Author: starpathwp-production
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Open for CE-5 Research Samples Loan Application
At present, the Chang’e-5 lunar research samples have completed the preparation. The relevant information is now released online and open loan applications to international partners. Applicants can visit the official website of the China National Space Administration (https://www.cnsa.gov.cn/english/index.html) for search or directly log in to the Sample Release System (http://124.17.81.212:8081/moondataEng) and follow the instructions to…
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How South Australia is connecting its community to in-space manufacturing with Varda Space
A small rocket launches from the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia. Image: Southern Launch Economic transformation: Each launch conducted at the Koonibba Test Range injects a substantial amount of investment into the local economy. It generates both direct and indirect employment opportunities, providing tangible benefits to the people of Koonibba and Ceduna. It’s not…
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It’s almost showtime for SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket
SpaceX announced on Friday that the company is targeting “mid-November” for the second flight test of the Super Heavy rocket and its Starship upper stage. The company said the launch date is pending regulatory approval, which means that the Federal Aviation Administration and US Fish and Wildlife Service have yet to complete the environmental review…
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How many flights has Virgin Galactic flown in 2023?
Number of flights: 7 (Tourism: 3, Research: 1, Test: 2) Flight rate: 40 days Total crew: 32 (VG Staff: 20, Researchers: 3, Tourists: 9) Unique crew: 21 Unity’s year after long refurbishments Before Unity 24’s flight in April of 2023, Virgin Galactic’s last flight was the world news breaking spaceflight of the company’s founder Richard…
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A historic Falcon 9 made a little more history Friday night
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida—In three-and-a-half years of service, one of SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 boosters stands apart from the rest of the company’s rocket inventory. This booster, designated with the serial number B1058, has now flown 18 times. For its maiden launch on May 30, 2020, the rocket propelled NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken…
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Dream Chaser is getting closer to flying
Tenacity getting buttoned up for transport The employees of Sierra Space, a spin off of Sierra Nevada Corporation’s space sector, gathered Monday to celebrate a milestone moment for its Dream Chaser spaceplane. This week teams at Sierra Space are finishing up getting the spaceplane packaged up and sent over to NASA’s Armstrong Test Facility in…
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How long will Jeff Bezos continue to subsidize his New Shepard rocket?
Virgin Galactic smoothly completed its sixth human spaceflight in six months on Thursday, continuing an impressive cadence of missions with its VSS Unity spacecraft. This performance has made the company the clear leader in suborbital space tourism. A key question is where this leaves the other company with a launch system capable of carrying private…
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SpaceX poised for ‘mid-November’ launch of second Starship test flight
Aerial view of the fully stacked Starship vehicle at Starbase, Texas, on Sept. 6, 2023. Image: SpaceX. More than half a year after its first flight, SpaceX believes it’s on the cusp of getting to launch its Starship rocket for a second time. On Friday afternoon, the company updated its website to announce that the…
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Juno discovers salts and organic compounds on Ganymede’s surface
After a flyby of Jupiter’s largest moon, Ganymede, in 2021, Juno and a team of scientists have discovered the presence of mineral salts and organic compounds on the surface of the icy moon. The new findings will allow scientists to better understand where Ganymede came from and the composition of its deep subsurface ocean. For…
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After leading NASA’s mission to Pluto, Alan Stern flies to space himself
It has been fun to watch Virgin Galactic string together six flights to suborbital space this year. The company was founded by Richard Branson in 2004 to open the experience of spaceflight to everyday people and make some money in the process. Virgin Galactic hasn’t achieved those goals yet, but the company has reason to…