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Don’t Panic: Andromeda-Milky Way collision now up to a coin flip
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A new study has shown that the once “near-term” collision between Andromeda and our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is now only a 50-50 chance in the next 10 billion years. So if you were preparing an intergalactic bug out to avoid such a disaster, it might not be needed.
Expand Expanding CloseChinese rocket breakup escalates orbital debris concerns
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On August 6, China launched a Long March 6A rocket, which successfully deployed 18 satellites as part of the country’s “Thousand Sails” megaconstellation project. However, shortly after completing its mission, the rocket’s upper stage experienced an anomaly that led to a significant debris event.
Expand Expanding CloseIntroducing Fram2: The first crewed mission around Earth’s poles
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SpaceX announced Monday that a Chinese crypto entrepreneur purchased a flight on Dragon that will fly around Earth’s poles. The mission will feature crew members from three other countries, none from the US, and could launch as soon as late 2024.
Expand Expanding CloseCapella Space pioneers synthetic aperture radar technology for advanced Earth observation
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Capella Space, a U.S. company established in 2016, has played a role advancing Synthetic Aperture Radar, or SAR, satellite technology. SAR is widely regarded for its capability to provide high-resolution Earth observation even under challenging conditions such as cloud cover or darkness, where traditional optical satellites may struggle. The company’s focus on this technology looks to position it as a leader in the growing market for continuous, all-weather Earth monitoring.
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How many rockets has SpaceX launched in 2024?
SpaceX is aiming for 148 launches in 2024, once again another increase over the 98 it completed the year before. This cadence would mean the company would have to launch once every two and a half days. Keep track below of all of SpaceX’s 2024 launches.
Expand Expanding CloseCNBC: SpaceX violated environmental laws with its deluge system
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CNBC reported the industry leading commercial launcher has violated basic water treatment regulations with its Starship deluge system in Starbase, Texas. While SpaceX has denied the report, the FAA has postponed its environmental review public meetings for an unknown reason, and both Texas and Federal agencies have reported violations per CNBC.
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Event38 adding SpaceX Starlink to drones for BVLOS flights
An Event38 employee shared on LinkedIn a tease of an upcoming addition to its E455 drones, SpaceX’s Starlink internet. This use would be linked to its BVLOS variant and would allow higher data rates over long distances with low latency and high reliability.
Expand Expanding CloseThis Week in Launch: Russia to launch next ISS supply mission
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We have a total for four launches this week currently on the schedule, we’ll see if that changes. Two of those are from SpaceX and shocking, even myself, neither are for the company’s Starlink constellation. The headliner this week will be Russia‘s Progress MS-28 resupply mission to the ISS on Wednesday.
Expand Expanding CloseStarliner issues throw a wrench in NASA’s crew rotation plans
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NASA‘s mood toward’s the safety of returning Boeing‘s Crewed Flight Test crew back on Starliner has switched from steadfast support to plans to use SpaceX Dragon for a return flight. However, this has caused drastic changes to both SpaceX‘s and NASA’s launched schedules using its Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Expand Expanding CloseU.S. Army considers dedicated space career field for enlisted soldiers
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The U.S. Army is exploring the establishment of a specialized space career field for enlisted soldiers, a move that could significantly enhance national security by bolstering the military’s space expertise. This initiative, endorsed by Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey, commander of the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command, was highlighted during the Space and Missile Defense Conference in Huntsville, Alabama.
Expand Expanding CloseSpaceX shows off new iteration of its Starship’s Raptor rocket engine
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SpaceX showed off its new version of Starship‘s methane powered rocket engines over the weekend. The new Raptor 3 engine is dramatically cleaner and more powerful then what SpaceX was using on its first Starship missions.
Expand Expanding CloseFormer NASA astronaut turned Senator is on the Harris running mate shortlist
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Former NASA astronaut and now Arizona senator, Mark Kelly, is on the short list to potentially become Vice President Harris’ running mate. As head of the National Space Council, his potential nomination has spurred some excitement in the spaceflight community.
