Evolution Space to Produce and Test Solid Rocket Motors at NASA Stennis

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3 min read Evolution Space to Produce and Test Solid Rocket Motors at NASA Stennis NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, joined with Evolution Space on Oct. 10 to announce plans for the aerospace company to establish production and testing operations for solid rocket motors onsite. “This is another great addition to south Mississippi’s commercial space engagement,” Center Director Dr. Rick Gilbrech said. “Evolution Space gains access to critical NASA Stennis infrastructure and expertise as it continues to build its propulsion capabilities. In turn, we continue frontline…

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Euclid ‘dark universe’ telescope is back on track after finding its guiding stars

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The European Space Agency’s (ESA) dark universe detective, the Euclid spacecraft, is on track after locating its guiding stars, which it lost as a result of cosmic misidentification.  The satellite can now begin investigating dark matter and dark energy, which are some of the greatest mysteries in cosmology. Dark matter  accounts for 85% of the matter in the universe but is effectively invisible, and dark energy causes the cosmos to expand at an ever-increasing rate.  Euclid launched to investigate these cosmological mysteries, sometimes collectively known as the dark universe, on…

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Axiom Space partners with fashion house Prada to design Artemis 3 moon suits

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A new partnership is taking the concept of haute couture to new heights. Axiom Space, a Houston-based spaceflight services company, has joined forces with the Italian luxury fashion house Prada to design the spacesuits for the next astronauts to walk on the moon. “We are thrilled to partner with Prada on the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit,” Michael Suffredini, CEO of Axiom, said in a statement. “Prada’s technical expertise with raw materials, manufacturing techniques and innovative design concepts will bring advanced technologies instrumental in ensuring not only the comfort…

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All aboard! Train tugs Artemis 2 moon rocket parts to the NASA launch center (photos, video)

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Rocket pieces for the first human moon mission in 50 years glided into their launch center via rail. NASA‘s massive rocket booster segments, too large to ship by other means, safely arrived at a Florida railyard for a “turning point” in launching Artemis 2 and four astronauts around the moon late next year, agency officials stated on Sept. 25. The boosters will support the agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket during the moon mission’s launch in 2024. The SLS, the most powerful rocket ever built, will nevertheless require help from…

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Celebrate Life Day with Marvel Comics’ batch of special ‘Star Wars’ variant covers

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Wookiee Life Day in the “Star Wars” universe is a family-based festivity that began as a holiday featured on Chewbacca’s forest homeworld of Kashyyyk. Life Day was first introduced in the abysmal “Star Wars Holiday Special” television show that aired on Nov. 17, 1978 and has been relentlessly mocked across our entire galaxy ever since it aired.  Since then, Life Day has gathered a bit of steam in the real world despite its inauspicious beginnings on that cheesy program that those of us of a certain aged were cruelly subjected…

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SpaceX to launch 22 Starlink satellites tonight in 1st of back-to-back missions

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SpaceX is set to launch 22 more of its Starlink internet satellites from Florida tonight (Oct. 8) on the first leg of a spaceflight doubleheader for the company. The Starlink spacecraft are scheduled to lift off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station tonight at 9:06 p.m. EDT (0106 GMT on Oct. 9). Four backup opportunities are available as well, from 9:57 p.m. EDT until 12:29 a.m. EDT (0157 to 0429 GMT on Oct. 9). You can watch the action live via SpaceX’s account on X…

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How do astronomers know the age of the planets and stars?

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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. Adam Burgasser is a Professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC San Diego, and an observational astrophysicist investigating the coolest stars, brown dwarfs and extrasolar planets.  Measuring the ages of planets and stars helps scientists understand when they formed and how they change – and, in the case of planets, if life has had time to have evolved on them. Unfortunately, age is hard to measure for objects in space. Stars like the…

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Annular solar eclipse 2023: Live updates

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Refresh 2023-10-06T15:59:38.220Z Ring of fire solar eclipse of 2023 is one week away! The path of annularity crossing the U.S. on October 14, 2023. (Image credit: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio) The stage is set for one of the greatest sun events of 2023, if not the greatest skywatching event of the year!  We are officially one week away from the annular solar eclipse of Oct. 14 and is one that could potentially be visible to millions of people across the United States. While not a total solar eclipse, the annular…

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Star-studded snake-like galaxy shines in gorgeous Hubble Telescope photo

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A new Hubble Space Telescope image shines a spotlight on a faraway snake-like galaxy whose swirling arms feature new and old stars.  Light from this galaxy started its journey to Earth roughly 80 million years ago, long before the dinosaurs died out. The image, released as part of NASA’s Hubble Galaxy Week from Oct. 2 to Oct. 7, features NGC 1087, a spiral galaxy residing in the constellation Cetus. This particular patch of sky is named after a mythical Greek sea monster and is home to the popular Aquarius and…

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Space telescope images star on new ESA-endorsed Swatch watches

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Now you can select your favorite swath of the universe and display it on it your wrist, thanks to a new collaboration between Swatch and the European Space Agency (ESA). For a limited time, Swatch is making a collection of ESA’s space telescope images available for customizing a range of Swatch X You watches. Six new Swatch X You ESA designs are now available through Dec. 17, each featuring an image that was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope or James Webb Space Telescope. “This is a wonderful opportunity to…

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