Tag: Space
UK Space Agency announces funding to extend satellite life and tackle space debris
Satellite Applications Catapult’s In-Orbit Servicing and Manufacturing facility, Westcott Space Cluster. Image shows the robot tracking equipment, with a target satellite and the Airbus VISPA robotic arm. Credit: Airbus Defence and Space The UK Space Agency has announced funding for work that aims to prolong the life of satellites, as part…
UK Space Agency promises £6.7 million funding into Scottish space companies
Two companies have secured over £6.7 million in funding to develop rocket launch technologies sustainably and help establish the UK’s position as Europe’s leading destination for commercial spaceflight activities. The funding was awarded using UK Space Agency contributions to the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Boost! Programme which aims to help companies develop world-leading space…
Tech Digest daily roundup: Could electricity be beamed wirelessly from space?
Image: European Space Agency Space chiefs are to investigate whether electricity could be beamed wirelessly from orbit into millions of homes. The European Space Agency will this week likely approve a three-year study to see if having huge solar farms in space could work and be cost effective. The eventual aim…
Nissan unveils lunar rover prototype
Nissan unveils lunar rover prototype jointly developed with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Nissan has unveiled a lunar rover prototype jointly developed with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) at its Nissan Futures event. The JAXA Space Exploration Innovation Hub Center is conducting research on lunar rovers which must be able to…
Tech Digest daily roundup: 90yo Shatner emotional after ‘profound’ space trip
Star Trek actor William Shatner has become the oldest person to reach space, calling his trip "the most profound experience". The 90-year-old blasted off from Texas at 3.49pm UK time on a Blue Origin rocket - the space company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Shatner, who played Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek series,…
Sir Richard Branson becomes first billionaire in space
Sir Richard Branson has reached space, according to his company, Virgin Galactic. After releasing from the mothership - at approximately 4.25pm UK time - the VSS Unity spaceplane quickly reached its maximum altitude at 55 miles (88km) which is below the Karman Line, internationally recognised as the edge of space. The British billionaire took the…
Virgin Galactic confirms VSS Unity test flights
Virgin Galactic has confirmed that the next rocket-powered test flight of SpaceShipTwo Unity will be conducted on May 22, pending weather and technical checks. This follows the completion of a maintenance review of VMS Eve, the mothership jet aircraft which is designed to carry SpaceShipTwo to an altitude of approximately 50,000 feet. “Following a detailed…
Tech Digest daily round up: Nintendo announces Pikmin mobile game
Nintendo has announced a new Pikmin mobile game from the developers of Pokémon Go. Created by Niantic, the Nintendo game will make use of similar AR features to bring the adorable, brightly-coloured Pikmin critters into the real world. Slated to launch later this year, the fun app will “include gameplay activities to encourage walking and make walking more delightful,”…
Covid-19 inspired next generation of scientists, claims study
The coronavirus pandemic has inspired more than a third (35%) of children to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), new data from Thales suggests. According to its figures, children in the UK are most inspired to be doctors or nurses (29%) and astronauts (25%). Youngsters have also been particularly engaged by scientific…
British spaceflight takes one step closer
Spaceflight from the UK? Helen Sharman became the UK's first astronaut when she went to the Mir space station on a joint British-Soviet Union mission The Government has published its commercial spaceflight consultation, paving the way for future space launches from UK soil. Over the past few months, it has been…