Expand Expanding CloseThis Week in Launch: SpaceX aiming for 80th launch of 2024
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This week SpaceX is looking at launching three Falcon 9 rockets, two of those will be for the company’s Starlink constellation. Another payload is a multi-payload satellite that will host missions for the Space Force, Norwegian’s Ministry of Defense, and ViaSat.
Expand Expanding CloseFirst Scottish orbital launch could be set for this fall
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Rocket Factory Augsburg is gearing up for its first orbital launch attempt of its RFA One rocket. Its spaceport, a set of Islands north of mainland Scotland, is also ready for the company’s launch, the first from the UK’s soil.
Expand Expanding CloseNASA is all in on streaming, ditching the NASA TV broadcast
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The agency announced this week that it will phase out its NASA TV over the air broadcast service in favor of its digital NASA+ streaming service. Still free, the agency promises all the same great content, just in a new location.
Expand Expanding CloseULA launches final national security Atlas V
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ULA launched an Atlas V rocket early this morning carrying a classified payload. This was the Atlas V’s final national security payload, with the remaining NSSL missions being carried out by the company’s new Vulcan rocket.
Expand Expanding CloseSpaceX Dragon recovery will return to the West Coast for good
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SpaceX announced last week that the company will be moving its Dragon recovery operations to the West Coast of the United States due to trunk debris surviving reentry, even though computer models said it wouldn’t. This will be a return to form as the company started out recovering its Dragons from California.
Expand Expanding CloseThis Week in Launch: ULA and Rocket Lab back for more launches
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This week we have a total of four launches on the schedule as of right now. Two of the missions are coming from SpaceX with the remaining two coming from Rocket Lab and ULA. The highlight for the week will be the Atlas V launch, as it will be ULA’s final Atlas launch for national security missions.
Expand Expanding CloseSpaceX’s Falcon 9 returns to flight with a trio of Starlink launches
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After Thursday’s green light from the FAA to resume launches, SpaceX took no time to try to catch up on the last few week’s lack of Starlink missions. Using all three of its Falcon 9 launch sites, the company launched a total of 67 Starlink satellites into orbit.
Expand Expanding CloseInside NASA’s booth and mission at EAA Oshkosh 2024 – X-59, drones, and more
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With the week wrapping up, here’s what NASA is presenting to the public at EAA Oshkosh 2024. Full of research and development, NASA’s Bob Pearce, Associate Administrator for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, gave us some background into ongoing and upcoming projects.
Expand Expanding CloseSpaceX Falcon 9 cleared to fly as soon as this weekend
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SpaceX has been cleared by the FAA to resume flight operations for its Falcon 9 rocket, even though the company’s investigation hasn’t yet been fully closed. SpaceX released a statement detailing what caused the failure of its second stage earlier this month and a short term fix ahead of Saturday’s early morning Starlink launch.
Expand Expanding CloseBlue Origin to launch youngest woman across the Kármán Line
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Blue Origin announced Wednesday its crew for the NS-26 missions. On board will be several high achieving and and lucky individuals that will get the chance to fly and feel weightlessness above the Karman Line. One of the crew members, a daughter of a previous participant, will become the youngest woman to reach 100 km.
Expand Expanding CloseNASA’s start to help meet net-zero aviation emissions by 2050
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Back in 2021, the Department of Transportation set in motion a plan for the US aviation sector to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. NASA, the government’s go to for civilian aviation research, discussed its advancements, challenges, and predictions on hybrid/electric aircraft at EAA Oshkosh this week.
Expand Expanding CloseHere’s who will be flying to space on SpaceX Crew-9
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Next month SpaceX is planning to launch the next crew of four astronauts to the International Space Station under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. In case you forgot, here’s a quick recap of who’s going to be on top of that Falcon 9 rocket come liftoff.
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