Tag: Space
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Trump White House drops diversity plan for Moon landing it created back in 2019
About five years ago, the Trump-appointed administrator of NASA, Jim Bridenstine, revealed the name of the program that would return humans to the Moon. It was to be Artemis, from a Greek goddess who was the twin sister of Apollo. The symbolism was clear. NASA’s second human program to the Moon would be different: We…
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Rocket Report: Falcon 9 may smash reuse record; Relativity roving to Texas?
Welcome to Edition 7.36 of the Rocket Report! Well, after nine months, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are finally back on Earth, safe and sound. This brings to conclusion one of the stranger and more dramatic human spaceflight stories in years. We’re glad they’re finally home, soon to be reunited with their families.…
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Can NASA remain nonpartisan when basic spaceflight truths are shredded?
It looked like the final scene of a movie, the denouement of a long adventure in which the good guys finally prevail. Azure skies and brilliant blue seas provided a perfect backdrop on Tuesday evening as a spacecraft carrying four people neared the planet’s surface. “Just breathtaking views of a calm, glass-like ocean off the…
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To avoid the Panama Canal, Relativity Space may move some operations to Texas
As he consolidates control over Relativity Space, new owner and chief executive Eric Schmidt is planning significant changes at the launch company, including a likely move to the Lone Star State. Schmidt’s recent acquisition of the California-based company, which has largely evolved away from its 3D-printing origins to becoming a more conventional rocket developer, has…
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Athena landed in a dark crater where the temperature was minus 280° F
The Athena spacecraft was not exactly flying blind as it approached the lunar surface one week ago. The software on board did a credible job of recognizing nearby craters, even with elongated shadows over the terrain. However, the lander’s altimeter had failed. So while Athena knew where it was relative to the surface of the…
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If Starlink is turned off in Ukraine, are there any good alternatives?
Lately, SpaceX founder Elon Musk has taken an aggressive posture toward Europe. He has called for the United States to exit NATO, a strategic alliance that has been the bedrock of trans-Atlantic cooperation since the end of World War II. Musk has also championed right-wing populism that seeks to topple existing governments on the continent.…
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Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is the new leader of Relativity Space
Another Silicon Valley investor is getting into the rocket business. Former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt has taken a controlling interest in the Long Beach, California-based Relativity Space. The New York Times first reported the change becoming official, after Schmidt told employees in an all-hands meeting on Monday. Schmidt’s involvement with Relativity has been quietly…
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What’s behind the recent string of failures and delays at SpaceX?
It has been an uncharacteristically messy start to the year for the world’s leading spaceflight company, SpaceX. Let’s start with the company’s most recent delay. The latest launch date for a NASA mission to survey the sky and better understand the early evolution of the Universe comes Monday night. The launch window for this SPHEREx…
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NASA officials undermine Musk’s claims about “stranded” astronauts
Over the last month there has been something more than a minor kerfuffle in the space industry over the return of two NASA astronauts from the International Space Station. The fate of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who launched on the first crewed flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024, has become a…
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After less than a day, the Athena lander is dead on the Moon
Intuitive Machines announced on Friday morning that its Athena mission to the surface of the Moon, which landed on its side, has ended. “With the direction of the Sun, the orientation of the solar panels, and extreme cold temperatures in the crater, Intuitive Machines does not expect Athena to recharge,” the company said in a…