Space News from SpaceDaily.com
December 26, 2018
OUTER PLANETS
NASA spacecraft hurtles toward historic New Year's flyby



Tampa (AFP) Dec 24, 2018
A NASA spacecraft is hurtling toward a historic New Year's Day flyby of the most distant planetary object ever studied, a frozen relic of the early solar system called Ultima Thule. Four billion miles (6.4 billion kilometers) away, the unmanned spaceship, New Horizons, is poised to zoom by at 12:33 am (0533 GMT) on January 1, at a distance of just 2,200 miles (3,500 kilometers) from Ultima Thule. That's more than three times closer than New Horizons came to Pluto when it zipped by the dwarf plan ... read more

OUTER PLANETS
New Horizons Notebook: On Ultima's Doorstep
Laurel MD (SPX) Dec 24, 2018
New Horizons carried out its last trajectory correction maneuver on approach to Ultima Thule last week, a short thruster burst to direct the spacecraft closer to its precise flyby aim point just 2,2 ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
Russia to Complete Flight Tests of Soyuz-2.1V Carrier Rocket in 2019 - Source
Moscow (Sputnik) Dec 25, 2018
The last test launch of the Soyuz-2.1v light-class carrier rocket from the Plesetsk space centre in northern Russia is planned for next year, a Russian space industry source told Sputnik. "The ... more
SPACE TRAVEL
Russian Cosmonaut Dismisses Rumours About ISS Crew, Hole in Soyuz Spaceship
Moscow (Sputnik) Dec 25, 2018
Russian cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev on Monday dismissed rumours on social networks about the ISS crew in the light of the situation with the hole in the Soyuz MS-09 spaceship. "A lot has alread ... more
SPACE TRAVEL
Roscosmos Chief Could Visit US in Early 2019, NASA Working on Sanctions Waiver
Moscow (Sputnik) Dec 25, 2018
Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia's Roscosmos state corporation, may apply for US visa not earlier than in January 2019, as the program of the visit has not been prepared yet, a spokesperson for Ro ... more
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OUTER PLANETS
Teledyne e2v has provided New Horizons with two specialist image sensors
Chelmsford, UK (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
The American space agency's New Horizons probe remains on course for its daring flyby of Ultima Thule between 29th December 2018 and 4th January 2019. When the mission sweeps past the 30km wid ... more
TECH SPACE
Finding ways to protect crews from the effects of space radiation
Houston TX (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
In the near future, crews will embark on multi-month missions to the Moon, and eventually Mars and beyond. All incredible adventures, however, have their hazards, and a major one for crews on long-d ... more
MICROSAT BLITZ
NanoRacks announces first customer contract for India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
NanoRacks is excited to announce that the Company has signed its first customer contract for a small satellite rideshare on the India Space Research Organization's (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehi ... more
SPACEMART
Year of many new beginnings for Indian space sector
Chennai, India (IANS) Dec 24, 2018
The year 2018 could be termed as one of several new beginnings for the Indian space agency: the political sanction for a manned Gaganyaan mission, operationlisation of the heaviest rocket, steps to ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
Roscosmos selects super-heavy rocket concept designed for lunar flights
Moscow (Sputnik) Dec 24, 2018
The scientific and technical council of Russia's Space Corporation Roscosmos has chosen the variant proposed by the Progress Rocket and Space Center (SRC Progress) and the head of Roscosmos Dmitry R ... more
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GPS NEWS
First Lockheed Martin-built GPS 3 satellite responding to commands
Denver CO (SPX) Dec 24, 2018
At approximately 12,550 miles (20,200 km) up... turn left. You have arrived at a new era for the Global Positioning System (GPS). A major milestone in the U.S. Air Force's plan to bring new te ... more
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Key milestone for Euclid Mission, now ready for final assembly
Noordwijk, The Netherlands (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
ESA's Euclid mission has passed its critical design review, marking the successful completion of a major phase in the progress of the project. The review verified that the overall mission architectu ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
Arianespace supports Drance and European defense with launch of CSO-1
Evry, France (SPX) Dec 24, 2018
For its 11th and final launch of the year - and the third in 2018 with the Soyuz medium-lift launcher - Arianespace successfully orbited the CSO-1 military Earth observation satellite for the French ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
SpaceX blasts off powerful GPS satellite for US military
Tampa Dec 23, 2018
A SpaceX rocket on Sunday blasted off a powerful GPS satellite for the US Air Force, marking its 21st and final launch for the year 2018. ... more
TIME AND SPACE
Unique insights into an exotic matter state
Kiel, Germany (SPX) Dec 19, 2018
The properties of the matter, which surrounds us in our everyday life, are typically the result of complex interactions between electrons. These electrically-charged particles are one of the fundame ... more


