Virgin Galactic: Mum, daughter and Brit, 80, count down to space flight

Published 8m ago

Virgin Galactic aims to fly an 80-year-old former Olympian, a mother and her daughter into space. More »

Voyager 2: Nasa fully back in contact with lost space probe

Published 9m ago

Voyager 2 has restored its communication with Earth months earlier than expected. More »

Aeolus: ‘Impossible satellite’ ready to fall to Earth

Published 9m ago

One of the most challenging space missions launched by Europe is about to come out of the sky. More »

James Webb telescope image dazzles on science birthday

Published 9m ago

The space observatory delivers a fascinating view of starbirth to mark one year of operations. More »

Europe’s Ariane-5 rocket completes final launch

Published 10m ago

The big rocket that underpinned Europe's access to space for three decades heads into retirement. More »

Weather satellite captures lightning spectacle across Earth

Published 10m ago

A new high-speed weather camera above Europe and Africa records the daily frenzy of lightning storms. More »

Virgin Galactic: Sir Richard Branson’s rocket plane enters commercial service

Published 10m ago

It's taken nearly 20 years but Sir Richard Branson is finally taking paying passengers to space. More »

‘UFO’ in Congo jungle turns out to be internet balloon

Published 4y ago

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – An unidentified flying object parachuted into dense Congo jungle to the confusion of local authorities, who detained two people for questioning until a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet confirmed the de... More »

Mystery of the dimming of massive star Betelgeuse explained

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Astronomers have determined the cause of the dramatic dimming observed last year and earlier this year of one of the brightest stars in the night sky, a colossus called Betelgeuse that appears to be on its way toward a violent death. Bas... More »

Dwarf planet Ceres is ‘ocean world’ with salty water deep underground

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, is an “ocean world” with a big reservoir of salty water under its frigid surface, scientists said in findings that raise interest in this dwarf planet as a possible... More »

Abu Dhabi’s Tawazun to build satellite centre with Airbus

Published 4y ago

DUBAI (Reuters) – Abu Dhabi state defence and security entity Tawazun is to build a satellite assembly, integration and testing centre with Airbus in the United Arab Emirates’ oasis city of Al Ain, state news agency WAM reported on Wednesday. The centre also i... More »

‘It came alive:’ Astronauts recount wild ride home on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon

Published 4y ago

(Reuters) – U.S. astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, home two days from a landmark mission as NASA’s first crew to fly a privately built vehicle into orbit, recounted on Tuesday the loud, jarring ride they experienced through Earth’s atmosphere before a sa... More »

Virgin Galactic’s Branson to fly into space in early 2021

Published 4y ago

(Reuters) – Billionaire Richard Branson will fly into space on a Virgin Galactic rocketship early next year, the space tourism company he founded said on Monday, adding that it would raise new funds with a share offering. Branson’s trip to space hinges on the ... More »

NASA astronauts cap historic ‘odyssey’ aboard SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule

Published 4y ago

(Reuters) – U.S. astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, who flew to the International Space Station in SpaceX’s new Crew Dragon, splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday after a two-month voyage that was NASA’s first crewed mission from home soil in nine... More »

NASA astronauts riding SpaceX capsule poised for Sunday return

Published 4y ago

(Reuters) – The two NASA astronauts who rode to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s new Crew Dragon are heading home for a Sunday splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, capping a two-month voyage in space that marked NASA’s first crewed mission from hom... More »

NASA launches new rover to search for signs of past Martian life

Published 4y ago

(This July 30 story refiles to add details on previous NASA rovers, landers) By Joey Roulette (Reuters) – NASA’s next-generation Mars rover Perseverance blasted off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral on Thursday atop an Atlas 5 rocket on a $2.4 billion mission to s... More »

NASA set to launch robotic rover to seek signs of past Martian life

Published 4y ago

(Reuters) – NASA is set to launch an ambitious mission to Mars on Thursday with the liftoff of its next-generation Perseverance rover, a six-wheeled robot tasked with deploying a mini helicopter, testing out equipment for future human missions and searching fo... More »

