Tag: ESA
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Hubble and VLT discover spiraling structure of young stars, hints at star formation in early universe
In a recently released study, data from the joint NASA/European Space Agency (ESA) Hubble Space Telescope and the European Space Observatory’s (ESO) ground-based Very Large Telescope (VLT) has been used to discover young stars spiraling into the center of a star cluster within the Small Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way.…
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Research, spacewalks, and maintenance: Expedition 67’s final month aboard the ISS
The seven members of the Expedition 67 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) had yet another action-packed month in August 2022. From spacewalks to research to cargo vehicle departures, the crew aboard the orbiting laboratory and mission teams back on Earth stayed busy. Expeditions are long-duration, research-based astronaut missions aboard the ISS. Each Expedition…
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Airbus highlights European Service Module work for Artemis
SLS is nearing its debut flight, with the Artemis I launch window opening this Monday at 16:33 UTC. But this launch is impactful beyond NASA and the United States. The European Service Module (ESM) will provide a wide range of services for Orion on its way to the moon, including propulsion and power. It is…
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Data from ESA’s Gaia mission reveals our Sun’s future and past
On June 13, the third major data release from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Gaia mission revealed details about the past and future of our solar system’s star, the Sun, by using data collected by Gaia on stars of similar mass and composition to our Sun. Gaia is a star mapping mission and collects massive…
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Russian spacewalk to end early as suit power issue appears
A prematurely-ended Russian spacewalk took place at the ISS Wednesday to continue preparations to fully activate the European Robotic Arm (ERA) and commission it for operational use. The ERA, which launched to the station last year, will be used – among other things – to transfer a scientific airlock and radiator to the Nauka module.…
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Russian spacewalk continues preps on Nauka module
A Russian spacewalk was completed outside the International Space Station (ISS) to continue preparations to fully activate the Russian Nauka science module, which was launched to the station precisely one year ago today. The spacewalk features a non-Russian crewmember, which is a rare occurrence on Russian EVAs, or extravehicular activities. The spacewalking duo of cosmonaut…
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ESA launches upgraded Vega-C rocket on first mission
Vega-C, the newest iteration of the European Vega rocket, has launched on its debut flight, VV21. Vega-C boasts a higher payload capacity and lower cost per kilogram of payload than the original Vega rocket. As part of its first mission, the vehicle carried seven payloads from several European nations to a targetted 6,000 km medium…
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SLS readies for roll back to VAB; final launch preparations to begin
With Wet Dress Rehearsal successfully behind them, NASA will now roll the SLS rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for final launch preparations ahead of the historic Artemis 1 mission to send the Orion capsule on an uncrewed test flight around the Moon. While this milestone brings the SLS closer to launch, significant…
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The final five: Ariane 5’s march to retirement begins with dual passenger launch
Arianespace, ArianeGroup, and the European Space Agency (ESA) have launched their second flight of the year and the first for the veteran Ariane 5 rocket, which begins its trek toward retirement with the first of its five final planned missions. The mission lifted off from Kourou in French Guiana at 5:50 PM EDT (21:50 UTC)…
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Lockheed Martin powers up Artemis 2 Orion, updates status on other capsules
Lockheed Martin has completed the first-time power-up of the Orion capsule for the Artemis 2 mission — the first Orion capsule that will be tasked with carrying humans. As work continues on that capsule, Lockheed Martin — the prime contractor for the Orion spacecraft — provided updates on the other three capsules, and three European…