Tag: space

‘Like a mirror’: Astronomers identify most reflective exoplanet

By Daniel Lawler Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — A scorching hot world where metal clouds rain drops of titanium is the most reflective planet ever observed outside of our Solar System, astronomers said on Monday. This strange world, which is more than 260 light years from Earth, reflects 80 percent of the light from its host star, according to new observations from Europe’s exoplanet-probing Cheops space telescope. That makes it the first exoplanet comparably […]

Final Ariane 5 blasts off amid Europe rocket crisis

By Juliette Collen Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Europe’s workhorse Ariane 5 rocket blasted off for a final time on Wednesday, with its farewell flight after 27 years of launches coming at a difficult time for European space efforts. Faced with soaring global competition, the continent has unexpectedly found itself without a way to independently launch heavy missions into space due to delays to the next-generation Ariane 6 and Russia withdrawing its rockets. The […]

Crashed North Korean spy satellite had ‘no military utility’: Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea’s first spy satellite had “no military utility” at all, South Korea said Wednesday after analyzing its wreckage. In May, North Korea attempted to put what it described as its first military reconnaissance satellite in orbit but the rocket carrying it plunged into the sea minutes after launch. The crash sparked a complex, 36-day South Korean salvage operation involving a fleet of naval rescue ships, minesweepers and deep-sea divers. […]

North Korea says spy satellite ‘crashed into sea’

By Claire LEE Agence France-Presse SEOUL, May 31, 2023 (AFP) — North Korea launched a military spy satellite Wednesday, but it crashed into the sea soon after as an “accident occurred” during its flight, state media said. Pyongyang does not have a functioning satellite in space and leader Kim Jong Un has made developing a military spy satellite a top priority for his regime, personally overseeing some launch preparations. North Korean space authorities “launched a […]

North Korea launches claimed ‘spy satellite’, Seoul says

By Claire LEE Agence France-Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea launched its purported spy satellite Wednesday, the South’s military said, prompting confusion in Seoul as the city briefly issued an evacuation warning in error. South Korea’s military detected the launch of what Pyongyang has described as a military reconnaissance satellite “from Tongchang County area of North Pyongan Province in North Korea, at around 6:29 today” in a southerly direction, the Joint Chiefs of […]

China to send first civilian into space on Tuesday

By Ludovic EHRET Agence France-Presse JIUQUAN, China, May 29, 2023 (AFP) — China will send its first civilian astronaut into space as part of a crewed mission to the Tiangong space station on Tuesday, its Manned Space Agency announced, as Beijing pushes ahead with its extra-terrestrial ambitions. The world’s second-largest economy has invested billions of dollars into its military-run space program, trying to catch up with the United States and Russia after years of belatedly […]

South Korea to launch homegrown rocket for third test

SEOUL, South Korea, May 24, 2023 (AFP) — South Korea was set to launch its homegrown Nuri rocket Wednesday and try to put a working satellite into orbit — potentially a key development for the country’s burgeoning space program. This is the third launch of Nuri, following a failed first attempt and a successful second mission last year, but during those tests the rocket carried payloads mainly designed for verifying the performance of the launch […]

ISS welcomes its first Saudi astronauts, in private mission

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A SpaceX capsule carrying two Saudi astronauts docked with the International Space Station on Monday, as part of a private mission chartered by Axiom Space. Rayyanah Barnawi, a scientist who became the first Saudi woman to go into space, and Ali Al-Qarni, a trained fighter pilot, are the first two people from their country to fly to the orbital outpost. “Greetings from outer space, I’m here not only representing […]

Private mission carrying Saudi astronauts launches to ISS

By Gregg NEWTON with Lucie AUBOURG in Washington Agence France-Presse CAPE CANAVERAL, May 22, 2023 (AFP) — The second-ever private mission to the International Space Station (ISS), organized by Axiom Space, blasted off from the southern US state of Florida Sunday, carrying the first two Saudi astronauts to travel to the orbiting laboratory. Rayyanah Barnawi, a breast cancer researcher, is the first Saudi woman to voyage into space and is joined on the mission by […]

Kim inspects North Korea’s first spy satellite: state media

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) – Leader Kim Jong Un has inspected North Korea’s first military spy satellite and gave the go-ahead for its “future action plan,” state media said Wednesday. Kim met with the Non-permanent Satellite Launch Preparatory Committee on Tuesday before viewing the satellite, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. A month ago, Kim said construction of the satellite was completed and gave the green light for its launch. That report on April […]

Astronomers puzzled by ‘largest’ ever cosmic explosion

PARIS, May 12, 2023 (AFP) – Astronomers said on Friday they have identified the “largest” cosmic explosion ever observed, a fireball 100 times the size of our Solar System that suddenly began blazing in the distant universe more than three years ago. While the astronomers offered what they think is the most likely explanation for the explosion, they emphasised that more research was needed to understand the puzzling phenomenon. The explosion, called AT2021lwx, is not […]

NASA launches two small satellites to track hurricanes

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — NASA launched two small satellites designed to track tropical cyclones hour by hour from a base in New Zealand on Monday, in a project that could improve weather predictions on devastating storms. The new storm trackers, sent into orbit on a rocket built by US company Rocket Lab, can fly over hurricanes (or typhoons in the Pacific) every hour, compared to every six hours with current satellites. Researchers will be […]