by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor
The elevated instrument platform of the 305 meter (1,000 foot) telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico collapsed overnight, crashing into the dish below and adding to the gloom over the previous decision to decommission the iconic facility.
In a tweet, the National Science Foundation (NSF) said there were no injuries reported in the collapse.
(more…)by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor
Chinese media report that the Chang’e-5 spacecraft landed on the moon on Tuesday as China attempts to become only the third nation to return soil samples from Earth’s closest celestial neighbor.
Increasing the drama, state television suspended its live coverage of the mission just as Chang’e-5 began its descent to the lunar surface. Coverage later resumed with news that the landing had been successful.
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BUREN, Germany (ESA PR) — It was a difficult campaign to organise, but the scientific results are some of the best ever. Earlier this month, over 60 researchers ran 11 experiments in an Airbus aircraft with no less than three pilots. This was no ordinary flight: the A310 ‘Air Zero G’ flew in repeated arcs 600 m up and down, providing ‘weightlessness’ in freefall conditions for all passengers and their experiments, 20 seconds at a time.
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PARIS (ESA PR) — A fully reconfigurable, software-defined, standardised satellite for the commercial telecommunications market is under development, with contributions from a new Partnership Project between satellite manufacturer Thales Alenia Space and ESA.
Space Inspire is a new product line for geostationary satellites that will allow customers unprecedented flexibility for video broadcasting and broadband connectivity services by reconfiguring their missions and services instantly in-orbit.
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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (NASA PR) — From garage inventors to university students and entrepreneurs, NASA is looking for ideas on how to excavate the Moon’s icy regolith, or dirt, and deliver it to a hypothetical processing plant at the lunar South Pole. The NASA Break the Ice Lunar Challenge, now open for registration, is designed to develop new technologies that could support a sustained human presence on the Moon by the end of the decade.
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EDWARDS, Calif., November 30, 2020 (NASA PR) — NASA has selected Virgin Galactic LLC of Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Masten Space Systems Inc. of Mojave, California, to provide flight and integration services for payloads chosen by the agency’s Flight Opportunities program, which is managed at the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The two companies join four others to provide service under commercial indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts with NASA.
(more…)by Douglas MessierManaging Editor It’s going to be a very busy week for space activities. Here’s what’s on the schedule starting this evening: four orbital launches by the United States, Europe, Russia and India the landing of China’s Chang’e-5 sample return mission on the moon the return of soil samples from the asteroid Ryugu by Japan’s Hayabusa2’s spacecraft an attempt to fly SpaceX’s Starship vehicle to an altitude about 15 […]
This week on The Space Show with Dr. David Livingston: 1. Monday, Nov. 30, 2020; 7 PM PST (9 PM CST; 10 PM EST) NO PROGRAM TODAY. 2. Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, 7 PM PST (9 PM CST; 10 PM EST): We welcome back DEREK WEBBER to discuss his Space Review article from Nov. 16. I will post the article on the blog for this show so check it out […]
BEIJING (CNSA PR) — On November 30, the flight control team of the Chang’e-5 mission of the lunar exploration project implemented the separation of the lander and ascender assembly of the Chang’e-5 probe from the orbiter and returner assembly as planned. At 4:40 in the morning, under the precise control of scientific and technical personnel, the Chang’e-5 detector assembly separated smoothly. Up to now, the detector systems are in good condition, […]
SANTA CLARA, Calif., November 30, 2020 (Momentus PR) – Momentus Inc. (“Momentus” or the “Company”), a commercial space company offering in-space infrastructure services, and Gilmour Space Technologies, a leading hybrid rocket company based in Queensland, Australia, today announced a new agreement for launch and orbital transport services.
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Washington, DC (CSF PR) – Commercial Spaceflight Federation announced today that Karina Drees will join the organization as its new president, effective January 4, 2021.
Since 2012, Drees served as CEO and General Manager of Mojave Air & Space Port (MASP) and held several other senior leadership positions at the company. She is currently the vice chair of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) and has been an active member of the CSF Board of Directors for five years, including serving as treasurer from 2017 to 2020.
“Karina brings an impressive amount of senior leadership and business acumen to CSF, as well as in-depth knowledge and experience in the policy and regulatory arenas and the proven ability to grow an organization and build strategic alliances with key industry stakeholders,” said Audrey Powers, CSF Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and Vice President of Legal and Compliance for Blue Origin.
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The integration of Kymeta’s next-generation solutions, the Antenna, Terminal, and Kymeta Connect Service, support unparalleled global mobile satellite-cellular connectivity
REDMOND, Wash., November 30, 2020 (Kymeta PR) — Kymeta (www.kymetacorp.com)—the communications company making mobile global—announced that the Kymeta™ u8 and Kymeta Connect™ are available for government and commercial purchase after November 30, 2020, unlocking the potential of broadband satellite connectivity and cellular networks to satisfy the overwhelming demand for communications on the move.
Kymeta’s next-generation solutions are built for mobility and designed to meet the needs of global defense agencies, government, first responders, and commercial customers. Kymeta’s products and services have been field deployed for three years and the demand for the Kymeta u8 presales has already exceeded expectations.
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