HELSINKI — Europe stands at a crucial moment as the Ariane 6 launch vehicle prepares for its maiden flight on Tuesday. The Ariane 6 launch is scheduled for 9 July between 14:00 and 18:00 Eastern Time (18:00–22:00 UTC) from the Kourou launch site in French Guiana. The European Space Agency (ESA) will stream the launch … Read more
The European Space Agency ESA has created its own version of a Lego brick that is 3D printed from meteorite dust. The organization is using it to investigate how buildings can be built in space. The “space bricks,” as Lego and the European Space Agency (ESA) call them, are made from the dust of a … Read more
WASHINGTON – European weather satellite operator Eumetsat has shifted the upcoming launch of a weather satellite from an Ariane 6 to a Falcon 9, a move that surprised and frustrated European space officials. In a statement late June 28, Eumetsat said the geostationary weather satellite Meteosat Third Generation-Sounder 1 (MTG-S1) will now be launched on … Read more
WASHINGTON – Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket has completed a refueling test and countdown rehearsal, marking the last major milestone before its inaugural launch in July. The European Space Agency said on June 21 that the agency and its partners had completed a wet dress rehearsal at the launch site in French Guiana the day before. … Read more
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has started telling 500 disabled people on unemployment benefits to move to universal credit, just days after a Conservative minister assured MPs that no claimant would face such a move until September. DWP previously announced that it would begin rolling out universal credit to the remaining Employment and … Read more
HELSINKI – European-Chinese cooperation in lunar exploration could end despite successful cooperation in the ongoing Chang’e-6 mission. ESA delivered a payload for China’s Chang’e-6 complex sample return mission to the far side of the moon, which launched on May 3. The mission aims to collect and return samples from the far side of the moon, … Read more
One of the challenges of seeing a launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California is actually seeing the launch. A layer of low cloud often rolls in from the Pacific Ocean, causing rockets to disappear a few seconds after takeoff. Such was the case on May 28, when a Falcon 9 launched EarthCARE, an … Read more
Science and exploration 22/05/2024 2539 views 11 holds ESA has signed two contracts with European industry to develop a commercial service capable of transporting cargo to and from the International Space Station in low Earth orbit by 2030. The selected companies will be asked to demonstrate their cargo service to the International Space Station ideally … Read more
WASHINGTON – The European Space Agency has selected one of the continent’s largest space companies and one of its best-funded startups for study contracts that could lead to commercial cargo and crew vehicles. ESA announced on May 22 that it has awarded contracts worth around 25 million euros ($27 million) each to Thales Alenia Space … Read more