Breaking news
Earth observation spacecraft, capable of photographing features on the planet 20inches wide, will hitch a lift into orbit with the next SpaceX Starlink satellites. The observation satellites are operated byPlanet, who say the three new spacecraft being launched on the Falcon rocket will bring their constellation up to 18. Planet’s SkySat network orbit 279 miles … Read more
Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft captures pictures of asteroid Ryugu in stunning detail after touching down on its surface The shots were taken on February 21, 2019, after months of study from orbit Researchers have used the image to interpret some of the asteroid’s history At one point, it must have passed close to the Sun, reddening some of … Read more
BepiColombo, the British-built spacecraft destined for Mercury, will bid a final farewell to Earth this weekend before heading to the Sun’s closest planet. The craft launched in October 2018 and due to its looping orbit, which resembles a penny in a spiral wishing well, is set to fly past Earth at about 4.25am on Friday. … Read more
Russia to send a spacecraft to the MOON for the first time in 45 years in a bid to find water on its surface Russian agency Roscosmos will send Luna-25 to the Moon on October 1, 2021 It will mark the first time Moscow has landed on the Moon since Luna-24 in 1976 The mission … Read more
Giant volcanic eruptions on Jupiter’s moon Io have been spotted by NASA’s Juno probe. On Dec. 21, during winter solstice, four of Juno’s cameras captured images of the Jovian moon Io, the most volcanic body in our solar system, on the mission’s 17th flyby of the gas giant. Stunned researchers say they hit the jackpot by … Read more
New satellite made from CORK could help smaller spacecraft re-enter Earth’s atmosphere intact by directing heat toward parts of the hull designed to burn up and flake away The ESA is launching a small cork-nosed satellite from the ISS this Wednesday The satellite will gradually descend back to Earth over the course of six months … Read more