SWINDON, UK (UK Space Agency PR) — Space firms are being invited to apply for a share of up to £800,000 [$1.1 million] in funding from the UK Space Agency to develop ideas for space debris removal missions.

One of the biggest global challenges facing the space sector is orbital congestion and space debris. There are currently an estimated 900,000 pieces of space debris including old satellites, spent rocket bodies and even tools dropped by astronauts orbiting Earth. Space debris can stay in orbit for hundreds of years and present a real danger to the rapidly increasing number of new satellites being launched each year.

The UK Space Agency is looking to fund two active debris removal feasibility studies through its Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) programme, which aims to make space safer and more sustainable. The feasibility studies will develop a debris removal mission concept and system design. The deadline for applications is the 13 July 2021 and the opportunity is open to businesses, non-profits and academics.

WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — NASA has awarded $1.2 million to nine universities and organizations across the country for research and technology development projects in areas critical to the agency’s mission, including studying radiation effects and growing food for long-duration space travel.

NASA’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) supports science and technology research and development at colleges and universities. All projects are applicable to NASA’s work in Earth science, aeronautics, and human and robotic deep space exploration.

The schools will transfer research resulting from the projects to NASA, where it may be used as part of ongoing agency work.

HOUSTON, TX. and GUILFORD, Conn. and NEW YORK, JUNE 3, 2021 (Butterfly iQ PR) – Headed for the International Space Station on June 3, the 22nd SpaceX Dragon cargo resupply payload will include a Butterfly iQ, the world’s first handheld, single-probe whole-body ultrasound system using semiconductor technology. This tool was developed by Butterfly Network, Inc. (NYSE: BFLY), an innovative digital health company that is working to democratize medical imaging and contribute to the aspiration of global health equity. The Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) is supporting the product’s first user demo in space.

ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA (Roscosmos PR) — TERRA TECH, a subsidiary of the Russian Space Systems Holding (RKS, part of the Roscosmos State Corporation), and Yaroslavl State University named after P.G. Demidov at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum agreed to unite efforts to develop and market high-tech software solutions based on space imagery data using artificial intelligence technologies.

The signing of the agreement is intended to strengthen the competences of the parties and create new groundwork in the development of modern geoinformation solutions using deep machine learning and neural networks. Cloud geoservices are in demand on the market today, providing information and analytical products based on Earth remote sensing data from space to both government agencies and commercial consumers, including individuals. Consumer requirements for the delivery time of space data and ready-made analytics necessitate the connection of artificial intelligence technologies for automation, increasing the speed and volume of generated information.

CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, Fla. (SpaceX PR) — SpaceX is targeting Sunday, June 6 for Falcon 9’s launch of the SXM-8 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The one-hour and 59-minute launch window opens at 12:26 a.m. EDT, 4:26 UTC, and a backup launch opportunity is available on Monday, June 7 with the same one-hour and 59-minute launch window. Falcon 9’s first stage […]

PASADENA, Calif. (NASA PR) — The spacecraft successfully cleared some dust off its solar panels, helping to raise its energy and delay when it will need to switch off its science instruments.

The team behind NASA’s InSight Mars lander has come up with an innovative way to boost the spacecraft’s energy at a time when its power levels have been falling. The lander’s robotic arm trickled sand near one solar panel, helping the wind to carry off some of the panel’s dust. The result was a gain of about 30 watt-hours of energy per sol, or Martian day.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson released the following statement after an introductory call Friday with Roscosmos General Director Dmitry Rogozin: “I was pleased to speak with General Director Dimitry Rogozin this morning in a productive discussion about continued cooperation between NASA and Roscosmos. “For more than 20 years, NASA astronauts and Roscosmos cosmonauts have lived and worked together on the International Space Station – a success story that has yielded countless […]

HOUSTON (NASA PR) — While the International Space Station was traveling more than 250 miles over the South Pacific ocean, a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft autonomously docked to the space-facing side of the orbiting laboratory’s Harmony module at 5:09 a.m. EDT, Saturday, June 5. NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur were monitoring docking operations for Dragon.

This 22nd contracted resupply mission for SpaceX delivers the new ISS Roll-out Solar Arrays (iROSA) to the space station in the trunk of the Dragon spacecraft. The robotic Canadarm2 will extract the arrays and astronauts will install them during spacewalks planned for June 16 and 20.

by Abby Tabor
NASA’s Ames Research Center

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. — It’s a classic superhero tale: Inconspicuous, underestimated, our hero is revealed to have powers beyond imagination! The hottest and coldest environments on Earth, decades without water, the powerful radiation of space – none of it is any match for…the tardigrade!

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Roscosmos PR) — At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Roscosmos State Corporation, Rosatom State Corporation, Rostelecom and Gazprom Neft approved a memorandum of cooperation in order to create an Association of the largest consumers of software and equipment. The document was signed by Dmitry Rogozin, Director General of Roscosmos State Corporation, Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom State Corporation, Mikhail Oseevsky, President of Rostelecom, and Alexander Dyukov, Chairman of the Gazprom Neft Management Board. Cooperation of the largest technology companies from various industries is aimed at developing the Russian IT solutions market.

The Association will unite the efforts of partners in interaction with government regulators, software developers and equipment suppliers. In addition, the participants will work on the formation of requirements for software and technologies, help manufacturers to improve products and increase their competitiveness.

MOSCOW (Roscosmos PR) — On Friday, June 4, 2021, Dmitry Rogozin, Director General of the Roscosmos State Corporation, had a telephone conversation with the newly appointed NASA administrator Bill Nelson. The main topic of the conversation was the continuation of Russian-American cooperation in the field of space, primarily within the framework of the International Space Station program. During the conversation, the head of NASA positively assessed the bilateral interaction in space, […]

WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, which will be the premier observatory of the next decade, remains on schedule for a launch readiness date no earlier than Oct. 31, 2021. Webb will ship to the launch site in August with little to no schedule margin; launch processing will take two months. The observatory has completed all the post-environmental testing deployments, and it is in its final integration […]