ESA – Space Debris
On 20 April 2021, ESA will host the 8th European Conference on Space Debris from Darmstadt, in Germany. Scientists, engineers, industry experts and policy makers will spend the virtual four day conference discussing the latest issues surrounding space debris. They will exchange the latest research, try to come up with solutions for potential problems and define Read More
Instant Landing Pads for Artemis Lunar Missions
Matthew KuhnsMasten Space Systems Inc. How FAST Landing Pad would be deployed during a mission. Credits: Matthew Kuhns FAST Particle injection in the lander engine (left) and deposition on the surface (right). Credits: Matthew Kuhns As the United States strategizes its return of humans to the Moon in 2024 and beyond per Space Policy Directive Read More
NASA Invites You to Take Flight with the Ingenuity #MarsHelicopter
photo NASA Take Flight with the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter We're inviting you to join us for the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter's first attempt at powered, controlled flight on another planet. The helicopter team is targeting no earlier than Sunday, April 11, for the historic first flight. A livestream confirming Ingenuity’s first flight is targeted to begin Read More
Pioneering ship traffic detection from space
Norway's first AIS satellite launched 10 years ago and was one of the first to monitor maritime traffic from space. By Berit Ellingsen AISSat-1, Norway's first national satellite, was launched on the 12th of July 2010. It was one of the first satellites in the world to detect AIS signals in real time from polar Read More
Orion Spacecraft to Test New Entry Technique on Artemis I Mission
photo copyright NASA When NASA’s Orion spacecraft is nearing its return to Earth after its Artemis I mission to the Moon, it will attempt the first skip entry for a human spacecraft – a maneuver designed to pinpoint its landing spot in the Pacific Ocean. During this skip entry, Orion will dip into the upper Read More
The Norwegian Space Agency and Europe
More and more new products and services based on satellite data are introduced, contributing to making society safer and more efficient. The Norwegian Space Agency governs Norway's space policy on behalf of the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, contributes to the development of Norway's space industry, and ensures that public allocations are being Read More
Contained confinement
by ESA ESA-sponsored medical doctor Nick Smith snapped this photo of the storage containers at Concordia research station in Antarctica shortly before sunset, 8 April 2021. The dark blue line at the horizon is the shadow of the Earth. The containers store food, recycling and the scientific samples of blood, saliva, and stool that Nick Read More
Earth from Space: Bucharest, Romania
ESA The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Bucharest – the capital and largest city of Romania. Click on the image to explore it in its full 10 m resolution and learn about the features in this stunning landscape. Bucharest lies on the southeast corner of the Romanian Plain, on the banks of the Dâmbovița Read More
Satellites monitor Mount Etna’s unpredictable behaviour
ESA / Italy’s Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano, has recently been on explosive form, with 17 eruptions in less than three months. Instruments onboard three different satellites orbiting Earth have acquired imagery of the eruptions – revealing the intensity of the lava-fountaining eruptive episodes, known as paroxysms. Located on the east coast of Sicily, Read More
Ariane 6 pre-flight ‘plumbing’ tests
Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana is preparing Ariane 6's launch pad for extensive ‘combined tests’. These tests will prove the systems that will support Europe's newest launch vehicle before flight. Fin d'integration caisson LOX On the launch pad, engineers are installing the steel mini-mast structures that will protect the liquid oxygen cryogenic connection systems that Read More