A space exploration fan, jazz artist Gregory Porter to sing for NASA launch

Published 4y ago

(Reuters) – Jazz artist Gregory Porter, whose new single “Concorde” is an ode to space exploration, is set to perform on Thursday as part of a ceremony marking the launch of NASA’s next generation rover that will search for signs of habitable conditions on Mar... More »

Scientists identify 37 recently active volcanic structures on Venus

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Scientists have identified 37 volcanic structures on Venus that appear to be recently active – and probably still are today – painting the picture of a geologically dynamic planet and not a dormant world as long thought. The research foc... More »

United Arab Emirates launches mission to Mars

Published 4y ago

DUBAI (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates launched its first mission to Mars on Monday as it strives to develop its scientific and technological capabilities and reduce its reliance on oil. The Hope Probe blasted off from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center at 1... More »

SpaceX capsule carrying NASA astronauts slated for August 2 return

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The NASA astronauts who traveled to the International Space Station in SpaceX’s first crewed flight in May are expected to return to Earth on Aug. 2 after spending two months in orbit, a NASA spokesman said on Friday. U.S. astronauts Bob... More »

UAE aims to launch Mars mission on July 20: Dubai Media Office

Published 4y ago

DUBAI (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates said on Friday it would launch its mission to Mars on July 20, depending on weather conditions at the launch site in Japan, Dubai’s media office said on Twitter. The launch of the UAE’s Hope Probe from Japan’s Tanegas... More »

Solar probe reveals sun’s tiny ‘campfires’ in closest-ever photos

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A solar probe built by the European Space Agency and NASA has delivered the closest photos ever taken of the sun’s surface, revealing a landscape rife with thousands of tiny solar flares that scientists dubbed “campfires” and offering cl... More »

UAE reschedules Mars mission launch to between July 20 and July 22

Published 4y ago

DUBAI (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates has rescheduled the launch of its mission to Mars to a preliminary window between July 20 and July 22, depending on weather conditions at the launch site in Japan, the government’s communications office said on Thursd... More »

UAE postpones Mars mission again due to weather at Japan launch site

Published 4y ago

DUBAI (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates has postponed the launch of its mission to Mars for a second time due to weather conditions at the launch site in Japan, the government’s communications office said on Wednesday. A new launch date in July will be anno... More »

NASA chief says Russia ties ‘solid’ as Moscow’s space chief rejects U.S.-led moon program

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said Tuesday he still expected support from Russia’s space corporation in its Artemis moon program despite Moscow’s space chief slamming the U.S.-led lunar effort. Bridenstine said in an interview with ... More »

Russia charges ex-journalist Ivan Safronov with treason despite outcry

Published 4y ago

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia charged former military journalist Ivan Safronov with state treason on Monday, his lawyer said, accusations that have sent a chill through Russia’s media community which has protested over what it says is his unfair treatment. Securit... More »

Rocket Lab vehicle fails to reach orbit, loses payload of satellites

Published 4y ago

(Reuters) – A rocket from small-satellite launch firm Rocket Lab failed to reach orbit minutes after a successful liftoff from New Zealand on Saturday, the company said, losing its payload of seven small satellites it had intended to carry to space. “An issue ... More »

Surviving core of ill-fated Jupiter-like planet spotted near distant star

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A rocky planet 39 times as massive as Earth has been spotted orbiting a distant star at breakneck speed, with astronomers concluding it may be the surviving core of a planet once perhaps larger than Jupiter that was stripped of its gaseo... More »

It is rocket science: EU to speed up space ambitions, Breton says

Published 4y ago

PARIS (Reuters) – The European Union will plough more money into rocket launches, satellite communication and space exploration to preserve its often unsung successes in space and keep up with US and Chinese ambitions, its space chief said on Sunday. Over the ... More »

Planets around nearby star are intriguing candidates for extraterrestrial life

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Up to three planets – potentially rocky like Earth – have been spotted around a star located relatively near our solar system – a planetary system offering astronomers intriguing possibilities in the search for signs of extraterrestrial ... More »

Subsurface ocean on Jupiter’s moon Europa deemed potentially ‘habitable’

