Author: starpathwp-production
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OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule safely lands in Utah
A saucer-shaped capsule carrying asteroid fragments that may hold clues about the birth of the solar system slammed into Earth’s atmosphere Sunday and descended to an on-target parachute-assisted touchdown in Utah in the final chapter of a dramatic seven-year, four-billion-mile voyage. Released from the OSIRIS-REx mothership four hours earlier, the 110-pound 31-inch-wide sample return capsule,…
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As it happened: Seven-year asteroid adventure ends with sample return
Live coverage as a capsule lands in the U.S. Army test range in the Utah desert carrying samples from the surface of asteroid Bennu. The OSIRIS-REx (short for the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer) has been on a seven-year journey to Bennu and back. If all goes according to plan the capsule…
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Historic OSIRIS-REx asteroid samples successfully return to Earth
In the morning hours of Sept. 24, a small capsule containing surface samples from asteroid 101955 Bennu careened into Earth’s atmosphere after a seven-year journey through space. The landing of this sample capsule is the culmination of NASA’s historic Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) asteroid sample return mission, which is now…
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NASA’s asteroid sampling mission is on course for landing this weekend
A NASA spacecraft will complete a round-trip journey to an asteroid this weekend, returning to Earth after a seven-year voyage to bring back unspoiled rock specimens from an alien world that could yield insights into the formation of life. The landing Sunday at 8:55 am local time in Utah (10:55 am EDT or 14:55 UTC)…
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Another Falcon 9 hits 17-flight milestone with Starlink launch
Update (11:59 p.m. EDT): Liftoff occurred at 11:38 p.m. EDT (0338 UTC). Falcon 9 booster 1060 landed on the drone ship about eight and a half minutes after launch. The Starlink 6-18 mission liftoffs off from Cape Canaveral with a Falcon 9 booster making its 17th flight. Image: Spaceflight Now. A SpaceX Falcon 9 is…
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GMV successfully concludes ground tests for ESA’s MIRROR space robot
As part of the ESA’s MIRROR project, GMV has crafted and rigorously tested a next-generation robotic platform. This autonomous robot boasts three arms, a key feature that enables it to manipulate and assemble structural modules while traversing the structure it is constructing. The versatility of its three arms allows the robot to move, transport modules,…
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Starship’s next launch attempt is about a month away at best
SpaceX faces another environmental hurdle before launch Two weeks ago the FAA announced it closed the mishap investigation into Starship’s first flight in April. The launch by SpaceX terms was a success however it failed to make it past stage separation. SpaceX brought forward 63 corrective actions that it has to implement, the majority of…
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NASA astronaut looks forward to family hugs, peace and quiet, after yearlong flight
Frank Rubio inside the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory module. Image: NASA. If NASA had asked astronaut Frank Rubio, well in advance, if he would like to spend a full year aboard the International Space Station, he likely would have turned it down. But that’s how it turned out anyway, when trouble with his crew’s…
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Australia’s SmartSat CRC Unveils New R&D Space Projects
Australia’s leading space research center, SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) has launched a new suite of new R&D projects and university appointments in support of the ACT Space Update 2023. These were unveiled in Canberra Sept. 23, bringing its joint investment in the ACT to over A$7 million ($4.49 million). One of two new research…
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Independent reviewers find NASA Mars Sample Return plans are seriously flawed
An independent review of NASA’s ambitious mission to return about half a kilogram of rocks and soil from the surface of Mars has found that the program is unworkable in its current form. NASA had been planning to launch the critical elements of its Mars Sample Return mission, or MSR, as soon as 2028, with…