NASA and the European Space Agency are planning a mission into the little-explored region of Earth's atmosphere where space weather impacts are keenly felt, but it won't be ready for this solar cycle.
Space News & Blog Articles
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This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 8 – 16
July is Scorpius season. Maybe you know of the Cat's Eyes in the Scorpion's tail, but how about the Little Cat's Eyes in the Scorpion's body? The Sagittarius Teapot follows not far behind.
Vega-C: watch the launch 13 July
ESA’s new medium-lift Vega-C rocket is nearly ready for its inaugural flight. You can follow live on ESA Web TV. Flight VV21 will lift off as soon as 13 July at 13:13 CEST, pending suitable conditions for launch.
Earth from Space: Fuerteventura and Lanzarote
Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, part of the Canary Islands lying in the North Atlantic Ocean, are featured in this false-colour image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.
SpaceX rolls out maritime internet service on same day as another Starlink launch
SpaceX’s Starlink 4-21 mission lifted off July 7 on a Falcon 9 rocket. Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now
SpaceX launched another group of 53 satellites from Cape Canaveral for the company’s Starlink internet network Thursday, the same day it unveiled a new maritime broadband service. Federal regulators recently approved SpaceX’s request to provide Starlink connectivity for mobile users.
Engineers Build a gun That can Fire Projectiles at 10 km/s, Simulating High-Speed Space Debris Impacts
According to the ESA’s Space Debris Office (SDO), there are about 31,630 debris objects in orbit that are regularly tracked by space surveillance networks. However, this only accounts for the larger objects and doesn’t include the (literally) millions of tiny bits of “space junk” that pollute Low Earth Orbit (LEO). According to the SDO, this includes an estimated 36,500 objects greater than 10 cm in diameter (~4 inches), 1 million space debris objects measuring between 1 cm to 10 cm (0.4 to 4 inches), and 130 million space debris objects measuring between 1 mm to 1 cm.
NASA's tiny CAPSTONE probe aces 1st engine burn en route to the moon
CAPSTONE successfully performed its first engine burn today (July 7), an 11-minute maneuver that changed its velocity by about 45 mph (72 kph) as planned.
US military's mysterious X-37B space plane sets new spaceflight record
The records keep falling for the U.S. Space Force's robotic X-37B space plane, which has now spent 781 days in orbit on its latest mission.
Minotaur rocket explodes shortly after launching on test mission for US military
There were no injuries reported, and the cause is under investigation.
Amateur astronomer spots 34 paired-off 'failed' stars in brown dwarf project
A citizen scientist used old telescope data to find a trove of binary star systems that include what are sometimes dubbed "failed stars."
Watch an exclusive clip from new Tubi special, 'Aliens, Abductions, and UFOs: Roswell at 75'
Tubi presents a new flying saucer documentary, "Aliens, Abductions, and UFOs: Roswell at 75."
Virgin Galactic picks Boeing subsidiary to build new carrier planes for space tourism flights
Suborbital space tourism provider Virgin Galactic announced a deal Wednesday (July 6) to build a new set of carrier planes.
Here's the Final Shortlist for Astrophotographer of the Year 2022
We look forward to this every year! The Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition showcases and recognizes some of the most stunning views of the night sky and astronomical objects. The shortlisted images from this year’s competition have now been released, and they include awe-inspiring scenes of the Milky Way, colliding galaxies, stellar nurseries, planets, nebula and the always photogenic Moon.
Best telescopes for kids: Top picks for seeing the moon, stars, planets & more
Here are the best telescopes for kids, the top models for budding astronomers, including the best Amazon Prime Day deals.
10 strange Mercury facts
Mercury is a rather weird planet that constantly intrigues scientists. Learn more about the planet closest to the sun with these 10 interesting facts.
Vega-C pre-launch press briefing
Video: 00:43:03
Watch the replay of the Q&A session with the media to learn more about the preparations for the upcoming launch of Vega-C. The inaugural flight of this new rocket in the Vega family is currently planned on 13 July 2022. Speakers include Stefano Bianchi, ESA Head of Flight Programmes Department, Benoit Pouffary, ESA Vega & Space Rider Launch System Engineering Manager, Ettore Scardecchia, Avio Head of Engineering and Mario Cosmo, ASI Director of Science and Research.
Trash bag jettisoned from space station in waste-management first
The operation tested a new waste-disposal system for the International Space Station, echoing techniques used during the 1980s and 1990s.
Moon rock trait offers new way to understand impact history
The moon is covered by impact craters large and small, evidence of a violent history of bombardment by celestial bodies like comets and asteroids. But these craters only record some of lunar history.
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV Review
The latest version of the Olympus E-M10 mirrorless camera looks to capture the entry-level market with affordability and versatility, we find out if it's up to the job.
A new LEGO Spacecraft to Vote for: China's Long March 5 With the Tianwen-1 That Flew to Mars
Two Lego designers with a history of space-themed projects have teamed up for a new proposed set: China’s Long March CZ-5 and Tianwen-1 Mission. The set is currently gathering supporters on the LEGO Ideas website. If it gets enough support, LEGO will review it and possibly create it.