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Scientists have figured out how the subsurface ocean on Jupiter’s moon Europa may have formed and determined that this vast expanse of water may have been able to support microbial life in the past. Europa, with an ocean hidden beneath a... More »

Frigid dwarf planet Pluto may have started out its life as a hothead

Published 4y ago

(This June 22 story corrects Fahrenheit conversion of surface temperature in parapagrah 6) By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Pluto, a frigid little world inhabiting the solar system’s outer reaches, may have been born as a warmer place sheltering a subsurf... More »

Rare ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipse on the longest day of the year

Published 4y ago

CHIAYI, Taiwan (Reuters) – A shimmering ring of light flashed into view on Sunday in parts of the eastern hemisphere as the moon drifted across the face of the sun in a rare eclipse on the longest day of the year. The path of the eclipse spanned East Asia, Sou... More »

China postpones Beidou satellite launch over technical problem

Published 4y ago

BEIJING (Reuters) – China indefinitely postponed on Tuesday the launch of the final satellite of its Beidou navigation network because of technical problems in the rocket meant to launch it into orbit. The official website for the Beidou network said in a stat... More »

KBR wins $570 million contract for NASA spaceflight operations

Published 4y ago

(Reuters) – Houston-based engineering company KBR Inc said on Monday it was awarded a $570.3 million contract by NASA to develop and execute spaceflight operations at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Under the contract, KBR will perform Int... More »

China set to complete Beidou network rivalling GPS in global navigation

Published 4y ago

BEIJING (Reuters) – The Chinese Beidou navigation network will be complete this month when its final satellite goes into orbit, giving China greater independence from U.S.-owned GPS and heating up competition in a sector long dominated by the United States. Th... More »

Russia’s space chief complains about American jokes

Published 4y ago

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Americans should show more respect for Russia’s space program after relying on it for nine years as the only way to send U.S. astronauts into orbit, the head of Russia’s space agency said. The United States launched the first astronauts from... More »

‘Star Trek, not Star Wars:’ NASA releases basic principles for moon exploration pact

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – NASA on Friday set the stage for a global debate over the basic principles governing how humans will live and work on the moon, as it released the main tenets of an international pact for moon exploration called the Artemis Accords. The ... More »

‘Full-flower supermoon’ rises on world starting to emerge from pandemic lockdowns

Published 4y ago

(Reuters) – The last “supermoon” of 2020 rose in the night sky on Thursday over a world beginning to re-emerge after weeks of coronavirus-related lockdowns. The supermoon phenomenon occurs when the moon is within 10% of its closest distance to the Earth at the... More »

Closest black hole to Earth has two partners in surprising celestial marriage

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Astronomers have spotted the closest black hole to Earth ever discovered and are surprised about its living arrangements – residing harmoniously with two stars in a remarkable celestial marriage that may end in a nasty breakup. The black... More »

SpaceX to bring astronauts to short-handed Space Station for longer stay

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two NASA astronauts gearing up to ride SpaceX’s new space taxi will now be on a mission planned to last more than a month, instead of a week, to help the short-handed crew aboard the International Space Station, the U.S. space agency sai... More »

Musk’s SpaceX, Bezos’ Blue Origin land contracts to build NASA’s astronaut moon lander

Published 4y ago

((This April 30 story has been corrected to say Starship can carry more than 100 metric tonnes of cargo, not 100 pounds in paragraph 9. The error occurred in a previous version as well.)) By Joey Rouelette (Reuters) – NASA on Thursday selected space firms Spac... More »

The sun is less active than similar stars. That’s good news

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The sun appears to be far less active than similar stars in terms of brightness variations caused by sunspots and other phenomena – a “boring” personality, according to scientists, that may not be a bad thing for us Earthlings. Researche... More »

A piece of the moon for sale: just $2.5 million

Published 4y ago

LONDON (Reuters) – One of the world’s largest lunar meteorites goes on private sale at Christie’s on Thursday, valued at 2 million pounds ($2.49 million). The moon rock, weighing over 13.5 kg, was probably struck off the surface of the moon by a collision with... More »

