As part of its Discovery program, NASA has selected two new missions to Venus, Earth’s nearest planetary neighbor, the agency said. NASA is awarding approximately $500 million per mission; they are expected to launch in the 2028-2030 timeframe, NASA said.
Read More »Space Café WebTalk Recap: Prof. Thomas Schildknecht about sustainability beyond (our) planet
In this week’s Space Café WebTalk Prof. Thomas Schildknecht, Director of Swiss Optical Ground Station and Geodynamics Observatory Zimmerwald and Vice-Director of Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern, Switzerland, talked about Sustainability beyond (our) planet protection from the perspective of an astronomer.
Read More »James Webb telescope on Ariane 5 in October/ November
The giant James Webb Space Telescope is on Arianespace’s launch manifest for the fourth quarter of this year, officials from the European launcher and the U.S. space agency said. The telescope could be shipped from the U.S. to French Guiana late August, Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s science mission director, said at a virtual press briefing and mission update.
Read More »New Zealand joins Artemis Accords
New Zealand is the 11th nation to sign NASA’s Artemis Accords, the country announced. New Zealand’s foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta and the economic development minister Stuart Nash announced the government has agreed to join the Artemis Accords, launched by NASA, and now signed by eleven nations, the government said on its website.
Read More »NASA to send Viper rover to Moon to drill for water in 2023
NASA is planning to send its robot rover Viper to the Moon in late 2023, the agency said, to search for ice and other resources on and below the lunar surface. The Viper data would help the agency map resources at the lunar South Pole that could one day be harvested for long-term human exploration at the Moon, NASA said.
Read More »Astroscale drives space debris program with further Sunrise funding
Astroscale drives its space debris removal technology with a partner funding by OneWeb under the European Sunrise program, Astroscale announced. The global satellite communications network OneWeb signed a €2.9 million funding award with Astroscale “to mature their technology and capability towards a commercial service offering by 2024”, Astroscale said.
Read More »ESA and industry study constellation to connect the Moon
Europe launches Moonlight, a bold proposal to put in place a commercially viable satellite constellation around the Moon. The European Space Agency (ESA) signed contracts with two consortia to develop a Moon constellation and provide telecommunications and navigation services for all kind of Moon missions.
Read More »Maana Electric transforms sand and regolith into solar panels
The Luxembourg-based startup Maana Electric extends its contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to complete the production of its 1MW TerraBox system and demonstrate how to transform terrestrial sand and lunar regolith into solar panels, the company said.
Read More »SGAC Releases EAGLE’s Lunar Governance Report
Young people are the future: On the 12th of May 2021, the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) released a Lunar Governance Report outlining the ideas and proposals of the young generations for the inclusive, effective and adaptive regulation of lunar activities. The Report is accessible online and is accompanied by an Executive Summary and a Lunar Manifesto.
Read More »Space Applications Services to produce oxygen from lunar soil
The research and development group Space Applications Services has been mandated by the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop and deliver three reactors to produce oxygen from lunar soil, the group said. Space Applications said it will lead eight European companies and R&D institutes
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