Tag: space

SpaceX prepares for rehearsal, test flight of Starship rocket

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — SpaceX plans to carry out a launch rehearsal next week of Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, and its first test flight possibly the following week, the private space company said Thursday. SpaceX published photos of the massive Starship, which is designed to eventually send astronauts to the Moon and beyond, on its launchpad at the company’s base in Texas. “Starship fully stacked at Starbase,” SpaceX said in a […]

Astronomers discover one of biggest black holes ever recorded

  Paris, France | AFP | by Daniel Lawler One of the largest black holes ever recorded has been discovered using a new technique that could spot thousands more of the insatiable celestial monsters in the coming years, according to astronomers. The ultramassive black hole, one of just four ever observed, is more than 30 billion times the mass of the Sun, a new study said. It is the first black hole ever observed using […]

Large asteroid to zoom between Earth and Moon

  Paris, France | AFP | Saturday 3/25/2023 by Daniel Lawler A large asteroid will safely zoom between Earth and the Moon on Saturday, a once-in-a-decade event that will be used as a training exercise for planetary defence efforts, according to the European Space Agency. The asteroid, named 2023 DZ2, is estimated to be 40 to 70 metres (130 to 230 feet) wide, roughly the size of the Parthenon, and big enough to wipe out […]

First 3D-printed rocket lifts off but fails to reach orbit

by Chris Lefkow and Lucie Aubourg Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The world’s first 3D-printed rocket launched successfully on Wednesday, marking a step forward for the California company behind the innovative spacecraft, though it failed to reach orbit. Billed as less costly to produce and fly, the unmanned Terran 1 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 11:25 pm (0325 GMT Thursday) but suffered an “anomaly” during second-stage separation as it streamed towards […]

Satellite constellations multiply on profit hopes, geopolitics

by Mathieu RABECHAULT Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The massive constellation of satellites operated by SpaceX, while still growing, will soon be joined in low Earth orbit by many more commercial competitors, but also government-sponsored programs. When firms floated the idea of expanding access to high-speed internet through satellite constellations in low Earth orbit (LEO), analysts expected only two or three companies would succeed. “But the number of players keeps growing,” Caleb Henry, […]

‘No need to worry’: Odds drop newly-found asteroid will hit Earth

Paris, France | AFP | by Daniel Lawler The chances have plummeted that a newly-discovered asteroid with the potential to wipe out a city will hit Earth on Feb. 14, 2046, the European Space Agency said on Tuesday. The asteroid, which is named 2023 DW and is estimated to be around the size of a 50-metre Olympic swimming pool, was first spotted by a small Chilean observatory on February 26. It swiftly shot to the […]

Japan H3 rocket fails, destruct command issued

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s next-generation H3 rocket failed after liftoff on Tuesday, with the space agency issuing a destruct command after concluding the mission could not succeed. The failure is a blow for Japan’s space agency JAXA, after the rocket failed to even lift off on its first try last month. Tuesday’s launch from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan initially appeared to be a success, with the flagship rocket lifting off at […]

Russia launches empty ship to ISS to replace damaged capsule

  Moscow, Russia | AFP | An uncrewed Russian Soyuz capsule took off early Friday from Kazakhstan for the International Space Station to eventually bring home three astronauts whose return vehicle was damaged by a tiny meteoroid. The Soyuz MS-23 vessel lifted off successfully from the Russian-operated Baikonur Cosmodrome, live video broadcast by ISS-partner NASA showed. Though the capsule is scheduled to dock with the ISS early Sunday Moscow time, it is not expected to […]

Russia to send rocket to rescue crew from ISS

  Moscow, Russia (AFP) Russia said Wednesday it would send a rescue capsule next month for three crew members of the International Space Station, after a meteorite damaged the spacecraft that was due to return them to Earth. The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, made the announcement after examining the flight worthiness of the Soyuz MS-22 crew capsule docked with the ISS that sprang a leak in December. On Wednesday, Roscosmos said the spacecraft that was originally set […]

South Korea’s lunar orbiter sends photos of Earth, Moon

  Seoul, South Korea (AFP) South Korea’s first-ever lunar orbiter Danuri has sent black-and-white photos of the Moon’s surface and Earth, the national space centre said Tuesday. Danuri — a portmanteau of the Korean words for “Moon” and “enjoy” — was launched on a SpaceX rocket from the United States in August 2022 and entered lunar orbit last month. Its images — taken between December 24 and January 1 — show the lunar surface and Earth, […]

Russian space chief praises US after ISS coolant leak

  Moscow, Russia (AFP) The head of Russian space agency Roscosmos on Tuesday praised Russia-US cooperation at the International Space Station following a major coolant leak from a Soyuz crew capsule. “Say hello to the entire American team. They proved themselves to be very worthy in this situation and lent us a helping hand,” Borisov said, speaking to the Russian crew on board the ISS. “But I hope we will manage on our own” in […]

Temperature rising on Soyuz, crew not in danger

  Moscow, Russia (AFP) The temperature on the Soyuz capsule docked at the International Space Station has risen but the crew are not in danger, the Russian space agency said Friday as it assesses a leak. Roscosmos said a number of tests had been conducted following the discovery of a coolant leak on the Soyuz MS-22, and the temperature in the capsule had increased to 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). On Wednesday, the leak […]