For the first time since the 1970s, the United States is planning to send equipment to the surface of the Moon in 2020 and 2021, in anticipation of a crewed lunar mission in 2024, NASA said Friday. The US space agency has chosen American firms Astrobotic, Intuitive Machines and Orbit Beyond to send instruments and…
SpaceX Launches First 60 Satellites of its Internet Network
SpaceX has launched a rocket carrying the first 60 satellites of its “Starlink” constellation, which is intended to provide internet from space in an array that could one day contain over 12,000 orbiting transponders. One of the company’s Falcon 9 rockets blasted off without incident from Cape Canaveral in Florida around 10:30 pm Thursday (0230…
SpaceX Gets Nod to Put 12,000 Satellites in Orbit
SpaceX got the green light this week from US authorities to put a constellation of nearly 12,000 satellites into orbit in order to boost cheap, wireless internet access by the 2020s. The SpaceX network would vastly multiply the number of satellites around Earth. Since the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik, was launched in 1957, humanity has…
Super-Computer Brings ‘Cloud’ To Astronauts in Space
A super-computer at the International Space Station aims to bring “cloud” computing to astronauts in space and speed up their ability to run data analysis in orbit, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise said Thursday. A SpaceX cargo capsule delivered the equipment, known as The Spaceborne Computer, to the space station in August 2017. After more than a year of tests,…
New Moon: China to Launch Lunar Lighting in Outer Space
China is planning to launch its own ‘artificial moon’ by 2020 to replace streetlamps and lower electricity costs in urban areas, state media reported Friday. Chengdu, a city in southwestern Sichuan province, is developing “illumination satellites” which will shine in tandem with the real moon, but are eight times brighter, according to China Daily. The first…
Dubai Airport Begins Using Biometric Tech at Security
Passport control looks a little different in Dubai International Airport—the world’s busiest for international travel. That’s because the airport debuted a new “smart tunnel” that uses biometric technology, instead of human checks, to allow some air travelers to complete passport control in just 15 seconds. Passengers register at a kiosk before going through smart gates which use…
Lockheed Martin Unveils Its Lunar Lander Concept Vehicle
US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, responding to NASA’s plans to renew the exploration of the moon and Mars in the next decade, unveiled Wednesday a concept spacecraft able to land on the lunar surface. The US space agency said it plans to send astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972 as the initial stage…
Touchdown! Japan Space Probe Lands New Robot on Asteroid
A Japanese probe landed a new observation robot on an asteroid on Wednesday as it pursues a mission to shed light on the origins of the solar system. The French-German Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout, or MASCOT, launched from the Hayabusa2 probe, landed safely on Ryugu and was in contact with its team, the lander’s official…
ICoast Eyes Better Online Access with Satellite Broadband
Abu Dhabi’s Yahsat on Monday launched its satellite broadband service in Ivory Coast in a bid to boost internet access in this west African nation where only 27 percent of the population is online. Named YahClick, the service offers broadband internet connectivity to businesses, government agencies and remote areas of the country. “This broadband satellite…
NASA Blasts off Space Laser Satellite to Track Ice Loss
NASA’s most advanced space laser satellite blasted off Saturday on a mission to track ice loss around the world and improve forecasts of sea level rise as the climate warms. Cloaked in pre-dawn darkness, the $1 billion, half-ton ICESat-2 launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force base in California at 6:02 am…
Eyes in the Sky Aim to Protect Earth’s Rainforests, Resources
In the Brazilian state of Para, every week, authorities receive alerts showing them which parts of the Amazon forest have been chopped down, with photos to back it up. The pictures are taken every day at 10:30 in the morning by American satellites, offering a detailed view of every three to five meters on the…
Going Up! Japan to Test Mini ‘Space Elevator’
A Japanese team working to develop a “space elevator” will conduct a first trial this month, blasting off a miniature version on satellites to test the technology. The test equipment, produced by researchers at Shizuoka University, will hitch a ride on an H-2B rocket being launched by Japan’s space agency from southern island of Tanegashima next week.…
First Satellite To Measure Global Winds Set For Launch
A satellite designed to measure Earth’s global wind patterns is set to be hoisted into orbit Tuesday from the Arianespace launch site in French Guiana. The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Aeolus mission—named for the guardian of wind in Greek mythology—promises to improve short-term weather forecasting and our understanding of manmade climate change. “Meteorologists urgently need…
