Category: Space
Elon Musk’s SpaceX launches 60 ‘broadband’ satellites
SpaceX has begun to roll out a network of orbiting satellites that will beam internet coverage down to Earth as part of a new broadband scheme. The space company has successfully deployed 60 satellites to space, in a network which is expected to eventually cover the entire planet in providing internet coverage. The multibillion-dollar Starlink…
Satellite-tracked trolleys is winner of UK Space Agency competition
Innovative ideas from young people to track abandoned supermarket trolleys by satellite and an app to find public toilets are among the winners of a space competition. (more…)
Elon Musk’s SpaceX delays internet satellite launch – again
SpaceX has postponed the launch of its satellites designed to beam internet coverage from space down to Earth until next week, in order to carry out software updates and additional checks. It is the second time the Elon Musk-founded company has been forced to delay its launch, having originally aimed for liftoff of the Starlink…
Appeal for Apollo 11 moon landing memories to mark 50th anniversary
People across the UK are being urged to share their memories and photographs of the Apollo 11 moon landing on moonlandingmemories.com, ahead of the historic event’s 50th anniversary in July. The public are being asked to submit their personal accounts of the occasion, which saw Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first astronauts to…
Japan’s Interstellar Technology to compete with SpaceX
A Japanese startup that launched a rocket into space earlier this month plans to provide low-cost rocket services and compete with American rivals such as SpaceX, its founder has said. Interstellar Technology founder Takafumi Horie said a low-cost rocket business in Japan is well-positioned to accommodate scientific and commercial needs in Asia. While Japan’s government-led…
Sir Richard Branson announces Virgin Galactic move to New Mexico’s Spaceport America
At a press conference today at the New Mexico State Capitol Building in Santa Fe, Virgin Founder Sir Richard Branson announced that Virgin Galactic’s development and testing program is to move from Mojave, California to Spaceport America, New Mexico. Virgin Galactic has partnered with New Mexico in an agreement which saw the state complete construction…
SpaceX delays supply launch to International Space Station
SpaceX has delayed a supply run to the International Space Station. A Falcon rocket was poised to blast off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with a Dragon cargo capsule. However, a last-minute problem cropped up with the ocean platform for recovering the first-stage booster following lift-off. SpaceX said it will try again on Saturday. Standing down…
Israeli spacecraft crash lands on moon surface
An Israeli spacecraft has failed in its bid to become the first private craft to land on the moon after crashing on the lunar surface. Non-profit organisation SpaceIL had been hoping to see its Beresheet craft complete a landing on the moon, and in the process make Israel only the fourth country to manage the…
Israeli Beresheet spacecraft set to become first commercial moon lander
An Israeli spacecraft will become the first private craft to land on the moon when it touches down on the lunar surface later today (Thursday April 11th, 2019). In a first for commercial space travel, non-profit organisation SpaceIL is hoping to see its Beresheet craft successfully complete a landing on the moon, and in the…
NASA criticises India’s anti-satellite missile test for endangering ISS astronauts
NASA has criticised India’s satellite destruction test for endangering astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS). On March 27, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi announced that it had managed to shoot down one of its own low-orbit satellites, declaring that the country was now a “space power”. The risk of collision to the ISS…
