Author: starpathwp-production
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LIGO goes to space: ESA to proceed with LISA gravitational wave detector
On Thursday, the European Space Agency’s Science Programme Committee gave the go-ahead to the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, or LISA project. This would mean the construction of the mission’s three spacecraft could begin as early as a year from now. While the interferometer would follow the same basic principles as the ground-based LIGO (Laser Interferometer…
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A Japanese spacecraft faceplanted on the Moon and lived to tell the tale
Japan’s first lunar lander made an unsteady touchdown on the Moon last week, moments after one of its two main engines inexplicably lost power and apparently fell off the spacecraft, officials said Thursday. About the size of a small car, the Small Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) landed on Friday, making Japan the fifth country…
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A Japanese spacecraft faceplanted on the Moon and lived to tell the tale
Japan’s first lunar lander made an unsteady touchdown on the Moon last week, moments after one of its two main engines inexplicably lost power and apparently fell off the spacecraft, officials said Thursday. About the size of a small car, the Small Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) landed on Friday, making Japan the fifth country…
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Firefly Signs 10-Year Launch Services Contract with National Reconnaissance Office
Firefly Aerospace has made a key breakthrough with the US Government. It has been selected by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to serve as a launch provider with Firefly’s Alpha rocket. As part of the NRO’s Streamlined Launch Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity Contract (SLIC), the agreement has a 10-year ordering period with a ceiling value of…
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Firefly Signs 10-Year Launch Services Contract with National Reconnaissance Office
Firefly Aerospace has made a key breakthrough with the US Government. It has been selected by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to serve as a launch provider with Firefly’s Alpha rocket. As part of the NRO’s Streamlined Launch Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity Contract (SLIC), the agreement has a 10-year ordering period with a ceiling value of…
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Ingenuity’s mission is complete after 72 flights on Mars
Ingenuity suffers damaged blade after flight 72 In a video statement posted to the various NASA channels and social media platforms, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced that Ingenuity’s mission is complete. The helicopter recently completed its 72nd flight on January 18, which ended with a loss of communication to Perseverance. The flight took Ingenuity up…
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Rocket Report: Iran reaches orbit; Chinese firm achieves impressive landing test
Welcome to Edition 6.28 of the Rocket Report! There’s a lot going on in the world of launch as always, but this week I want to take this space for a personal message. I have just announced the forthcoming publication of my second book, REENTRY, on the Falcon 9 rocket, Dragon spacecraft, and development of…
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China’s hyperspectral remote-sensing satellite put into use
China’s hyperspectral remote-sensing satellite has been officially put into use after completing in-orbit tests, according to the China National Space Administration on Tuesday. The satellite is in good condition, its subsystems are functioning properly, and its performance meets all the standards as intended, said the CNSA. The satellite, known as Gaofen 5 01A, was launched…
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Daily Telescope: A stunning image of a star cluster in a nearby galaxy
Welcome to the Daily Telescope. There is a little too much darkness in this world and not enough light, a little too much pseudoscience and not enough science. We’ll let other publications offer you a daily horoscope. At Ars Technica, we’re going to take a different route, finding inspiration from very real images of a…
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GITAI’s Autonomous Robotic Arm Set for Launch to ISS for Demonstration Mission
GITAI USA, one of the world’s leading space robotics startups, has announced that its 1.5-meter-long autonomous dual robotic arm system (S2) is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket (NG-20) on January 29. Having passed the required NASA safety reviews, the S2 will conduct an external demonstration of…