SPACENEWS

In brief In 2021 so far, some 2467 new objects large enough to be tracked have been added to world catalogues of orbital objects, out of which 1493 are new satellites and the rest are debris. While new objects are added, others are dragged down to Earth by the atmosphere where they safely burn up, resulting Read More

The US State of Washington is under a state of emergency following days of severe wind and rain leading to extensive flooding in parts of the state. The extreme weather was caused by an atmospheric river, a huge plume of moisture extending over the Pacific and into Washington. Different satellites in orbit carry different instruments Read More

Solar Orbiter is returning to Earth for a flyby before starting its main science mission to explore the Sun and its connection to ‘space weather’. During the flyby Solar Orbiter must pass through the clouds of space debris that surround our planet, making this manoeuvre the riskiest flyby yet for a science mission. Navigating risk Read More

The world will be watching the milestone launch of NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test, DART, spacecraft on Wednesday, 24 November, intended to alter one small part of the Solar System forever. DART will collide with the small moon of an asteroid in order to shift its orbit around its parent body – to test the concept Read More

ESA DG Josef Aschbacher states: ''I have been in contact with ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer to assure him of all my support during and after these tense hours in orbit after the recent space debris situation.'' ''Space debris have increasingly raised a general risk to all operating satellites in orbit. The intentional generation of space Read More

Space observation and space surveillance are the focus of the Fraunhofer Institute for High Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques FHR's trade show appearance at Space Tech Expo Europe 2021. At Europe's largest exhibition and conference for the space industry, which will take place in Bremen from November 16 to 18, 2021, the institute will showcase Read More

Over 95% of Exolaunch’s 3,000 kg capacity on SpaceX Transporter missions in 2022 already booked – a sign of high customer interest and constant business growth Exolaunch, a global provider of launch services and in-space logistics, has signed a new multi-launch agreement with SpaceX. The agreement includes more launches, more slots and more capacity for Read More

Logistics provider arranges air freight transportation with Antonov An-225 from China to Poland / Giant airplane lands at Rzeszów airport for the first time Gebrüder Weiss was responsible for the first ever arrival of the world’s largest cargo plane at Rzeszów airport, transporting goods from China to Poland. The Antonov An-225 landed at the airport, Read More

The upper stage of Ariane 5 which will transport the James Webb Space Telescope in space, is now integrated with the Ariane 5 core stage inside the launch vehicle integration building at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Intégration Upper Composite au BIL, le 13/11/2021. | Upper Stage interation at BIL. 11/13/2021. The upper stage arrived Read More

ESA is primed to play a crucial role in the revitalised international drive to combat global warming set out at the COP26 climate talks.   After two weeks of negotiations, the summit – which was held in Glasgow in the UK – concluded with world governments working to agree on a renewed commitment to dial Read More