The bacteria, Sporosarcina pasteurii, is able to make calcium carbonate that can act as a sealant to fix bricks made from lunar regolith. Continue ReadingHow bacteria could help build and maintain cities on the moon
SpaceX sent 28 of its Starlink internet satellites to low Earth orbit from Florida on Saturday night (April 5). Continue ReadingSpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida’s Space Coast (photos)
Blue Origin’s New Glenn, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and ULA’s Vulcan rockets launch from their respective pads. Image: Blue Origin, SpaceX, United Launch Alliance A long-awaited launch contract for national security missions was announced by the U.S. Space Force after close of business Friday evening. The mission spreads nearly $14 billion worth of missions between Blue Origin, SpaceX and United Launch Alliance (ULA). The contract is known as Lane 2 of the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3. These are firm fixed-price, indefinite-delivery contracts that will be issued in batches of missions to the launch providers over a five-year period beginning in FY25. “Today’s award culminates nearly three years of government and industry partnership to increase launch resiliency and capacity,” explained Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, Program Executive Officer for Assured Access to Space. “The result is assured access to space for our national security missions, which increases the military’s readiness.” Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen gives a keynote address at the second annual Space Force Association’s Spacepower Conference on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. Image: Will Robinson-Smith/Spaceflight Now The Space Force anticipates awarding 54 launches across the five order years with SpaceX receiving about 60 percent of the missions (28 launches), ULA getting 40 percent (19 launches) and Blue Origin getting seven missions. The missions, once assigned are “projected to have a nominal two-year integration resulting in launches from FY27-FY32. In reality, a number of national security payloads have previously faced years of delays caused by the payload and not the rocket. For instance, the USSF-52 mission, which was the most recent flight of the X-37B orbital spaceplane, was awarded to SpaceX as part of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Phase 1A (changed to NSSL in 2019) contract in 2018 and was projected to launch in FY20. However, it ended up launching in December 2023. Continue ReadingU.S. Space Force awards $13.7 billion in new national security launch contracts to Blue Origin, SpaceX and ULA
SpaceX’s Fram2 astronaut mission returned to Earth in the Pacific Ocean on Friday (April 4), marking a first for the spaceflight company. Continue ReadingFram2 astronaut mission’s West Coast splashdown opens new era for SpaceX
Trek Talks 4 falls on April 5 this year, with 8 hours of epic ‘Star Trek’ guests and panels. Continue ReadingCelebrate ‘Star Trek’ and help feed the hungry for First Contact Day today
On Episode 155 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk about cool space news you can use (if you’re not stuck on the ISS!) Continue ReadingThis Week In Space podcast: Episode 155 — Space News You Can Use
This week, researchers reported on nine rivers and lakes in the Americas that defy hydrologic expectations. Geologists report that Earth’s first crust probably had chemical features similar to today’s continental crust. And engineers advanced quantum technology by merging two exotic, lab-synthesized materials into an artificial structure, atom by atom.
If you’re lucky enough to have clear skies tonight, you can catch a “mini planet parade” as Mars and Jupiter appear alongside a half-lit moon in the southwestern sky. Continue ReadingThe moon joins Mars and Jupiter in a ‘mini planet parade’ tonight. Here’s how to see it
Sixty years ago, a fleet of sleek little spaceships paved the way for America to land a man on the Moon. Project Gemini was a series of two-man, Earth-orbital missions that pioneered rendezvous, docking, and maneuvering in-space, as well as spacewalking — all of which had to be perfected before there was any chance ofContinue reading “How Project Gemini changed spaceflight” The post How Project Gemini changed spaceflight appeared first on Astronomy Magazine. Continue ReadingHow Project Gemini changed spaceflight
NASA’s next Mars chopper concept could do far more than fly — it could help unlock the planet’s watery past, reveal signs of life and scout landing zones for astronauts. Continue ReadingMeet ‘Nighthawk’: Mars helicopter mission could be big leap for exploration
The US Space Force announced Friday it selected SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, and Blue Origin for $13.7 billion in contracts to deliver the Pentagon’s most critical military to orbit into the early 2030s. These missions will launch the government’s heaviest national security satellites, like the National Reconnaissance Office’s large bus-sized spy platforms, and deploy them into bespoke orbits. These types of launches often demand heavy-lift rockets with long-duration upper stages that can cruise through space for six or more hours. The contracts awarded Friday are part of the next phase of the military’s space launch program once dominated by United Continue ReadingWith new contracts, SpaceX will become the US military’s top launch provider
File: A Falcon 9 stands ready to launch the Starlink 12-5 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Image: Spaceflight Now. SpaceX is preparing to launch its latest batch of Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit on Saturday night. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket on the Starlink 6-72 mission from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is set for Saturday, April 5, at 10:40 p.m. EDT (0240 UTC). Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about an hour prior to liftoff. The 45th Weather Squadron forecast windy, but clear conditions at the pad during the nearly four-hour launch window. Meteorologists forecast a greater than 95 percent chance of acceptable conditions at liftoff. “High-pressure ridge over the Atlantic extending across central Florida will persist through the weekend, bringing strong subsidence across the peninsula,” launch weather officers wrote. “As a result, moisture availability will be limited, preventing the formation of significant cloud cover. The only potential constraint for both days will be liftoff winds.” The Falcon 9 first stage booster, tail number B1078 in the SpaceX fleet, will fly for a 19th time. It previously supported the launches included Crew-6, USSF-124 and 14 previous Starlink flights. A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, B1078 will target a landing on the droneship, ‘Just Read the Instructions.’ If successful, it will be the 114th booster landing for JRTI and the 427th booster landing to date.
