASA said Monday it is now targeting Wednesday, Sept. 21, for a critical fueling test on the Space Launch System moon rocket, which could allow for another attempt to launch the unpiloted Artemis 1 lunar test flight as soon as Sept. 27, assuming engineers find no problems and the Space Force approves an extension for the rocket’s range safety system. The updated schedule is a four-day delay for the SLS tanking test and next launch opportunity.
Firefly reschedules test launch for next week after two scrubs
Firefly’s launch pad crew works on the Alpha rocket Monday, Sept. 12, at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Credit: Brian Sandoval / Spaceflight Now
Firefly Aerospace said Monday it will try again Sept. 19 to launch its second Alpha rocket from California after scrubbing back-to-back launch attempts due to a helium pressure issue and unfavorable wind conditions.
The Webb Image you’ve Been Waiting For: the Orion Nebula
This is it, folks. Feast your eyes! It’s what we’ve been training for—seeing the James Webb Space Telescope’s first detailed view of the Orion Nebula! JWST’s NIRCam gazed at this starbirth nursery and revealed incredible details hidden from view by gas and dust clouds.
Ground teams trying to regain control of scouting satellite for NASA’s Artemis moon program
Artist’s concept of the CAPSTONE spacecraft near the moon. Credit: llustration by NASA/Daniel Rutter
Ground teams will try to stabilize the motion of NASA’s small CAPSTONE scouting satellite and rescue the $30 million mission on the way to the moon, following a problem Sept. 8 that sent the spacecraft into a tumble and caused controllers to temporarily lose contact with the probe, officials said Monday.
'We choose to go to the moon...' again: NASA marks 60th anniversary of JFK speech
As NASA again prepares to set sail "on the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure" ever embarked, the agency's leaders returned to where JFK stated, "We choose to go to the moon."
Failure of Blue Origin's New Shepard a reminder that spaceflight is still hard
In-flight failures are always startling, given the dramatic visuals that accompany them. But the possibility of failure should always be in the back of our minds.
Dwarf planet collision may have sent strange ultra-hard diamonds to Earth
Strange hexagonal diamonds may have been jettisoned into space when a dwarf planet collided with a large asteroid around 4.5 billion years ago.
New moon mineral discovered in China's lunar samples
Chinese scientists have found a new lunar mineral in the form of a crystal lurking inside samples collected from the moon in 2020.
What is nuclear fission?
Nuclear fission is the process of breaking large atomic nuclei into smaller atomic nuclei to release a large amount of energy.
Solar Orbiter was hit by a Coronal Mass Ejection as it was About to Make a Flyby of Venus
Massive solar storms on the Sun are becoming more common as it moves into a period of increasing solar activity as part of Solar Cycle 25, which is expected to peak in 2025. There’s one spacecraft that will be very well placed to capture that increasing activity. Solar Orbiter is currently 25% of the way through its ten-year mission of observing the Sun. By 2025 it will be closer than ever to our parent star, and it has already started observing some fantastic phenomena from our Sun.
'Lobster Nebula' glows red in stunning new image from dark energy hunter
A camera designed to decode the secrets of dark energy has captured a stunning new image that reveals the insides of a distant star-forming region.
European sun spacecraft spots mysterious switchback that speeds solar wind
The European sun-observing mission Solar Orbiter observed a mysterious "switchback" in the solar wind that might explain what propels particles from the sun across the solar system.
Save 25% on this Snapmaker 3-in-1 3D printer back-to-school deal
Get ready for 3D printing at home with this huge $350 saving on the Snapmaker A350 T 3-in-1 3D printer.
Can solar storms cause tsunamis?
Solar storms can mess with Earth, but can they kick up a tsunami?
Massive stars could 'steal' gas giants from their planetary systems
Jupiter-size worlds in stellar nurseries could be snatched from orbit around their home stars in 'planetary heists,' becoming what scientists have nicknamed 'BEASTies.'
Rethinking Anakin Skywalker: How Star Wars has failed to properly explore its most significant character
Anakin is the center of the Star Wars saga, but we don't think his character has been used to its fullest.
NASA Chooses a Supplier to Build its Moonwalking Spacesuits
NASA announced they have chosen Axiom Space to build the spacesuits for the next astronauts to walk on the Moon. The spacesuits will be used on the Artemis III mission, which is planned to land the first woman and the first person of color on the lunar surface.