Content for Space

Failed 1970s Venus Probe Could Crash to Earth This Year

“Here’s another warning about incoming space hardware — but this saga has an interplanetary connection. First, we have to peel back space history to the early 1970s, just after the height of the Cold War space-race between the Soviet Union …

Israeli Lunar Lander Suffers Glitch on Way to the Moon

“The world’s first private lunar lander has hit a snag en route to the moon. On Monday (Feb. 25), the Beresheet moon lander built by the Israeli startup SpaceIL missed a planned maneuver to steer the spacecraft along its …

SpaceShipTwo, VSS Unity, Prepares For Fifth Supersonic Powered Test Flight

“Virgin Galactic’s historic, first spaceflight, was a wonderful way for our dedicated and talented teams to close 2018. But now, with the rocket motor from that flight on show at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and our …

Hayabusa-2: Japan spacecraft touches down on asteroid

“A Japanese spacecraft has touched down on an asteroid in an attempt to collect a sample of rock from the surface. The Hayabusa-2 probe was trying to grab the sample from a pre-chosen site on the asteroid Ryugu just before …

To the Moon! SpaceX to Launch Israeli Lunar Lander (and More) on Thursday

“SpaceX will launch an Israeli robotic lunar lander during the company’s Falcon 9 rocket launch tomorrow (Feb. 21). If the lander succeeds, this will be the first privately funded moonshot to reach the lunar surface. The lander, called “Beresheet …

GPS uses 10 bits to store the week. That means it runs out… oh heck - April 6, 2019

“Nav gadgets will be Gah, Properly Screwed if you don’t or can’t update firmware Older satnavs and such devices won’t be able to use America’s Global Positioning System properly after April 6 unless they’ve been …

NASA Selects New Mission to Explore Origins of Universe

“NASA has selected a new space mission that will help astronomers understand both how our universe evolved and how common are the ingredients for life in our galaxy’s planetary systems. The Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch …

NASA’s MAVEN Shrinking Its Orbit for Mars 2020 Rover

“NASA’s 4-year-old atmosphere-sniffing Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission is embarking on a new campaign today to tighten its orbit around Mars. The operation will reduce the highest point of the MAVEN spacecraft’s elliptical orbit from 3 …

NASA’s Opportunity Rover Mission on Mars Comes to End

“One of the most successful and enduring feats of interplanetary exploration, NASA’s Opportunity rover mission is at an end after almost 15 years exploring the surface of Mars and helping lay the groundwork for NASA’s return to the …

Orbex Unveils Prime Rocket at New Facility in Scotland

“Orbex has publicly unveiled its Prime rocket for the first time at the opening of its new headquarters and rocket design facility in Forres in the Scottish Highlands. Designed to deliver small satellites into Earth’s orbit, the rocket was …