India's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) lifted off for the first time Saturday night (Aug. 6), and it's still too early to tell how the new rocket did.
Space News & Blog Articles
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Dwarf Galaxies Found Without Influence From Dark Matter
Ask astronomers about dark matter and one of the things they talk about is that this invisible, mysterious “stuff” permeates the universe. In particular, it exists in halos surrounding most galaxies. The mass of the halo exerts a strong gravitational influence on the galaxy itself, as well as on others in the neighborhood. That’s pretty much the standard view of dark matter and its influence on galaxies. However, there are problems with the idea of those halos. Apparently, some oddly shaped dwarf galaxies exist that look like they have no halos. How could this be? Do they represent an observationally induced challenge to the prevailing ideas about dark matter halos?
Live coverage: India’s new smallsat launcher lifts off on first flight
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle with the EOS-02 Earth observation technology demonstration satellite. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter.
Perseverance Mars rover photographs its own landing debris
As the Mars rover traverses the planet, it's come across pieces of its entry, landing, and descent hardware.
The dark matter hypothesis isn't perfect, but the alternatives are worse
It's true that the dark matter hypothesis has its shortcomings — and, of course, we haven't found any dark matter particles yet. But the truth is that the alternatives are much worse.
Interstellar Meteorite, Shortest Day Ever, Magnetosphere Collapse
An interstellar meteorite could be hiding in the ocean. Why doesn’t Jupiter have rings like Saturn. The time when Earth’s magnetic field almost collapsed. The shortest day on Earth, and Planet 9 is running out of places to hide. All this and more in this week’s episode of Space Bites.
Artificial light at night can change the behavior of all animals, not just humans
Nocturnal behaviors have been evolved to take advantage of the darkness of night. Yet today, they are under an increasing threat from the presence of artificial lighting.
New mapping method could aid exploration of moon, Mars and beyond
Researchers have discovered a method for making high-resolution maps of planetary surfaces like the moon's by combining available imagery and topography data.
Jupiter Missions Could Also Help Search for Dark Matter
In a recent study published in the Journal of High Energy Physics, two researchers from Brown University demonstrated how data from past missions to Jupiter can help scientists examine dark matter, one of the most mysterious phenomena in the universe. The reason past Jupiter missions were chosen is due to the extensive amount of data gathered about the largest planet in the solar system, most notably from the Galileo and Juno orbiters. As stated, dark matter is one of the most mysterious phenomena in the universe. One reason is because it’s invisible and does not emit any light. So why study it?
I Asked an AI to Dream the Solar System as Food
As soon as I saw these new artificial intelligence image creation tools, like DALL-E, I wanted to see how well they’d work for generating space and astronomy images. I’m still on the waiting list for DALL-E 2, so I don’t have any feedback to give there, but I signed up for Midjourney AI, played around with the free account, and then signed up for a full paid account, so I could test out its capabilities.
NASA's Artemis 1 moon rocket to roll out Aug. 18 for lunar launch
All systems are go so far to roll out the Artemis 1 rocket to the launch pad for a planned liftoff on Aug. 29.
Perseverance Mars rover bags 12th Red Planet rock sample
NASA's car-sized Perseverance Mars rover drilled out and sealed up its 12th rock sample on Wednesday (Aug. 3), its fourth such operation in less than a month.
India ready to debut solid-fueled smallsat launcher
An illustration of India’s 111-foot-tall (34-meter) Small Satellite Launch Vehicle. Credit: ISRO
India’s space agency will debut a new Small Satellite Launch Vehicle Saturday, adding a fourth member to the company’s rocket fleet. The SSLV’s test flight will take off from Sriharikota Island on India’s east coast with a small Earth observation satellite and a CubeSat from an Indian startup focused on science education.
Florida braces for crowds for NASA's Artemis 1 moon mission launch
Tourism officials in Florida's Space Coast are expecting a massive influx of tourists for the upcoming Artemis 1 moon mission, the first launch for NASA's Space Launch System rocket.
Space debris is coming down more frequently. What are the chances it could hit someone or damage property?
As the space industry grows, it's safe to say incidents of space debris hurtling back to Earth will only become more frequent – and they could pose a risk. But how much of a risk, exactly?
Masten Space is Building a Lunar Lander for NASA. Also, They Just Filed for Bankruptcy
If you’re a fan of the commercial space industry (aka. NewSpace), then the name Masten Space Systems is sure to ring a bell. For years, this California-based aerospace company has been developing delivery systems to accommodate payloads to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. This included Xoie, the lander concept that won the $1 million Northrop Grumman Lunar X-Prize in 2009, their Xombie and Xodiac reusable terrestrial landers, and the in-Flight Alumina Spray Technique (FAST) that would allow lunar landers to create their own landing pads.
Astra cancels Rocket 3 line after multiple launch failures
Astra will cancel production of its current rocket line following multiple launch failures, including one in June that resulted in the loss of two hurricane-tracking NASA cubesats.
SpaceX will launch solar wind mission with space telescope in 2025
Two NASA missions will be launching on a single SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, using a 'carpool' arrangement to overcome supply chain issues affecting PUNCH.
Virgin Galactic pushes 1st commercial passenger flight to spring 2023
Suborbital space tourism provider Virgin Galactic will delay its first commercial flight by about three months due to issues with upgrades to its mothership fleet, which carries spaceships aloft.
Perseids Are Coming, Full Moon or Not
Don't use a full Moon pass to skip this year's Perseid meteor shower. Right here, right now, we're going to help you make the most of it.
Skywatchers can see debris from spectacular comet outburst this month
Debris produced by the most spectacular comet outburst ever observed will be visible from Earth later this month even to amateur telescopes. Here is how to look for it.