Join the celebration of a hundred years under one sky with IAU

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Cosmic ray telescope launches from Antarctica
Washington (UPI) Dec 20, 2018
SuperTIGER is once again flying high above the South Pole. The cosmic ray telescope launched Thursday from Williams Field at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. ... more
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SPACEMART
ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst returns to Earth for the second time
Paris (ESA) Dec 21, 2018
ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst returned to Earth earlier this week alongside NASA astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancellor and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergei Prokopyev. Returning in the same Soyuz MS-09 s ... more
DRAGON SPACE
China launches first Hongyun project satellite
Beijing (Sputnik) Dec 24, 2018
China on 22 December successfully launched the first satellite of its Hongyun project, which seeks to create a network of communication satellites on the low Earth orbit in order to provide stable i ... more
MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS
Satellite study proves global quantum communication will be possible
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
Researchers in Italy have demonstrated the feasibility of quantum communications between high-orbiting global navigation satellites and a ground station, with an exchange at the single photon level ... more
MISSILE DEFENSE
Missile Defense Agency awards Lockheed Martin contract to design, manufacture and construct defense radar station in Hawaii
Moorestown NJ (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
Lockheed Martin was awarded a $585 million contract by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to design, develop and deliver its Homeland Defense Radar-Hawaii (HDR-H) in Oahu, Hawaii. The HDR-H rada ... more
MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS
US Army awards Harris Corp nearly $218 million contract to provide Wideband Satellite Communications Mission support
Melbourne FL (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
The U.S. Army has awarded Harris Corporation a nearly $218 million follow-on contract to support wideband satellite operations centers and management sites that deliver critical communications to wa ... more
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Roscosmos Chief Could Visit US in Early 2019, NASA Working on Sanctions Waiver
Moscow (Sputnik) Dec 25, 2018
Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia's Roscosmos state corporation, may apply for US visa not earlier than in January 2019, as the program of the visit has not been prepared yet, a spokesperson for Roscosmos told Sputnik. "The dates will be clear after the program [of the visit] is prepared. Based on this, it will be necessary to submit documents. Approximately, it will be in January," the s ... more
+ Russian Cosmonaut Dismisses Rumours About ISS Crew, Hole in Soyuz Spaceship
+ Investigators to Question Russia Cosmonauts Amid ISS 'Hole' Probe
+ NASA astronaut, crewmates return to Earth after 197-Day mission in space
+ Queen guitarist Brian May releases tribute to NASA spacecraft
+ Astronauts land from ISS stint marred by air leak, rocket failure
+ NASA thanks Russia for prompt crew rescue after Soyuz accident
+ Super-Fast 3-Hour Manned Flights to ISS to Begin in 18 Months
Arianespace supports Drance and European defense with launch of CSO-1
Evry, France (SPX) Dec 24, 2018
For its 11th and final launch of the year - and the third in 2018 with the Soyuz medium-lift launcher - Arianespace successfully orbited the CSO-1 military Earth observation satellite for the French CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales) space agency and the DGA (Direction generale de l'armement) defense procurement agency on behalf of the French Ministry of Defense. The launch took pla ... more
+ SpaceX blasts off powerful GPS satellite for US military
+ Russia to Complete Flight Tests of Soyuz-2.1V Carrier Rocket in 2019 - Source
+ Roscosmos selects super-heavy rocket concept designed for lunar flights
+ New Materials Architectures Sought to Cool Hypersonic Vehicles
+ Elon Musk Lauds Brilliant Russian Rocket Engine RD-180 in Core of US' Atlas V
+ Elon Musk's SpaceX set to raise $500 mn: report
+ Russia to Decommission Carrier Vehicle With Ukraine-Made Components


