Category: Space Stations

Space stations in orbit or planned

The newest GOES weather satellite in NOAA’s fleet is now fully operational (video)

NeRD

The final satellite in NOAA’s GOES-R weather satellite series has a new place in orbit … and a new name. The GOES-19 weather satellite, which launched into orbit in June 2024, has officially taken the place of its predecessor GOES-16 to watch over the Western Hemisphere from its perch 22,236 miles (35,785 kilometers) above us. To mark the milestone, the satellite has the new name of GOES East to serve as the dominant geostationary satellite in the fleet, NOAA officials said in a statement. “With GOES-19 now in operation, NOAA…

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Auroras could spice up April’s Full Pink ‘micromoon’ this weekend

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Aurora chasers and night sky enthusiasts get ready – the stars could align for you to have quite the cosmic show this weekend! We already told you that this month’s Full Pink ‘micromoon’ is scheduled to rise on Saturday (April 12), getting to its fullest point at 8:22 p.m. EDT (0022 GMT April 13). If you’re not familiar, unlike the powerful and larger-than-life supermoon that we will get to experience later this year, a micromoon is actually the opposite. This is when the moon will be located the farthest away…

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NASA spacecraft spots monster black hole bursting with X-rays ‘releasing a hundred times more energy than we have seen elsewhere’

NeRD

We’ve all woken up in a terrible mood from time to time, but a newly observed monster black hole is really having a bad day. The previously inactive supermassive black hole at the heart of the galaxy SDSS1335+0728, located about 300 million light-years away from us, was seen erupting with the longest and most powerful X-ray blasts ever seen from such a cosmic titan. This active phase marks the start of the supermassive black hole devouring matter around it and erupting with short-lived flaring events called quasiperiodic eruptions (QPEs). The…

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Save a massive 30% on the Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ, a top-tier beginner telescope

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If you’re looking to try your hand at astronomy, or you want a small telescope with a quality build to view upcoming night sky events, like the Lyrid Meteor Shower, then you might want to consider getting 30% off the Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ. Save 30% on the Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80Z when you grab it from Amazon and apply the extra $10 coupon. A 30% discount equates to a saving of $70 and that’s ideal for those looking for a top-tier beginner telescope and to start off…

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Blue Origin’s all-female spaceflight urges women to shoot for the stars — but astronaut memoirs reveal the cost of being exceptional

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This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Jasleen Chana is a PhD candidate at UCL in the department of Science and Technology Studies. For the first time since Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova’s solo flight in 1963, a spacecraft will fly with only women aboard. Blue Origin’s all-female spaceflight crew, which includes pop star Katy Perry, is set to take off this spring. You may like Jeff Bezos’ crew is assembled from successful and well-known women, also including…

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Station Nation: Meet Nick Kopp, SpaceX Dragon Flight Lead 

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Nick Kopp is a Dragon flight lead in the Transportation Integration Office at Johnson Space Center in Houston. He is currently leading NASA’s efforts to prepare, launch, and return the agency’s 32nd SpaceX commercial resupply services mission. He works directly with SpaceX and collaborates with NASA’s many internal, external, and international partners to ensure the success of this and other cargo missions to the International Space Station.  Read on to learn about his career with NASA and more!  Nick Kopp’s official portrait. NASA/Bill Stafford The time and effort spent building,…

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NASA’s SpaceX 32nd Resupply Mission Launches New Research to Station

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4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA and SpaceX are launching the company’s 32nd commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station later this month, bringing a host of new research to the orbiting laboratory. Aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft are experiments focused on vision-based navigation, spacecraft air quality, materials for drug and product manufacturing, and advancing plant growth with less reliance on photosynthesis. This and other research conducted aboard the space station advances future space exploration, including missions to the Moon and Mars,…

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Launch of Amazon’s 1st Kuiper internet satellites delayed by bad weather

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Amazon may be a whiz at fast online deliveries, but the massive company will have to wait to launch the first satellites of its new space internet constellation after bad weather thwarted a liftoff on Wednesday night. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket attempted to launch 27 of Amazon’s first Project Kuiper internet satellites to orbit from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on April 9, but persistent clouds near the pad violated launch rules, ULA officials said. “It is confirmed that we will not continue with the Amazon…

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SpaceX to launch new Intuitive Machines moon lander, lunar satellites in 2027

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Intuitive Machines may have crashed its latest moon lander on the lunar surface, but that’s not keeping the company down for long. The Houston-based company has picked SpaceX to launch IM-4, its fourth moon lander, on a Falcon 9 rocket in 2027 alongside two relay satellites for a NASA lunar communications network. The news comes just weeks after the company’s IM-2 moon lander crashed near the moon’s south pole, and as the firm continues work on its third moon lander (yes, it’s called IM-3), which is expected to launch in…

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SpaceX’s next Dragon cargo ship launch for NASA will lift off on April 21

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NASA’s next special delivery to the International Space Station has a launch date, but it’s going to be one for early-birds. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch an uncrewed Dragon cargo ship packed with tons of supplies on Monday, April 21, from the historic Pad 39A of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Liftoff is set for 4:15 a.m. EDT (0815 GMT), making it a predawn launch. “Along with food and essential equipment for the crew, Dragon is delivering a variety of experiments, including a demonstration of…

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