Tag: European Space Agency
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Rocket Report: Starship could fly again in May; Ariane 6 coming together
Welcome to Edition 6.36 of the Rocket Report! SpaceX wants to launch the next Starship test flight as soon as early May, the company’s president and chief operating officer said this week. The third Starship test flight last week went well enough that the Federal Aviation Administration—yes, the FAA, the target of many SpaceX fans’…
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PLD Space Secures ESA Boost! Contract for Payload Accommodation System on MIURA 5
Spanish aerospace company PLD Space has clinched a lucrative contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) under its Boost! program, aimed at advancing commercial space transportation endeavors. The contract, valued at 1.3 million euros, will facilitate the development of a versatile payload accommodation system on PLD Space’s MIURA 5 orbital launcher, enhancing flexibility for its…
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European Space Agency Satellite ERS-2 Set to Reenter Earth’s Atmosphere
The European Space Agency (ESA) is closely monitoring the reentry of its Earth-observing satellite, ERS-2, which is expected to largely burn up in Earth’s atmosphere on Wednesday morning. The agency’s Space Debris Office, in collaboration with an international surveillance network, is tracking the satellite, predicting its reentry at 6:14 a.m. ET Wednesday, within a 15-hour…
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UK Space Agency Partners with Axiom Space for Groundbreaking £15 Million Funding Opportunity
The UK Space Agency has launched a significant funding opportunity, in collaboration with Axiom Space, offering up to £15 million to drive British technology into space. Two new funding calls have been initiated, inviting UK-based researchers and technology innovators to participate in a space journey alongside home-grown astronauts. Minister for space at the Department for…
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Japan’s H3 Rocket Set for Second Launch Attempt Amidst Bid to Revitalize Space Program
Japan is gearing up for another launch attempt of its flagship rocket, the H3, this weekend, aiming to rejuvenate its space program following a setback during the booster’s maiden flight last year, which disrupted satellite and planetary exploration plans. Scheduled to launch from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan on Saturday, the second flight…
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“We are worried,” says European rocket chief at prospect of launch competition
There is “no guarantee” France’s ArianeGroup will continue to be Europe’s rocket launch company of choice, according to the head of the European Space Agency, after ESA member states agreed to introduce more competition to the market. Josef Aschbacher, the agency’s director-general, told the Financial Times that the decision at its space summit in Seville…
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Seven-minute hotfire test moves Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket closer to flight
The European Space Agency (ESA) declared success after an Ariane 6 rocket fired its core-stage engine in French Guiana for seven minutes on Thursday, clearing one of a handful of remaining hurdles before the new launcher can lift off on its first test flight. The Ariane 6’s inaugural launch, now scheduled for next year, has…
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Rocket Report: Tough times for Astra and Virgin; SpaceX upgrading launch pad
Welcome to Edition 6.19 of the Rocket Report! While we wait for SpaceX to launch the second full-scale test flight of Starship, a lot of the news this week involved companies with much smaller rockets. Astra is struggling to find enough funding to remain in business, and Virgin Galactic says it will fly its suborbital…
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Scientists show off the wide vision of Europe’s Euclid space telescope
The European Space Agency released the first five science images from the Euclid space telescope Tuesday, showing how the wide-angle observatory will survey familiar cosmic wonders like galaxies and stars to study the unseen dark energy and dark matter that dominate the Universe. Stationed nearly a million miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Earth, Euclid will…
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After the sting of Ariane 6, Europe finally embraces commercial rockets
Representatives from 22 European countries reached an agreement Monday to change the way the continent’s rockets are developed, moving from a government-driven approach to a commercial paradigm that appears to be modeled after how NASA and the US military do business. This is a big moment for the European Space Agency and its member states,…