NanoAvionics and other UN:IO consortium members to start work on feasibility study funded with €1.4 million by the EU to help create an independent European satellite network of 400 satellites
UN:IO consortium consists of 14 leading European NewSpace companies, led by Reflex Aerospace, launch provider Isar Aerospace and laser specialist Mynaric Smallsat mission integrator NanoAvionics, together with other UN:IO consortium members, will start working on a feasibility study, which has been granted 1.4 million EUR (1.6 million USD) by the European Commission, to create a Read More
NASA Launches Next X-ray Astronomy Mission – with video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VgSkMDaFNk NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, also known as IXPE, lifted off Thursday, Dec. 9, at 1 a.m. EST on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After a successful launch, the rocket performed as expected, with spacecraft separation taking place 33 minutes into flight. Approximately one minute later, the spacecraft Read More
Science with Webb: the nearby cosmos
The James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) is designed to answer fundamental questions about the Universe. One of Webb’s key science goals is to study the nearby cosmos: uncovering hidden parts of our Solar System, peering inside dust clouds where stars and planetary systems are forming, and revealing the composition of exoplanets in more detail. Exoplanets Read More
Astronaut applicants thanked as ESA contacts all candidates
In brief Applicants to ESA’s astronaut selection are being thanked for their patience as thousands of acceptance or rejection notifications are distributed to candidates across Europe. In-depth Head of Space Medicine at ESA, Guillaume Weerts, says he and his team have been very conscious of the need to give every application the attention it deserves Read More
Earth from Space: Fairbanks, Alaska – with video
The city of Fairbanks, the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and its surroundings, are featured in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image. Visible in the top-left corner of the image, Fairbanks is located in the central Tanana Valley, straddling the Chena River near its confluence with the Tanana River – a 940 km tributary Read More
NASA and SpaceX Launch IXPE from LC-39A Cape Kennedy Florida 12-9-21!
…at 1:00 AM EDT (6:00 UTC) What is IXPE? Built by Ball Aerospace it is the Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer and has three identical space telescopes that measure the polarization of comic rays from black holes, pulsars and neutron stars. These are the most violent areas of the solar system and IXPE will capture new Read More
Mirror, mirror, on the Moon
Mirror, mirror, on the Moon, how far away are you? High-accuracy Tests is seeking the answer to this and more questions on general relativity, the gravitational dynamics of the Earth-Moon system and the deep lunar interior. MoonLIGHT is a laser retroreflector, imaged here, which allows laser beams sent from Earth to be reflected back from Read More
Los Alamos National Laboratory awards satellite mission contract to NanoAvionics US
First satellite mission hosting a high-energy astrophysics payload by LANL in 20 yearsDedicated nanosatellite mission to measure cosmic diffuse gamma-ray (CDG) background Smallsat mission integrator NanoAvionics US has received a mission contract by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), one of the largest science and technology institutions in the world. The 12U (1U equals 10 × Read More
NASA TV to Air IXPE Prelaunch Activities, Launch
NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) mission is the first satellite dedicated to measuring the polarization of X-rays from a variety of cosmic sources, such as black holes and neutron stars. Credits: NASA NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) mission, the first satellite Read More
United Launch Alliance Successfully Launches Critical National Security Mission direct to GEO
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying the Space Test Program (STP)-3 mission for the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command lifted off on Dec. 7 at 5:19 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. To date ULA has launched 147 times with 100 percent mission success. STP-3 Read More