Over Six Months Without Word From Opportunity
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 24, 2018
Mars atmospheric opacity (tau) over the rover site remains at a storm-free range around 1.0. No signal from Opportunity has been heard since Sol 5111 (June 10, 2018). Opportunity likely experienced a low-power fault, a mission clock fault and an up-loss timer fault. Since the loss of signal, the team has been listening for the rover over a broad range of times, frequencies and polari ... more
+ Mars Express gets festive: A winter wonderland on Mars
+ 3D photogrammetric evidence for trace fossils at Vera Rubin Ridge, Gale Crater, Mars
+ The C-Space Project Opens Mars Base as a Space Education Facility
+ Mars 2020 rover to capture sound on the Red Planet
+ InSight places its first instrument on Mars
+ InSight Engineers Have Made a Martian Rock Garden
+ Opportunity team performs more frequent communication attempts throughout each day
China launches first Hongyun project satellite
Beijing (Sputnik) Dec 24, 2018
China on 22 December successfully launched the first satellite of its Hongyun project, which seeks to create a network of communication satellites on the low Earth orbit in order to provide stable internet connection to the country's remote regions, the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) said. The satellite was launched atop the Long March-11 rocket at 07: ... more
+ China's Chang'e-4 probe enters lunar orbit
+ China launches rover for first far side of the moon landing
+ Evolving Chinese Space Ecosystem To Foster Innovative Environment
+ China sends 5 satellites into orbit via single rocket
+ China releases smart solution for verifying reliability of space equipment components
+ China unveils new 'Heavenly Palace' space station as ISS days numbered
+ China's space programs open up to world
ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst returns to Earth for the second time
Paris (ESA) Dec 21, 2018
ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst returned to Earth earlier this week alongside NASA astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancellor and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergei Prokopyev. Returning in the same Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft that flew them to the International Space Station on 6 June 2018, the trio landed in the Kazakh steppe on 20 December at 05:06 GMT (06:06 CET). Alexander is now flying directly to Colo ... more
+ Year of many new beginnings for Indian space sector
+ Scaled back OneWeb constellation Not to affect number of Soyuz boosters
+ Spacecraft Repo Operations
+ Update from ESA Council, December 2018
+ CAT rules in favour of Ofcom's EAN authorisation decision
+ Fleet Space Technologies' Centauri launched aboard SpaceX Falcon 9
+ Roscosmos Targeted by Info Attack to Hamper Revival of Space Industry in Russia
Finding ways to protect crews from the effects of space radiation
Houston TX (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
In the near future, crews will embark on multi-month missions to the Moon, and eventually Mars and beyond. All incredible adventures, however, have their hazards, and a major one for crews on long-duration spaceflights is the space radiation they will be exposed to during their missions. A new experiment aboard the International Space Station, The Growth of Large, Perfect Protein Crystals ... more
+ NASA industry team creates and demonstrates first quantum sensor for satellite gravimetry
+ Raytheon awarded $114M for AN/SPY-6V radar integration, production
+ Celestia wins major ESA contract for UK
+ New type of low-energy nanolaser that shines in all directions
+ System monitors radiation damage to materials in real-time
+ New megalibrary approach proves useful for the rapid discovery of new materials
+ Data storage using individual molecules


