Take a journey around ESA’s sites
Space News & Blog Articles
Tune into the SpaceZE News Network to stay updated on industry news from around the world.
Hera’s mini-radar will probe asteroid’s heart
The smallest radar to fly in space has been delivered to ESA for integration aboard the miniature Juventas CubeSat, part of ESA’s Hera mission for planetary defence. The radar will perform the first radar imaging of an asteroid, peering deep beneath the surface of Dimorphos – the Great Pyramid-sized body whose orbit was shifted last year by the impact of NASA’s DART spacecraft.
Interpreting Dune Patterns: Insights from Earth and Mars
A recent study published in the journal Geology attempts to interpret the patterns of dunes, which are sand mounds frequently formed by aeolian (wind) processes and range in size from small ripples observed on beaches to massive structures observed in the desert. Specifically, the researchers focused on patterns of dune crestlines, which are the top of the dunes. Different dune crestline patterns might appear as mundane features, but their formations are often the result of a myriad of influences, including climate change, surface processes, and atmospheric phenomena.
Penn State SETI Symposium Opens with Commemoration of Dr. Frank Drake
Is humanity alone in the Universe? Is anyone out there? Where is everybody? And what happens if and when we make contact with them? These and other questions were the subjects of the 2023 Penn State SETI Symposium hosted by the Penn State Extraterrestrial Intelligence Center (PSETI) from June 19th-22nd, 2023. The event featured prominent speakers from various research fields and disciplines discussing the challenges, history, and future of SETI. In the great tradition established by Dr. Frank Drake, they also addressed key issues related to the search for intelligent life and what we might find someday.
Russian cosmonaut becomes first to ride European robotic arm on ISS spacewalk
Russian cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev completed the first test flight at the end of the European robotic arm as part of a successful spacewalk at the International Space Station on Wednesday (Aug. 9).
What time is Virgin Galactic's Galactic-02 space tourist launch on Aug. 10? Here's how to watch live.
Virgin Galactic's reusable spaceplane, VSS Unity, will launch its second commercial spaceflight mission on Thursday (Aug. 10). Here's how to follow the action.
We Could SCATTER CubeSats Around Uranus To Track How It Changes
Exploration missions to the outer solar system are still sorely lacking, even though they were highly prioritized in the Planetary Science Decadal Survey from 2013-2022. In fact, many planets in the outer solar system have never even been orbited by a probe. For one in particular – Uranus – we must rely on data from Voyager 2, with instruments designed over 50 years ago, or Earth-based observations. Neither solution can genuinely understand the weird physics going on with this planet that is essentially lying on its side. And while there have been plenty of proposed mission architectures to go and look at it, it’s always fun to take a look at a new one when it pops up. A team from Stanford came up with a new concept called the Sustained CubeSat Activity Through Transmitter Electromagnetic Radiation (SCATTER). It was given a NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts grant to develop the idea further. They released a paper a little while ago, and it’s worth digging into here.
Betelgeuse
Betelgeuse, pronounced "beetle-juice," is one of the most well-known and prominent stars in the night sky. Here are some key facts about Betelgeuse:
Scientists are using NASA satellite data to text Bangladeshi farmers water-saving strategies
A new technology uses satellite data to provide farming advice to Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani farmers.
NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission is on track, but questions remain about Artemis 3
The heat shield for the Orion spacecraft is the only serious concern on NASA's Artemis 2 to-do list right now. But the Artemis 3 moon-landing mission has more open questions.
Could This Supermassive Black Hole Only Have Formed by Direct Collapse?
Nearly every galaxy in the universe contains a supermassive black hole. Even galaxies that are billions of light years away. This means supermassive black holes form early in the development of a galaxy. They are possibly even the gravitational seeds around which a galaxy forms. But astronomers are still unclear about just how these massive gravitational beasts first appeared.
The powerful winds of super magnetic stars could destroy the possibility for life on their exoplanets
Cool stars with powerful magnetic fields could have remarkably fast stellar winds that strip away their planets' atmospheres, making even "habitable zone" worlds less friendly to life.
Earendel revealed: James Webb Space Telescope lifts veil on the most distant star known in the universe
Thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists have begun getting the goods on Earendel, the most distant star ever detected.
Artemis 2 crew meets Orion – Full press conversation
This page is available to Spaceflight Now members only
Support Spaceflight Now\’s unrivaled coverage of the space program by becoming a member. Your monthly or annual membership will help us continue and expand our coverage. As a supporter of the site you will also gain access to bonus content such as this page.
Queen Rock legend Brian May launches Space.com astrophotography competition for signed copy of his asteroid book (video)
Sir Brian May and NASA's OSIRIS-REx chief scientist Dante Lauretta challenge Space.com readers to photograph solar system objects to win a signed copy of their new book about asteroid Bennu.
Mars is spinning faster and its days are getting shorter. Scientists aren't sure why
Radio data has also allowed planetary scientists to measure Mars’ rotation rate and learn more about the world's over-sized, molten core.
Galaxy from the 'teenage' universe reveals its water map for the 1st time
A galaxy that existed less than 2 billion years after the Big Bang has revealed the distribution of its water content for the first time.
Get Ready for a Great Perseid Meteor Shower
The Perseids are here! With no Moon to spoil the show it's time to break out the lawn chairs, sit back, and watch the comet dust fly.
Live Coverage: Russian cosmonauts make spacewalk at International Space Station
Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin will venture outside the International Space Station’s Poisk airlock on Wednesday on a spacewalk to attach three debris shields to the Rassvet module. They also will test the sturdiness of a work platform that will be affixed to the end of the European robotic arm attached to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. The spacewalk will be the eighth for Prokopyev, who will wear an Orlan spacesuit with red stripes, and the sixth for Petelin, who will wear a spacesuit with blue stripes.
Before the vacuum
Image: Before the vacuum
1st launch of Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket slips to 2024
The European Space Agency and the CEO of Arianespace confirmed on Tuesday (Aug. 8) that the inaugural launch of the new Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket will slip into 2024.
