Tag: European Space Agency
-
Europe’s ExoMars orbiter nears start of methane-sniffing science mission
Artist’s concept of the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter during aerobraking at Mars. Credit: ESA/ATG medialab Nearly a year-and-a-half after arriving at the red planet, Europe’s ExoMars orbiter is finally approaching a planned perch around 250 miles over the rust-colored world after repeatedly dipping into the Martian atmosphere to lower its orbit. The end of a…
-
Investigators say erroneous navigation input led Ariane 5 rocket off course
An Ariane 5 rocket lifts off from French Guiana on Jan. 25 with the SES 14 and Al Yah 3 communications satellites. Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Photo Optique Video du CSG – JM Guillon A bad input to the Ariane 5 rocket’s guidance system that was missed during pre-launch quality control checks caused the launcher to…
-
China lofts earthquake research craft with cluster of smaller satellites
A Long March 2D rocket lifted off Friday with seven satellites. Credit: Xinhua/Wang Jiangbo A Chinese Long March 2D rocket successfully delivered seven satellites into a 300-mile-high (500-kilometer) orbit Friday, boosting international missions to measure seismic signals that could help predict future earthquakes, take detailed imagery of planet Earth and test compact camera, propulsion and…
-
James Webb Space Telescope completes critical end-to-end test
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION The James Webb Space Telescope emerged from Chamber A at Johnson Space Center on Dec. 1. Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn NASA’s $8.8 billion James Webb Space Telescope has completed critical end-to-end testing in a giant vacuum chamber at the Johnson Space Center, proving the telescope will work properly in…
-
Photos: European rocket launched from South America
An Ariane 5 rocket launch Tuesday added four more navigation satellites to Europe’s Galileo network with an on-target deployment following liftoff from a jungle spaceport on the northeastern coast of South America. Two solid rocket boosters and a hydrogen-burning Vulcain 2 engine gave the Ariane 5 rocket a push off its launch pad with 2.9…
-
Live coverage: Space station crew back on Earth
Live coverage of the Expedition 53 mission on the International Space Station. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.
-
Soyuz carries three station crew members back to Earth
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION The Soyuz MS-05 descent module just before touchdown in Kazakhstan on Thursday. Credit: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying three space station crew members hurtled back to Earth Thursday, completing a fiery plunge back through the atmosphere before settling to a frigid touchdown on the snowy…
-
Space station crew returns Thursday, replacements launch Sunday
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION European astronaut Paolo Nespoli, Russian cosmonaut Sergey Ryazanskiy and Expedition 53 commander Randy Bresnik donned their Sokol spacesuits last week to rehearse undocking and landing procedures. Credit: NASA In a rapid-fire crew rotation, a Russian cosmonaut, a NASA astronaut and an Italian flier plan to close out a…
-
Four more Galileo navigation satellites ride Ariane 5 rocket into orbit
Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Photo Optique Video du CSG – S. Martin Unimpeded by rain showers and a dark gray blanket of low clouds, an Ariane 5 rocket thundered away from a European-run space base in the jungle of French Guiana Tuesday to place four Galileo navigation satellites in orbit, an on-target deployment that should improve…
-
Live coverage: Ariane 5 blasts off with Galileo satellite quartet
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of an Ariane 5 rocket with four Galileo navigation satellites. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter. Arianespace’s live video webcast is scheduled to begin at approximately 1820 GMT (1:20 p.m. EST) Tuesday.