NASA’s latest call for proposals for private astronaut missions to the space station opens the door to having those missions commanded by someone other than a former NASA astronaut. The post NASA seeks proposals for two private astronaut missions to ISS appeared first on SpaceNews.
A Crew Dragon spacecraft splashed down off the California coast April 4, wrapping up a three-and-a-half-day private astronaut mission in polar orbit. The post Fram2 completes polar orbit private astronaut mission appeared first on SpaceNews.
The contracts, announced April 4 by the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command, are part of the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 2 procurement The post SpaceX, ULA, Blue Origin win $13.7 billion in U.S. military launch contracts through 2029 appeared first on SpaceNews.
Space companies joined heavy stock market declines across the board as governments started responding to sweeping U.S. tariffs across dozens of countries. The post Space companies swept up in far-reaching trade war appeared first on SpaceNews.
An artist’s depiction of an OroraTech OTC-P1 satellite in low Earth orbit. Graphic: OroraTech via Rocket Lab Update 12:35 p.m. EDT: Rocket Lab confirms successful deployment of all eight satellites. Rocket Lab completed its fifth Electron rocket launch of the year, this time with a mission to send eight fire detection satellites into low Earth orbit. The mission, dubbed ‘Finding Hot Wildfires Near You,’ is considered Phase 1 for Germany based OroraTech, which wants to deploy a constellation of up to 100 satellites by 2028. These first satellites are called OTC-P1. Liftoff from Launch Complex 1, Pad B, in Mahia, New Zealand, happened right at 4:30 a.m. NZT on March 27 (11:30 a.m. EDT, 1530 UTC on March 26). Now that they’re deployed, the satellites will operate in a circular Earth orbit at an altitude of 550 km (341.8 mi) at an inclination of 97 degrees. The company’s stated goal is to create a satellite constellation that will allow 24/7 continuous monitoring against wildfire threats. Rocket Lab announced it had signed a “responsive launch” contract with OroraTech in late January, stating that the quick turnaround was needed “to meet the season-sensitive requirements of its wildfire detection mission.” “The rapid turnaround is just the latest demonstration of Rocket Lab’s responsive launch capabilities for satellite operators needing urgent access to space,” Rocket Lab said in a January statement. OroraTech said it currently has more than 25 public and proprietary satellites that are designed to “give firefighters and emergency personnel near-real-time data on fire behavior and situational awareness for those battling the flames.” Thermal imaging sensors developed for OroraTech and Spire Global’s OTC-P1 satellites. Image: Orora Technologies With a constellation of more than 100 satellites, a goal it aims to achieve in the next few years, OroraTech said it aims to have a “maximum gap time Continue ReadingRocket Lab launches 8 wildfire detection satellites for OroraTech on Electron rocket
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) to begin the Starlink 11-7 mission with 27 Starlink V2 Mini satellites onboard. Image: SpaceX SpaceX sent a batch of 27 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit on a Falcon 9 rocket launch Wednesday afternoon. The flight tied the record for the most number of these types of satellites launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California to date. The Starlink 11-7 mission lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East is scheduled for 3:11 p.m. PDT (6:11 p.m. EDT, 2211 UTC). This was the 11th orbital launch from VSFB so far this year. The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, tail number B1063 in the SpaceX fleet, launched for a 24th time. This made it the second most flown booster, following B1067, which safely launched and landed 26 times so far. The previous missions launched by B1063 include three missions for the National Reconnaissance Office, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft an 15 other Starlink missions. A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, B1063 landed on the droneship, ‘Of Course I Still Love You.’ SpaceX aims to certify its boosters and payload fairings for up to 40 flights each. The number of Starlink V2 Mini satellites on board the Starlink 11-7 mission suggest that some or all of these are what SpaceX calls its Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites in a progress report published at the end of 2024. The report stated that these satellites include a Doppio Dualband antenna along with “upgraded avionics, propulsion, and power systems, and are mass optimized for Falcon 9 to allow up to 29 satellites to launch on each mission – six more satellites per launch than the original V2 Mini design.” The Starlink 11-8 mission Continue ReadingSpaceX launches 27 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB
Vulcan climbs away from Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station shortly after sunrise on Oct. 4, 2024. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now. In an announcement highly anticipated by United Launch Alliance and others in the spaceflight community, the U.S. Space Force’s Assured Access to Space (AATS) office affirmed that the Vulcan rocket is now fully certified to launch national security payloads. The completion of this multi-year process means that the USSF’s Space Systems Command can begin launching National Security Space Launch (NSSL) missions on the two-stage, heavy-lift rocket. “Assured access to space is a core function of the Space Force and a critical element of national security,” said Brig. Gen. Panzenhagen, Program Executive Officer for AAST, in a statement. “Vulcan certification adds launch capacity, resiliency, and flexibility needed by our nation’s most critical space-based systems.” ULA and the U.S. Air Force forged a plan for the certification of Vulcan in September 2016. Years of development led to the rocket first certification flight (Cert-1) in January 2024 when it launched the Peregrine-1 mission on behalf of Astrobotic and NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. ULA’s Vulcan rocket launches on its first certification flight, carrying Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander onboard. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now Initially, ULA wanted to fly Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser on its Cert-2 mission, but the winged spaceship wasn’t ready in time. Instead, it pivoted to a launch in October carrying no payload to fulfill the need for a second certification flight. It was during that flight that one of the rocket’s two solid rocket boosters, a Northrop Grumman GEM 63XL, experienced a burn through less than a minute into flight, which resulted in the liberation of the nozzle. ULA was able to complete its mission as intended, but the anomaly resulted in a month’s long investigation Continue ReadingU.S. Space Force certifies ULA’s Vulcan rocket to begin launching national security missions
