By unveiling plans for the new line of missions and establishing the basis for future huge space telescopes, NASA is beginning to put the suggestions of the astrophysics decadal review into action. The agency announced it will proceed with a line of “probe” class operations intended to bridge the gap between the large flagship missions and… Continue reading NASA is planning to launch an astrophysics probe program
Category: Space
Nuclear propulsion would aid military satellites in maneuvering out of harm’s path, according to a report
A spacecraft propelled by a nuclear propulsion technology will be launched into orbit as part of a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency experiment. This technology, according to Michael Leahy, who is the director of DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office, might provide the US military an edge over adversaries by making satellites highly maneuverable and far less vulnerable… Continue reading Nuclear propulsion would aid military satellites in maneuvering out of harm’s path, according to a report
Other ISS partners are beginning to plan for a 2030 extension
The White House’s decision to extend the International Space Station’s activities through the end of the decade acts as a “trigger” for other partners to develop their plans to stay on board. The Biden team agreed to keep the ISS operational until 2030, NASA reported on December 31. The station’s operations were approved by federal… Continue reading Other ISS partners are beginning to plan for a 2030 extension
The next astronaut candidates for NASA are reporting to Houston to begin their training
NASA’s ten new astronaut contenders are reporting to work one month after being introduced to the world, to begin 2 years of training. On Monday (January 10), the four women and six men selected from over 12,000 candidates will begin their new jobs as prospective space station crew members and potential moonwalkers. They are NASA’s… Continue reading The next astronaut candidates for NASA are reporting to Houston to begin their training
The breakup of China’s Yunhai-1 (02) satellite has been related to a collision with space debris
According to NASA, an encounter with a minor piece of debris from a Russian satellite launch led the Chinese spacecraft Yunhai-1 (02) to break down. The Yunhai-1 (02) satellite was built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology and deployed into the Sun-synchronous orbit having a height of around 783 kilometers in September 2019. It disintegrated… Continue reading The breakup of China’s Yunhai-1 (02) satellite has been related to a collision with space debris
An anomaly in orbit affects a powerful European Earth-observation satellite
In orbit, one of humankind’s most impactful Earth-observing satellites is experiencing some issues. Since December 23, the Sentinel-1B radar satellite, which is a portion of the European Union’s Copernicus Earth monitoring program, has not transmitted any data. And it appears that the matter is quite significant. The Copernicus program is a European Space Agency (ESA) and… Continue reading An anomaly in orbit affects a powerful European Earth-observation satellite
The year 2021’s major launch failures
The following is a list of unsuccessful space missions in 2021. 1) The failure of the iSpace Hyperbola-1 rocket The 4-stage Hyperbola-1 rocket ended in failure during liftoff on February 1 during iSpace’s second-ever launch attempt. The cubesat-sized Fangzhou-2 (Ark-2) satellite passenger did not make it to space. “The launch mission failed because the rocket flew abnormally.… Continue reading The year 2021’s major launch failures
A six-hour spacewalk was completed by a Chinese astronaut duo
Two Shenzhou-13 astronauts went outside Tianhe space station module of China on Sunday for a 6-hour extravehicular exercise to install equipment. According to China Manned Space Agency, astronaut Ye Guangfu, donning a Fetian EVA suit featuring yellow markings, unlocked Tianhe airlock hatch at around 5:44 a.m. Eastern December 26 before leaving the space station module. With… Continue reading A six-hour spacewalk was completed by a Chinese astronaut duo
Inmarsat’s first dual-band satellite is launched by MHI
On December 22, Inmarsat launched its first-ever dual-band telecommunications satellite atop a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H-2A rocket. At 10:32 a.m. Eastern, the rocket blasted off from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center, putting the Inmarsat-6 F1 satellite into the geostationary transfer orbit (GEO) 26 minutes later. Inmarsat, based in London, tweeted a little over two hours later that it had… Continue reading Inmarsat’s first dual-band satellite is launched by MHI
JWST launch is delayed due to a communication issue
NASA stated late December 14 that a communications issue has delayed the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope by a minimum of two days. NASA announced in a statement that the launch had been postponed due to a “communication issue between both the observatory as well as the launch vehicle system.” The launch, which was originally… Continue reading JWST launch is delayed due to a communication issue