Baby Star's Fiery Tantrum Could Create Building Blocks of Planets
Warwick UK (SPX) Dec 24, 2018
A massive stellar flare on a baby star has been spotted by University of Warwick astronomers, shedding light on the origins of potentially habitable exoplanets. One of the largest ever seen on a star of its type, the huge explosion of energy and plasma is around 10,000 times bigger than the largest solar flare ever recorded from our own Sun. The discovery is detailed in a paper for t ... more
+ NASA study finds sugars, key ingredient for life, can form in space
+ Narrowing the universe in the search for life
+ A young star caught forming like a planet
+ Planets with Oxygen Don't Necessarily Have Life
+ Where did the hot Neptunes go
+ Dancing with the enemy
+ In search of missing worlds, Hubble finds a fast-evaporating exoplanet
NASA spacecraft hurtles toward historic New Year's flyby
Tampa (AFP) Dec 24, 2018
A NASA spacecraft is hurtling toward a historic New Year's Day flyby of the most distant planetary object ever studied, a frozen relic of the early solar system called Ultima Thule. Four billion miles (6.4 billion kilometers) away, the unmanned spaceship, New Horizons, is poised to zoom by at 12:33 am (0533 GMT) on January 1, at a distance of just 2,200 miles (3,500 kilometers) from Ultima T ... more
+ Teledyne e2v has provided New Horizons with two specialist image sensors
+ Astronomers identify cycle of disturbances at Jupiter's equator
+ New Horizons Notebook: On Ultima's Doorstep
+ Ultima Thule's First Mystery: Lack of a 'Light Curve'
+ New Horizons Takes the Inside Course to Ultima Thule
+ Most Distant Solar System Object Ever Observed
+ A nuclear-powered 'tunnelbot' to search for life on Jupiter's icy moon Europa


Warning over deep-sea 'gold rush'
Exeter UK (SPX) Dec 19, 2018
A "gold rush" of seabed mining could lead to unprecedented damage to fragile deep-sea ecosystems, researchers have warned. With major decisions on the future of seabed mining expected in 2019-20, scientists and policy experts from the University of Exeter and Greenpeace have recommended a range of measures to prevent environmental damage. They say deep-sea ecosystems currently need m ... more
+ Cambodia hails opening of country's largest dam despite opposition
+ Climate change leading to water shortage in Andes, Himalayas
+ New management strategies may help Los Angeles avoid future water crises
+ Protected Chilean sea lions are the 'enemy' of fishermen
+ Seismic study reveals huge amount of water dragged into Earth's interior
+ Research unlocks secrets of iron storage in algae
+ A damming trend
First Lockheed Martin-built GPS 3 satellite responding to commands
Denver CO (SPX) Dec 24, 2018
At approximately 12,550 miles (20,200 km) up... turn left. You have arrived at a new era for the Global Positioning System (GPS). A major milestone in the U.S. Air Force's plan to bring new technology and capabilities to the GPS constellation, the first Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT)-built GPS III satellite began "talking" with engineers and operators from ground control, as planned, following ... more
+ First Lockheed Martin-Built GPS III satellite encapsulated for Dec. 18 launch
+ Spire Taps Galileo for Space-Based Weather Data
+ Lockheed Martin prepares GPS III satellite for SpaceX launch
+ UK will build its own satellite-navigation system after Brexit
+ Beijing's space navigation BeiDou program seeks to dethrone US-owned GPS platform
+ China expands use of BeiDou navigation system in transportation
+ China launches twin BeiDou navigation satellites


Getting a glimpse inside the moon
Edmonton, Canada (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
New research from University of Alberta physicists provides the first-ever model of our Moon's rotational dynamics, taking into consideration its solid inner core. Their model helps to explain why, as seen from Earth, the Moon appears to wobble on its axis. The answer, said physicist Mathieu Dumberry, lies in the complex geometry of the Moon's orbit, locked in what is known as a Cassini st ... more
+ Israeli spacecraft gets special passenger before moon journey
+ NASA seeks US partners to develop reusable systems to land astronauts on Moon
+ Learning from lunar lights
+ China launches rover for first far side of the moon landing
+ China Will Launch First Probe to Moon's Far Side Later This Week
+ NASA Announces New Partnerships for Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Services
+ Lockheed Martin Selected for NASA's Commercial Lunar Lander Payload Services Contract
Navigating NASA's first mission to the Trojan asteroids
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
In science fiction, explorers can hop in futuristic spaceships and traverse half the galaxy in the blink of a plot hole. However, this sidelines the navigational acrobatics required in order to guarantee real-life mission success. In 2021, the feat of navigation that is the Lucy mission will launch. To steer Lucy towards its targets doesn't simply involve programming a map into a spacecraf ... more
+ NASA telescopes take a close look at the brightest comet of 2018
+ Holiday Asteroid Imaged with NASA Radar
+ ALMA gives passing comet its close-up
+ Space telescope detects water in a number of asteroids
+ Las Cumbres builds new instrument to study December comet
+ GMV leads the system that "drives" the HERA mission for planetary defence
+ Watch Comet 46P Wirtanen as it nears Earth


