Category: Solar System

Our solar system

‘It almost feels unreal’: NASA astronauts excited for 1st crewed Boeing Starliner launch May 6

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Two NASA astronauts are days away from partaking in a new spacecraft’s first-ever human launch — if schedules hold, that is. Boeing Starliner‘s debut crew, Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Suni Williams, told reporters on Wednesday (May 1) that their test pilot experience with the U.S. Navy will help them assess the spacecraft during its debut crewed launch. Liftoff is currently set for Monday (May 6) at 10:34 p.m. EDT (0234 GMT May 7). The event will be livestreamed here at Space.com, via NASA Television. “It almost feels unreal,” Williams, who…

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NASA prepares for intense sun storms on Mars during ‘solar maximum’

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Two NASA spacecraft will pay special attention to increasing levels of radiation that bombard Mars during this year’s approaching solar maximum, to better prepare astronauts for future missions to the Red Planet.  Every 11 years or so, the sun experiences a peak in activity known as solar maximum, due to its strong and constantly shifting magnetic fields. During this period of the solar cycle, the frequency and intensity of sunspots on the solar surface increases, generating solar flares and coronal mass ejections that send powerful streams of solar radiation out…

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The highest observatory on Earth sits atop Chile’s Andes Mountains — and it’s finally open

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A new telescope billed as the world’s highest astronomical site is officially open for business. The Japanese University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory, or TAO, which was first conceptualized 26 years ago to study the evolution of galaxies and exoplanets, is perched on top of a tall mountain in the Chilean Andes at 5,640 meters (18,500 feet) above sea level. The facility’s altitude surpasses even the Atacama Large Millimeter Array, which is at an elevation of 5,050 meters (16,570 feet).  TAO is located on the summit of Atacama’s Cerro Chajnantor mountain,…

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Satellite operator SES acquiring Intelsat in $3.1 billion deal

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SES plans to buy fellow satellite operator Intelsat, in a deal that could help the combined company compete with SpaceX’s huge Starlink broadband network. Luxembourg-based SES is acquiring Virginia-based multinational Intelsat for $3.1 billion in a deal that’s expected to close next year, the two companies announced today (April 30).  “In a fast-moving and competitive satellite communication industry, this transaction expands our multi-orbit space network, spectrum portfolio, ground infrastructure around the world, go-to-market capabilities, managed service solutions and financial profile,” SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh said in a statement.  “I am…

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Einstein Probe X-ray telescope releases 1st images taken with ‘lobster vision’

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A joint Chinese and European X-ray telescope mission called Einstein Probe is successfully viewing the universe in widescreen, with a telescope design that mimics the eyes of lobsters. Einstein Probe, which launched on Jan. 9 aboard a Chinese Long March rocket, is currently undergoing testing and calibration of its instruments as it orbits the Earth at an altitude of 600 kilometers (373 miles). Its first observations were revealed at a symposium in Beijing. The problem with X-rays is that they are so high in energy that they are difficult to…

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Evidence for Planet 9 found in icy bodies sneaking past Neptune

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More evidence for a hypothetical extra planet lurking in the most distant reaches of our solar system has come to light — and the clues are associated with icy bodies that cross the orbit of Neptune while traversing  long, looping paths around the sun. Planet Nine, as the predicted planet is referred to, was first postulated in 2016 by Caltech’s Konstantin Batygin and Michael Brown, the latter having also discovered the dwarf planet Eris in 2005. Their original evidence predominantly focused on the clustering of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), which are…

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NASA crew announced for simulated Mars mission next month

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NASA has selected four volunteers to go on a mission to Mars — without actually leaving Earth. The simulated mission to the Red Planet will take place at a habitat created at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston; it will simulate what it would be like for astronauts to live and work on Mars for 45 days. The team includes Jason Lee, Stephanie Navarro, Shareef Al Romaithi and Piyumi Wijesekara. The four will call the agency’s Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) home from May 10 through June 24. Two alternate…

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NASA’s Viper moon rover gets its ‘neck’ and ‘head’ installed for mission later this year

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NASA”s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) has earned its “neck” and “head,” aka its “mast,” meaning it now stands proudly at 8 feet (2.4 meters) tall.  The photo below,  taken in a clean room at NASA’s Johnson Space Center earlier this month, shows progress on quite the impressive robot. It is expected to take a trip to the South Pole of the moon later this year, embarking on a 100-day mission. The mission  will involve learning more about water on the moon and gleaning what other resources may be…

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Mars exploration, new rockets and more: Interview with ESA chief Josef Aschbacher

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Shaping an ambitious and steady space agenda for Europe requires not only diplomatic aplomb but also a firm grounding in science and engineering. Indeed, those attributes are must-haves in working with the 22 member states of the European Space Agency (ESA).  Josef Aschbacher is ESA’s director general, taking on that role in March 2021. He is responsible for evolving Europe’s space infrastructure, from rockets and spacecraft performing Earth observation, navigation, and telecommunication duties to robotic planetary exploration, as well as the ESA astronauts serving aboard the International Space Station. “It’s…

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Everything we know about James Gunn’s Superman

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Starting with his Superman reboot, James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy movies, The Suicide Squad) aims to reshape DC’s shared universe across movies and TV. Here’s everything we know so far. From Man of Steel to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) has had its ups and downs. Its biggest issue being the mix of director-driven ambitions with muddled, inconsistent universe-building. While there were some remarkable wins, it never fully came together. DC Studios, the new hub coordinating all of DC’s efforts outside of comic books,…

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