Tag: Space
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NOAA says “extreme” solar storm will persist through the weekend
After a night of stunning auroras across much of the United States and Europe on Friday, a severe geomagnetic storm is likely to continue through at least Sunday, forecasters said. The Space Weather Prediction Center at the US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Prediction Center observed that ‘Extreme’ G5 conditions were ongoing as of Saturday morning…
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Rocket Report: German launch from Australia; Neutron delayed until 2025
Welcome to Edition 6.43 of the Rocket Report! This week saw the debut of two new rockets, a suborbital lifter from a German startup, and a new variant of the Long March 6 from China’s state-owned launch provider. We also got within two hours of the debut of a crewed launch of Boeing’s Starliner vehicle,…
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Analyst on Starlink’s rapid rise: “Nothing short of mind-blowing”
According to the research firm Quilty Space, SpaceX’s Starlink satellite Internet business is now profitable. During a webinar on Thursday, analysts from the firm outlined the reasons why they think SpaceX has been able to achieve a positive cash flow in its space Internet business just five years after the first batch of 60 satellites…
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Climate science mission led by University of Washington wins backing from NASA
A color-coded image based on Copernicus Sentinel satellite data shows the extent of the Antarctic ozone hole in September 2023. (ESA / DLR Graphic) NASA has selected four proposals for climate science missions, including an effort led by a University of Washington researcher, to go forward for further study with millions of dollars in funding.…
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NASA hasn’t landed on the Moon in decades—China just sent its third in six years
China is going back to the Moon for more samples. On Friday the country launched its largest rocket, the Long March 5, carrying an orbiter, lander, ascent vehicle, and a return spacecraft. The combined mass of the Chang’e-6 spacecraft is about 8 metric tons, and it will attempt to return rocks and soil from the…
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AI in space: Karpathy suggests AI chatbots as interstellar messengers to alien civilizations
On Thursday, renowned AI researcher Andrej Karpathy, formerly of OpenAI and Tesla, tweeted a lighthearted proposal that large language models (LLMs) like the one that runs ChatGPT could one day be modified to operate in or be transmitted to space, potentially to communicate with extraterrestrial life. He said the idea was “just for fun,” but…
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NASA says Artemis II report by its inspector general is unhelpful and redundant
NASA’s acting inspector general, George A. Scott, released a report Wednesday that provided an assessment of NASA’s readiness to launch the Artemis II mission next year. This is an important flight for the space agency because, while the crew of four will not land on the Moon, it will be the first time humans have flown…
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Europe’s ambitious satellite Internet project appears to be running into trouble
It has been 18 months since the European Union announced its intent to develop an independent satellite Internet constellation, and the plans appear to be heading into troubled waters. In that time, a single bid—from a consortium of multinational companies that includes Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space—has emerged to build the network…
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New space company seeks to solve orbital mobility with high delta-v spacecraft
Over the course of the last seven decades, the vast majority of satellites have launched into orbit with propulsion mostly as an afterthought. That’s not to say having thrusters is not important, but once the vehicle reached its intended orbit, the on-board propulsion was used mainly for station keeping and small maneuvers. One of the…
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Rocket Report: SLS workforce cuts; New Glenn launch to launch in the early fall
Welcome to Edition 6.41 of the Rocket Report! As I finish up this edition I’m listening to the post-Flight Readiness Review news conference for Boeing’s Crew Flight Test. It sounds like everything remains on track for a launch attempt on May 6, at 10:34 pm ET. It’s exciting to see this important milestone for Boeing…