NASA plans on Monday to introduce the four astronauts for its Artemis II lunar flyby mission, set for launch as early as next year in what would be the first crewed voyage around the Moon since the end of the Apollo era more than 50 years ago. Officials from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), which
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NASA unveiled the crew on Monday for its first human mission to the Moon in more than 50 years –- including the first woman and Black man to voyage into deep space. Christina Koch, a NASA astronaut who holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, will be a mission specialist on
Virgin Orbit, the satellite launch company founded by Richard Branson, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will sell the business, the firm said in a statement Tuesday. The California-based company said last week it was laying off 85 percent of its employees — around 675 people — to reduce expenses due to its inability
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday successfully launched the PSLV-C55 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota and placed two Singaporean satellites for Earth observation into the intended orbit. ISRO chief S Somanath said, “Congratulations PSLV-C55/TeLEOS-2 Mission – the PSLV has placed both satellites in the intended orbit.” The launch was completed at 14:19
China will explore using 3D printing technology to construct buildings on the moon, the official China Daily reported on Monday, as Beijing solidifies plans for long-term lunar habitation. In the 2020 Chinese lunar mission, the Chang’e 5, named after the mythical Chinese goddess of the moon, an uncrewed probe took back to Earth China’s first
The US Space Force said on Monday that Elon Musk’s SpaceX was granted approval to lease a second rocket launch complex at a military base in California, setting the space company up for its fifth launch site in the United States. Under the lease, SpaceX will launch its workhorse Falcon rockets from Space Launch Complex-6
Scientists said Monday they have developed the first mobile printer that can produce thumbnail-sized patches able to deliver mRNA Covid vaccines, hoping the tabletop device will help immunise people in remote regions. While many hurdles remain and the 3D printer is likely years away from becoming available, experts hailed the “exciting” finding. The device prints
China will start building relay satellites that by 2030 will act as a communication bridge between missions to the moon and beyond, and ground operations on Earth, Chinese state media reported on Wednesday. A pilot of the satellite constellation will support China’s ongoing lunar exploration programme and the building of the International Lunar Research Station
Japan’s ispace said its attempt to make the first private moon landing had failed after losing contact with its Hakuto-R Mission 1 (M1) lander when it unexpectedly accelerated and probably crashed on the lunar surface. The startup said it was possible that as the lander approached the moon, its altitude measurement system had miscalculated the distance
Conservation groups sued the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday, challenging its approval of expanded rocket launch operations by Elon Musk‘s SpaceX next to a national wildlife refuge in South Texas without requiring greater environmental study. The federal court lawsuit comes 11 days after SpaceX made good on a newly granted FAA license to send its
National Technology Day is celebrated in India on May 11 and marks an important milestone in the development of the country. It marks the anniversary of a series of underground nuclear tests in the late 1990s and is a reminder of the efforts taken to use science and technology to develop the country since independence
Encouraged by high-profile successes elsewhere, India wants its private space companies to increase their share of the global launch market by fivefold within the next decade — an effort boosted by the personal support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the year after the country opened the way for private launches in 2020, the number
The first solar eclipse of 2024 is all set to darken the skies on April 8. This particular event will be a total solar eclipse, a rare occurrence on Earth. After this event, the next total solar eclipse in the same region will not be seen for two more decades. A total solar eclipse of
US lawmakers will ask regulators to investigate whether the make-up of a panel overseeing animal testing at Elon Musk‘s brain-chip startup Neuralink contributed to botched and rushed experiments. US House Representatives Earl Francis Blumenauer and Adam Schiff, both Democrats, have signed a draft letter to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) requesting a probe into
A team led by Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin won a coveted NASA contract to build a spacecraft that will send astronauts to and from the moon‘s surface, NASA’s chief announced on Friday, capping a high-stakes contest. NASA’s decision will give the agency a second ride to the moon under its Artemis program, after
Elon Musk’s brain-implant company Neuralink on Thursday said the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had given the green light to its first-in-human clinical trial, a critical milestone after earlier struggles to gain approval. The FDA nod “represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people,” Neuralink said