Flying Car Startup Backed By Google Founder Offers Test Flights
A flying car project backed by Google co-founder Larry Page was closer to take-off on Wednesday, with a model for test flights by aspiring buyers. Kitty Hawk, funded by Page, unveiled a “Flyer” model it described as “an exciting first step to sharing the freedom of flight.” The company was created last year in Google’s…
From Ships To Satellites: Scotland Aims For The Sky
A shipbuilding hub since the days of the British empire, the Scottish city of Glasgow is now reaching for the stars with a growing space satellite industry. Glasgow builds more satellites than any city outside of the United States, according to space industry experts, specialising in small “CubeSats” that can be used for anything from…
Satellite Row Tests UK’s Post-Brexit Security Plans
Britain outlined its proposals Wednesday for close security cooperation with the EU after Brexit, but these risk being undermined by the bloc’s refusal to share sensitive data on the Galileo satellite project. Prime Minister Theresa May has called for a deep trade and security relationship with Brussels after Britain leaves the European Union in March…
Angola Loses First Satellite, Plans Successor
Angola on Monday confirmed the premature death of its first national telecoms satellite, Angosat-1, which was launched in December and was expected to have a working life of 15 years. The Russian-made Angosat-1 struggled with repeated setbacks immediately after its launch from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan. Contact with the satellite was soon lost and never…
US To Drop Curbs On Drone Tech To Boost Arms Sales
The United States dropped some restrictions Thursday on sales of its advanced drones in order to reinforce the armies of its allies and compete with China on the world arms market. President Donald Trump’s White House announced an update to its policy on arms transfers to promote US exports and jobs, and specifically to loosen…
SpaceX Postpones Launch Of NASA’s Planet-Hunter Spacecraft
SpaceX postponed the launch of NASA’s new planet-hunting mission Monday in order to verify the Falcon 9 rocket’s navigation systems, the California-based company said. The next opportunity to blast off the $337 million satellite—which aims to advance the search for extraterrestrial life by scanning the skies for nearby, Earth-like planets—will be Wednesday. The Transiting Exoplanet…
NASA’s New Planet-Hunter To Seek Closer, Earth-Like Worlds
NASA is poised to launch a $337 million washing machine-sized spacecraft that aims to vastly expand mankind’s search for planets beyond our solar system, particularly closer, Earth-sized ones that might harbor life. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, is scheduled to launch Monday at 6:32 pm (2232 GMT) atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket…
Blocked Broadcom-Qualcomm Tie-Up Highlights 5G Security Fears
The unusual move by President Donald Trump to block a proposed takeover of Qualcomm by a Singapore-based chip rival highlights growing concerns about the rise of Chinese competitors. Trump issued an order Monday barring the proposed $117 billion acquisition, citing credible evidence such a deal “threatens to impair the national security of the United States.”…
Thousands Of Websites Infected By ‘Crypto Mining’ Malware
Thousands of websites around the world, including many operated by governments, have been infected by hackers using the sites’ computing power to “mine” cryptocurrencies, security researchers said. The attack is the first major incident made public in which a new breed of hackers took over a large numbers of websites to effectively create currencies like bitcoin which…
World’s Biggest Rocket Soars Toward Mars After Perfect Launch (Update)
The world’s most powerful rocket, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, blasted off Tuesday on its highly anticipated maiden test flight, carrying CEO Elon Musk’s cherry red Tesla Roadster toward an orbit near Mars. Screams and cheers erupted at mission control in Cape Canaveral, Florida as the massive rocket fired its 27 engines and rumbled into the blue…
Chinese Police Don High-Tech Glasses To Nab Suspects
Chinese police are sporting high-tech sunglasses that can spot suspects in a crowded train station, the newest use of facial recognition technology that has drawn concerns among human rights groups. In a scene reminiscent of the dystopian sci-fi television show “Black Mirror”, officers in the central city of Zhengzhou are wearing the digital shades amid…
SpaceX Blasts Off Luxembourg Government Satellite
SpaceX on Wednesday blasted off a four-ton secure military communications satellite called GovSat-1, a partnership between the government of Luxembourg and the satellite operator SES. The prime minister and deputy prime minister of Luxembourg were in Florida for the launch, along with the prince and princess of Luxembourg, SpaceX said. “There you saw a successful…