HDV is developing the necessary systems to enable urban drone flights that travel beyond visual sight.
Read MoreMonth: July 2022
Mattel to launch SpaceX vehicles as new Matchbox toys and collectibles
SpaceX rockets and spacecraft will soon come with a new tag: Made by Mattel. The global toy company has entered into a multi-year agreement with Elon Musk‘s commercial spaceflight firm to create and market toys inspired by SpaceX’s launch vehicles (opens in new tab). The first products under the partnership will be released in 2023 as part of Mattel’s Matchbox line of die-cast cars, as well as through Mattel’s collaboration and direct-to-consumer platform, Mattel Creations. The collaboration is SpaceX‘s first-ever deal with a worldwide toy company. “At SpaceX, we believe…
Read MoreNASA considers sending scientists to International Space Station: report
NASA is considering sending “hyper-specialized” scientists to the International Space Station to work alongside career astronauts. The idea is by no means new, as NASA used to fly payload specialists assigned to specific space shuttle experiments in the early 1980s, notably including three-time spaceflyer Charlie Walker on behalf of his employer, McDonnell Douglas. Payload specialist requirements were changed, however, when the Challenger launch disaster of 1986 killed seven crew members and shifted NASA safety protocols. NASA is now revisiting those protocols. The agency plans to seek funding in fiscal year…
Read MoreSolar wind blowing from the sun could trigger aurora displays
Solar wind is blowing from the sun with unusual intensity these days, and space weather forecasters think it might make polar lights brighter. The sun burped out a lazy coronal mass ejection (CME) on Friday (July 15) that has just reached our planet. A CME is a burst of charged particles from the sun’s upper atmosphere, called the corona, that can interact with Earth’s magnetic field and cause geomagnetic storms. Such storms, in addition to creating beautiful aurora displays, can disrupt satellite links and throw some spacecraft from orbit. They…
Read MoreGiant Black Holes Make Tiny, Ghost-like Particles
Blazars, the gas-guzzling black holes at the center of galaxies, could make most of the tiny particles known as neutrinos we catch on Earth. The post Giant Black Holes Make Tiny, Ghost-like Particles appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreNASA Sets Coverage for Russian, European Spacewalk
NASA will provide live coverage of a spacewalk on Thursday, July 21, by a Russian cosmonaut and an ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut to continue outfitting the European robotic arm on the International Space Station’s Nauka laboratory.
Read MoreTianzhou 3 cargo ship undocks from China’s Tiangong space station
A cargo spacecraft has undocked from China’s space station and is ready to be deorbited in the near future, according to the country’s human spaceflight agency. Tianzhou 3 detached from the Tianhe core module of China’s Tiangong space station at 02:59 GMT on July 17, some 300 days after the spacecraft was launched into orbit. Tianzhou 3 will be deorbited in the near future, likely over the South Pacific Ocean. The spacecraft also makes way for the Wentian space station module to rendezvous and dock with Tianhe later this month,…
Read MoreChina rolls out rocket to launch Wentian module for Tiangong space station
China is all set to launch the second module for its crewed space station after rolling out a Long March 5B heavy rocket to the pad at Wenchang spaceport. The Wentian module is expected to launch atop the giant Long March 5B rocket early on July 24 and join the Tianhe core module in orbit hours later, marking a major step in the country’s plans to build its Tiangong space station. Three Shenzhou 14 mission astronauts are currently aboard Tianhe awaiting the arrival of the new module. Related: The latest…
Read MoreRocket Lab delays US spy satellite launch indefinitely for software updates
A clandestine U.S. spy satellite will have to wait a bit longer for its launch on a Rocket Lab booster. The mission on behalf of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) will stand down from its Friday (July 22) launch opportunity indefinitely, Rocket Lab announced on Twitter. “Operating our own launch site gives our customers maximum flexibility on launch timing. We’ll be ready to launch when you are,” Rocket Lab stated (opens in new tab) on Twitter on Tuesday (July 19) in response to a previous tweet (opens in new tab)…
Read MoreBoston Students to Hear from NASA, ESA Astronauts Aboard Space Station
Massachusetts students will have an opportunity this week to hear from crew members aboard the International Space Station, including a NASA astronaut.
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