China unveils name of first Mars exploration mission

Published 4y ago

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s space agency on Friday unveiled the name of its first Mars exploration mission, coinciding with China’s annual Space Day and the 50th anniversary of the launch of its first satellite. The Mars mission has been named Tianwen-1, the o... More »

Scientists observe celestial smash-up around nearby star

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Scientists have observed what appears to be the aftermath of a violent collision between two planetary building blocks orbiting a large and luminous star, a glimpse of the type of carnage that may have been commonplace early in our solar... More »

NASA sets launch date for SpaceX U.S. manned mission to space station

Published 4y ago

(Reuters) – NASA on Friday set a launch date of May 27 for its first astronaut mission from U.S. soil in nearly 10 years. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted that billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s space company, SpaceX, will send two NASA astronauts ... More »

Interstellar gatecrasher 2I/Borisov is no ordinary comet

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Scientists have discovered that a comet called 2I/Borisov – only the second interstellar object ever detected passing through the solar system – is surprisingly different in its composition from comets hailing from our celestial neighbor... More »

Coronavirus forces detour for homecoming astronauts

Published 4y ago

ALMATY (Reuters) – NASA astronauts Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir will take an unusual – and more exhausting – route home after safely landing in the Kazakh steppe on Friday, a Russian healthcare official said, because of lockdowns caused by the novel coronavi... More »

Chile astronomers discover star dancing according to Einstein´s century-old theory

Published 4y ago

SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Astronomers in Chile using one of the world’s largest telescopes have found a star “dancing” around a black hole in the Milky Way just as Albert Einstein might have predicted more than a century ago. Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity... More »

Scientists enthralled by biggest star explosion ever observed

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Scientists have observed the biggest supernova – stellar explosion – ever detected, the violent death of a huge star up to 100 times more massive than our sun in a faraway galaxy. The supernova, releasing twice as much energy as any othe... More »

Space scientists use COVID-19 lockdown as dry run for Mars mission

Published 4y ago

TOULOUSE, France (Reuters) – French space scientists are using the COVID-19 lockdown as a dry run for what it will be like to be cooped up inside a space craft on a mission to Mars. The guinea pigs in the experiment are 60 students who are confined to their do... More »

Cigar-shaped interstellar trespasser may be fragment of wrecked planet

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A reddish-colored cigar-shaped interstellar object called ‘Oumuamua that is tumbling through our solar system may be wreckage from a planet ripped apart when it roamed too close to the faraway star it once orbited, according to researche... More »

Russian space agency says Trump paving way to seize other planets

Published 4y ago

MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, accused Donald Trump on Tuesday of creating a basis to take over other planets by signing an executive order outlining U.S. policy on commercial mining in space. The executive order, which Roscosmos said ... More »

Boeing plans to retest Starliner flight after botched mission

Published 4y ago

(Reuters) – Boeing Co said on Monday it would send its Starliner astronaut spacecraft on another unmanned mission to the International Space Station, months after its last flight was cut short because of a software bug. During the December test, a series of so... More »

Chilean telescopes that explore galaxies brought down to earth by coronavirus

Published 4y ago

SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Chilean telescopes that comb the skies seeking answers about some of the universe´s most fundamental questions have confirmed they, too, have fallen victim to the mass disruption brought about by the new coronavirus. Observatories dotted a... More »

Astronomers spot ‘missing link’ black hole – not too big and not too small

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Scientists have detected a mid-size black hole – considered the “missing link” in the understanding of these celestial brutes – eviscerating an unfortunate star that strayed too close. Using data from the Hubble Space Telescope and two X... More »

Musk’s SpaceX wins NASA award to supply planned lunar space station

Published 4y ago

(Reuters) – NASA on Friday picked a new space capsule from Elon Musk’s SpaceX to ferry cargo and supplies to the agency’s planned lunar space station, a crucial building block to its plans to build a permanent post on the moon and mount future missions to Mars... More »

Russia’s 2020 satellite launch programme hit by production halt: Roscosmos

Published 4y ago

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s space agency Roscosmos said on Friday it would have to adjust its 2020 launch programme because of a halt in satellite production in Europe, amid the coronavirus outbreak. The head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, will hold several mee... More »

