Two NASA astronauts returned to Earth in a dramatic, retro-style splashdown, their capsule parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico to close out an unprecedented test flight by Elon Musk's SpaceX company.
It was the first splashdown by US astronauts in 45 years, with the first commercially built and operated spacecraft to carry people to and from orbit. The return clears the way for another SpaceX crew launch as early as next month and possible tourist flights next year.
Test pilots Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken arrived back on Earth in their SpaceX Dragon capsule named Endeavour, less than a day after departing the International Space Station and two months after blasting off from Florida.
Aug 02, 2020
NASA Astronauts Riding SpaceX Capsule Poised for Return
The two NASA astronauts who rode to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX's new Crew Dragon are heading home for a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, capping a two-month voyage in space that marked NASA's first crewed mission from home soil in nine years.
Crew Dragon "Endeavor" decoupled from the orbital station carrying U.S. astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley— the first procedure of its kind in a privately built space capsule.
It will be the first splashdown for astronauts in 45 years. The last time was following the joint US-Soviet mission in 1975 known as Apollo-Soyuz.
Upon a successful splashdown, the spacecraft will have completed its final key test to prove it can transport astronauts to and from space — a task SpaceX has accomplished dozens of times with its cargo-only capsule but never before with humans aboard.
Aug 01, 2020
European Sentinel Satellites to Map Global CO2 Emissions
German manufacturer OHB-System signed a €445m (£400m) contract to begin construction of a satellite network to monitor carbon dioxide.
The CO2M constellation will consist in the first instance of two spacecraft, but there is an option for a third.
The platforms will track the greenhouse gas across the globe, helping nations assess the scale of their emissions.
Under the Paris climate accord, countries must compile CO2 inventories. CO2M will provide supporting data.
The aim is to launch the OHB spacecraft in 2025 so they can inform the international stocktake that will report in 2028.
CO2M falls under the European Union's Copernicus Earth observation programme. This flies a series of satellite sensors called Sentinels, which monitor everything from damage wrought by earthquakes to the health of staple food crops.
China Celebrates Completion of BeiDou Satellite System that Could Rival the US' GPS
China is celebrating the completion of its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System that could rival the U.S. Global Positioning System and significantly boost China's security and geopolitical clout.
President Xi Jinping, the leader of the ruling Communist Party and the People's Liberation Army, officially commissioned the system Friday at a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
That followed a declaration that the 55th and final geostationary satellite in the constellation launched June 23 was operating after having completed all tests.
The satellite is part of the third iteration of the BeiDou system known as BDS-3, which began providing navigation services in 2018 to countries taking part in China's sprawling "Belt and Road" infrastructure initiative along with others.
Jul 31, 2020
NASA Launches Mars Rover Perseverance
NASA launched its Mars Perseverance Rover from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The main aim of the Mars Perseverance Rover is to seek signs of ancient life and collect rock and soil samples for a possible return to Earth. The duration of the mission is expected to be at least one Mars year which is equivalent to 687 days on Earth.
The Mars Perseverance Rover is expected to land on Mars on February 18, 2021, after covering a distance of 300 million miles (482.8 million km approximately). The landing site of the rover will be the Jezero Crater on the Red Planet. This is the third launch to Mars after China's rover-orbiter combo and a United Arab Emirates orbiter launched last week.
ISRO's IN-SPACe to be Set up as Single-window Nodal Agency for pvt Sector
IN-SPACe will have a Chairman, technical experts for space activities, safety specialists, experts from academia and industries, legal and strategic experts from other departments, and members of the PMO and MEA, Government of India. The space agency released a detailed structure of IN-SPACe and its proposed activities.
Last month, the Cabinet cleared IN-SPACe as a separate vertical for permitting and regulating the activities of private industry in the space sector.
It will be established as a single-window nodal agency, with its own cadre, which will permit and oversee the following activities of NGPEs (Non-Government Private Entities).
IN-SPACe responsibilities include space activities such as building of launch vehicles and satellites and providing space-based services as per the definition of space activities, sharing of space infrastructure and premises under ISRO's control.
Other functions include establishment of temporary facilities within ISRO-controlled premises, setting up of new space infrastructure and facilities by NGPEs.
Jul 29, 2020
World's Largest Nuclear Fusion Project
The world's biggest nuclear fusion project has entered its five-year assembly phase.
After this is finished, the facility will be able to start generating the super-hot "plasma" required for fusion power.
The £18.2bn (€20bn; $23.5bn) facility has been under construction in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, southern France.
Advocates say that fusion could be a source of clean, unlimited power that would help tackle the climate crisis.
Iter is a collaboration between China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the US. All members share in the cost of construction.
Airbus to Build First Interplanetary Cargo Ship
Airbus-France will build the huge satellite that brings the first Martian rock samples back to Earth.
This material will be drilled on the Red Planet by the US space agency's next rover, Perseverance, before being blasted into orbit by a rocket.
It'll be the Airbus satellite's job to grab the packaged samples and then ship them home.
The joint American-European project is expected to cost billions and take just over a decade to implement.
But scientists say that it is probably the best way to confirm whether life has ever existed on the Red Planet.
Any evidence is likely to be controversial and will need the powerful analytical tools only found in Earth laboratories to convince the doubters, the researchers argue.
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