Research reveals 'fundamental finding' about Earth's outer core
Tallahassee FL (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
The Earth's core is an exceptionally difficult place to study. Its depths descend a staggering 2,900 kilometers - about the distance from New York City to Denver - and its extreme, otherworldly conditions are extraordinarily challenging to simulate in the lab. For scientists like Florida State University Assistant Professor Mainak Mookherjee and his postdoctoral scholar Suraj Bajgain, whos ... more
+ First detection of rain over the ocean by navigation satellites
+ Ionosphere plasma experiments reviewed in a new Kazan University publication
+ ICESat-2 helps scientists measure ice thickness in the Weddell Sea
+ HyperScout demonstrates that satellite imagery can be processed in space
+ Atmospheric aerosol formation from biogenic vapors is strongly affected by air pollutants
+ First Radar Image from ICEYE-X2 Published Only A Week After Launch
+ Brazil keeps eye on Amazon deforestation with satellites
New findings reveal the behavior of turbulence in the exceptionally hot solar corona
Plainsboro NJ (SPX) Dec 24, 2018
The sun defies conventional scientific understanding. Its upper atmosphere, known as the corona, is many millions of degrees hotter than its surface. Astrophysicists are keen to learn why the corona is so hot, and scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have completed research that may advance the search. The scientists found that form ... more
+ Preparing for discovery with NASA's Parker Solar Probe
+ Research provides insights into Sun's past, future
+ Prediction of Sun's Activity Over the Next Decade
+ Auroras help scientists study energy instabilities in space
+ NASA retires prolific solar observatory after 16 years
+ Scientists map magnetic reconnection in Earth's magnetotail
+ Auroras Unlock the Physics of Energetic Processes in Space


Webb Telescope wrapped in a mobile clean room
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
Before moving NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, and to assure that it's kept clean and safe, Webb got a very special wrapping treatment. The wrapping acts as a "mobile clean room," safeguarding the technological marvel from contaminants. All satellites and observatories are created in clean rooms. Clean rooms filter out harmful contaminants, as even a speck of dust or a fingerprint could ... more
+ Stellar corpse reveals clues to missing stardust
+ Cosmic ray telescope launches from Antarctica
+ Key milestone for Euclid Mission, now ready for final assembly
+ Join the celebration of a hundred years under one sky with IAU
+ Sapphires and Rubies in the Sky
+ Faint glow within galaxy clusters illuminates dark matter
+ NEOWISE satellite observes adolescent star going through a growth spurt
Beyond the black hole singularity with loop quantum gravity
University Park PA (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
Our first glimpses into the physics that exist near the center of a black hole are being made possible using "loop quantum gravity" - a theory that uses quantum mechanics to extend gravitational physics beyond Einstein's general theory of relativity. Loop quantum gravity, originated at Penn State and subsequently developed by a large number of scientists worldwide, is opening up a new para ... more
+ The Coolest Experiment in the Universe
+ Unique insights into an exotic matter state
+ Physicists develop new theory to answer fundamental questions about black holes
+ Mystery of coronae around supermassive black holes deepens
+ Fossil Gas Cloud from the Big Bang Discovered with Keck Observatory
+ Fake plastic atoms
+ Mystery of Black Hole Coronae Deepens
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