SpaceX’s simulated spacecraft becomes unstable in parachute test: CNBC

Published 4y ago

(Reuters) – Private rocket company SpaceX had an incident during parachute testing for its Crew Dragon capsule, in which the simulated spacecraft being tested became unstable and was dropped early, according to a tweet from a CNBC reporter. No one was injured ... More »

Astronauts quarantined ahead of journey to International Space Station

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two Russian cosmonauts and a U.S. astronaut were spending their final weeks on Earth in quarantine before they are scheduled to blast off on April 9 for the International Space Station for six months as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps Ea... More »

Coronavirus deals blow to NASA’s 2024 return-to-moon plan

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The coronavirus has dealt a blow to NASA’s plan to return Americans to the moon by 2024, as the space agency chief on Thursday ordered the temporary closure of two rocket production facilities after an employee tested positive for the il... More »

Chinese rocket fails on maiden launch – Xinhua

Published 4y ago

BEIJING (Reuters) – A new Chinese medium-lift rocket, part of a family of launch vehicles meant to support most of China’s launch missions in future, failed on its debut flight, the official news agency Xinhua reported. The Long March 7A, a variant of the Long... More »

Joint Russian-European Mars mission postponed over coronavirus

Published 4y ago

MOSCOW/BRUSSELS (Reuters) – A joint Russian-European mission to send a rover to Mars has been postponed by two years because its final phase has been compromised by the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, the European and Russian space agencies said on Thursday. T... More »

On faraway planet, it’s cloudy with a chance of liquid iron rain

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Scientists have detected an exotic planet in another solar system where the weather forecast is always dire – a 100 percent chance of the most outrageous rain imaginable, with droplets of scaldingly hot liquid iron. The researchers said ... More »

Katherine Johnson, NASA mathematician portrayed in ‘Hidden Figures’, dies at 101

Published 4y ago

(Reuters) – Katherine Johnson, the black woman whose mathematical genius took her from a behind-the-scenes job in a segregated NASA as portrayed in the film “Hidden Figures” to a key role in sending humans to the moon, died on Monday at the age of 101, NASA sa... More »

Shake it, baby! NASA robotic lander confirms quakes on Mars

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – NASA’s robotic InSight lander has for the first time established that Mars is seismically active, but do not call the shaking, rattling and rolling taking place on the Red Planet earthquakes. The proper term, fittingly, is marsquakes. Sc... More »

Daredevil ‘Mad Mike’ Hughes dies in crash of his homemade rocket in California

Published 4y ago

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – “Mad Mike” Hughes, a self-styled explorer and daredevil bent on proving that the earth is flat was killed over the weekend when his homemade rocket crashed in the California desert over the weekend. “Michael ‘Mad Mike’ Hughes tragically... More »

Oddly shaped celestial body Arrokoth sheds light on planet formation

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A vaguely hourglass-shaped icy object called Arrokoth residing in the far reaches of the solar system – the most distant body ever explored by a spacecraft – is giving scientists intriguing clues about the formation of the planets includ... More »

Solar probe embarks on unprecedented mission to map sun’s polar regions

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A new probe built by NASA and the European Space Agency set off on a blazing hot journey to the sun on Sunday to take the first close-up look at the star’s polar regions, a mission expected to yield insight into how solar radiant energy ... More »

Latest solar probe to get first close up of the sun’s polar regions

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A new spacecraft built jointly by U.S. and European space agencies is ready for a blazing journey to the sun to capture an unprecedented view of its two poles, an angle that could help researchers understand how the star’s vast bubble of... More »

OneWeb launches 34 satellites from Kazakh cosmodrome in global internet push

Published 4y ago

MOSCOW (Reuters) – The UK firm OneWeb launched 34 satellites from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan early on Friday as part of its effort to provide global high-speed internet access using satellite communications by 2021. The Russian Soyuz rocket left Baikonu... More »

