NASA’s diligent lunar orbiter transmitted a laser beam to a dome-shaped aluminum device the size of a billiard ball on India’s Vikram lander, pinging its location on the Moon. This laser-enabled technique could one day help NASA astronauts find their way on the lunar surface. Moon Knight Gives Us Hope The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) … Read more
JERUSALEM — Iran said Saturday it had conducted a successful satellite launch into its highest orbit yet, the latest for a program the West fears improves Tehran’s ballistic missiles. The announcement comes as heightened tensions grip the wider Middle East over Israel’s continued war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and just days after Iran … Read more
Sierra Space is joining Rocket Lab as a current or formerly VC-backed space company to land a major satellite deal with the military. The Space Development Agency (SDA) selected Sierra, along with Lockheed Martin and L3Harris, to build 54 satellites in deals collectively worth $2.5 billion. The news, announced today, follows news from last week … Read more
Satellite images captured by Maxar Technologies show the aftermath in Yemen on Friday, January 12, after the United States and allies launched a series of strikes in response to Houthi attacks on shipping lanes. Targets, including in the capital city, Sanaa, were hit by fighter jets from the US Navy, US Air force and Royal … Read more
TOKYO — Japan launched a rocket carrying a government intelligence-gathering satellite Friday on a mission to watch movements at military sites in North Korea and improve responses to natural disasters. The H2A rocket, launched by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan, carrying the optical satellite as part … Read more
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan’s Defense Ministry issued an alert Tuesday saying China has launched a satellite and urging caution days before the island’s elections. Taiwan holds presidential and parliamentary elections on Saturday that China has described as a choice between war and peace. The bilingual alert sent to residents’ mobile phones cautioned in English that … Read more
Satellite imagery and machine learning offer a new, far more detailed look at the maritime industry, specifically the number and activities of fishing and transport ships at sea. Turns out there are way more of them than publicly available data would suggest, a fact that policymakers should heed. As a shared global resource, the oceans … Read more
Following a successful liftoff, Firefly’s Alpha rocket seems to have misplaced its payload due to a second stage anomaly. First Full-Color Images From Webb Space Telescope The small rocket launched on Friday, December 22, at 12:32 p.m. ET from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The mission, called “Fly the Lightning,” was carrying a … Read more
Following the launch of its next-generation satellite, Hughes Network Systems is now starting to offer faster internet speeds to compete with its main industry rival SpaceX. Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their View The Maryland-based company has launched new high-speed satellite internet plans for its customers in the Americas, with download … Read more
China’s Shenlong robotic spaceplane, on its third mission, has added a new layer of intrigue to its space activities by deploying six unidentified objects into Earth’s orbit. Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their View Shenlong, meaning “Divine Dragon,” embarked on its third mission on December 14, successfully deploying six objects into … Read more