Boeing’s botched Starliner test flirted with ‘catastrophic’ failure: NASA panel

Published 4y ago

(Reuters) – Boeing narrowly missed a “catastrophic failure” during its December flight test of an unmanned space taxi that was cut short by an unrelated problem, a NASA safety review panel said Thursday, recommending that the agency examine Boeing’s software v... More »

NASA astronaut Koch returns to Earth after record space mission

Published 4y ago

(Reuters) – A capsule carrying a crew of three from the International Space Station, including record-setting United States astronaut Christina Koch, landed in Kazakhstan on Thursday, a live feed by Russian space agency Roscosmos showed. The touchdown on a sno... More »

Did asteroid that hit Australia help thaw ancient ‘snowball Earth’?

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Scientists have identified Earth’s oldest-known impact crater, and in doing so may have solved a mystery about how our planet emerged from one of its most dire periods. Researchers have determined that the 45-mile-wide (70-km-wide) Yarra... More »

SpaceX astronaut capsule splashes down off Florida after rocket failure test

Published 4y ago

CAPE CANAVERAL (Reuters) – Elon Musk’s SpaceX simulated a dramatic emergency landing on Sunday to test a crucial abort system on an unmanned astronaut capsule, the company’s final milestone test before flying NASA astronauts from U.S. soil.A Crew Dragon astron... More »

Bad weather forces delay of SpaceX simulated rocket failure test

Published 4y ago

CAPE CANAVERAL (Reuters) – Bad weather forced Elon Musk’s SpaceX to delay until Sunday a test in which it will destroy one of its own rockets in a trial of a crucial emergency abort system on an unmanned astronaut capsule. The test, the company’s final milesto... More »

Oldest stuff on Earth found inside meteorite that hit Australia

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A meteorite that crashed into rural southeastern Australia in a fireball in 1969 contained the oldest material ever found on Earth, stardust that predated the formation of our solar system by billions of years, scientists said on Monday.... More »

China launches gigantic telescope in hunt for life beyond earth

Published 4y ago

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China on Saturday officially opened operations of the world’s largest radio telescope, which it will use for space research and help in the hunt for extraterrestrial life, the official Xinhua news agency reported. The Five-hundred-meter Ap... More »

NASA, Boeing probe software glitch that stopped astronaut capsule from reaching space station

Published 4y ago

(Reuters) – NASA is opening an independent investigation with Boeing over a software glitch that prevented its unmanned astronaut capsule from reaching the International Space Station in December, the agency said on Tuesday. Boeing Co’s (BA.N) CST-100 Starline... More »

Israel Aerospace to build Israel’s next communication satellite

Published 4y ago

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – State-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) [ISRAI.UL] said on Thursday it signed with the Israeli government to build the country’s next communication satellite. The satellite, to be called Dror-1, is supposed to operate for 15 years, ... More »

India approves third moon mission, months after landing failure

Published 4y ago

BENGALURU (Reuters) – India has approved its third lunar mission months after its last one failed to successfully land on the moon, its space agency said on Wednesday, the latest effort in its ambitions to become a low-cost space power. The Chandrayaan-3 missi... More »

NASA’s Mars 2020 rover set to hunt Martian fossils, scout for manned missions

Published 4y ago

PASADENA, Calif. (Reuters) – A NASA robotic rover is nearing completion ahead of a journey next year to search for evidence of past life on Mars and lay the groundwork for the space agency’s mission to send humans into deep space. The U.S. space agency on Frid... More »

Egg-standing test goes viral as ring-of-fire eclipse crosses Asia

Published 4y ago

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Can you make an egg stand on its narrow side during a solar eclipse? According to a popular scientific theory, an egg will support itself that way when the moon obscures the sun and during the spring equinox, due to increased gravity. ... More »

Boeing’s Starliner lands in desert: company

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Boeing Co’s Starliner astronaut spacecraft landed in the New Mexico desert on Sunday, the company said, after faulty software forced officials to cut short an unmanned mission aimed at taking it to the International Space Station. The 7:... More »

NASA, Boeing investigating why Starliner spacecraft missed orbit

Published 4y ago

(Reuters) – The Boeing Co Starliner spacecraft that failed to hit the right orbit to reach the International Space Station is healthy, in a stable orbit and expected to land in New Mexico on Sunday morning, NASA said. Boeing’s (BA.N) CST-100 Starliner astronau... More »

Boeing’s failed Starliner mission strains ‘reliability’ pitch

Published 4y ago

SEATTLE/CAPE CANAVERAL (Reuters) – Boeing Co’s (BA.N) stunted Friday debut of its astronaut capsule threatens to dent the U.S. aerospace incumbent’s self-declared competitive advantage of mission reliability against the price and innovation strengths of “new s... More »

Ethiopia launches first satellite into space

Published 4y ago

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Ethiopia launched its first satellite into space on Friday, as more sub-Saharan African nations strive to develop space programs to advance their development goals and encourage scientific innovation. Before dawn on Friday, senior offic... More »

China-Brazil satellite launched into space to monitor Amazon rainforest

Published 4y ago

BEIJING (Reuters) – An Earth observation satellite jointly developed by China and Brazil was launched into space on Friday under a bilateral programme seen as a template for broader cooperation among BRICS nations. The China-Brazil Earth Resource Satellite-4A ... More »

Boeing astronaut capsule faces key test on trip to space station

Published 4y ago

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) – Boeing Co (BA.N) is set to launch its new astronaut capsule on Friday on its first unmanned journey to the International Space Station, a milestone test for the U.S. aerospace firm that is vying with SpaceX to revive NASA’s hum... More »

Elbit Systems launches nanosatellite for commercial communications

Published 4y ago

TEL AVIV (Reuters) – Israeli defense electronics firm Elbit Systems said on Wednesday its nanosatellite, called Nanova, was successfully launched into space. Nanova was developed in collaboration with an unnamed U.S. company and is planned to be a part of a na... More »

Emotion-sensing robot launches to assist space station astronauts

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An intelligent robot equipped with emotion-sensing voice detectors was headed to the International Space Station after launching from Florida on Thursday, becoming the latest artificial intelligence-powered astronaut workmate in orbit. T... More »

NASA’s probe soaring near sun reveals surprises about solar wind

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Troves of new data from a NASA probe’s close encounters with the sun are giving scientists unique insight about the solar wind and space weather more generally as the spacecraft zooms through the outermost part of the star’s atmosphere. ... More »

Egypt to send its first communication satellite into orbit on Friday

Published 4y ago

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt will launch its first communication satellite into orbit on Friday, a move it says will improve its communications infrastructure and internet services and attract investment. Tiba-1 is due to launch at 2108 GMT on one of Europe’s Arian... More »

‘Possibility of life’: scientists map Saturn’s exotic moon Titan

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Scientists on Monday unveiled the first global geological map of Saturn’s moon Titan including vast plains and dunes of frozen organic material and lakes of liquid methane, illuminating an exotic world considered a strong candidate in th... More »

Spacecom’s Amos-17 satellite completes test, reaches final orbit

Published 4y ago

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s Space Communications said on Monday its Amos-17 communication satellite, which was launched into space in August, has completed its in-orbit testing and reached its final position. Spacecom has suffered some major setbacks in rec... More »

Japan space probe on its way back after asteroid mission

Published 4y ago

TOKYO (Reuters) – A Japanese space probe is heading home from an asteroid 250 million km (155 million miles) from Earth after collecting sub-surface samples that could help scientists seeking the origins of life, Japan’s space agency said on Monday. Asteroids ... More »

Boeing received ‘unnecessary’ contract boost for astronaut capsule, watchdog says

Published 4y ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Boeing’s multibillion dollar contract to build U.S. astronaut capsules received an “unnecessary” extension from NASA, a watchdog report said on Thursday, the latest management blunders in the agency’s program to restart domestic human sp... More »

China completes crucial landing test for first Mars mission in 2020

Published 4y ago

HUAILAI, China (Reuters) – China on Thursday successfully completed a crucial landing test in northern Hebei province ahead of a historic unmanned exploration mission to Mars next year. China is on track to launch its Mars mission, Zhang Kejian, head of the Ch... More »

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