European Vega rocket launch delayed due to weather
The launch Saturday of Europe's lightweight rocket, Vega, from Kourou in French Guiana was put off until an unspecified date because of poor weather conditions at the space base, the European Space...
View ArticleEurope launches new satellites into space
Europe's lightweight rocket, Vega, was launched from Kourou space base in French Guiana late Monday for the first mission, webcast live, since its maiden flight in February last year.
View ArticleGenerating electricity from 20 suns
What do lighthouses have in common with a groundbreaking spacecraft propulsion system? And how can the technology they share help us here on Earth to generate electricity more efficiently?
View ArticleDawn craft to circle giant asteroid in 1st stop
(AP) -- After four years sailing through space, the Dawn spacecraft was expected to slip into orbit late Friday around a giant asteroid to begin a yearlong investigation into the origins of the solar...
View ArticleDawn spacecraft gets cozy with massive asteroid
(AP) -- Scientists are busy poring over images of the massive asteroid Vesta, the first time it has been photographed up close.
View ArticleGerman satellite re-enters Earth's atmosphere
A German satellite the size of a car re-entered the Earth's atmosphere early Sunday, officials said, adding they did not know yet if any debris had hit the Earth.
View ArticleGerman satellite crashed 'into Bay of Bengal'
A German satellite the size of a car re-entered the Earth's atmosphere Sunday over the Gulf of Bengal, but it was not known if any debris hit the Earth, the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) said on Tuesday.
View ArticleLADEE closer to exploration of lunar environment
NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) has received its integrated propulsion system that will enable the spacecraft to reach the moon. Achieving this milestone means the LADEE...
View ArticleDawn Engineers Assess Reaction Wheel
Engineers working on NASA's Dawn spacecraft are assessing the status of a reaction wheel -- part of a system that helps the spacecraft point precisely -- after onboard software powered it off on Aug....
View ArticleDawn spacecraft prepares for trek toward dwarf planet
(Phys.org)—NASA's Dawn spacecraft is on track to become the first probe to orbit and study two distant solar system destinations, to help scientists answer questions about the formation of our solar...
View ArticleJupiter-bound craft's 2nd maneuver delayed 10 days
NASA says it has postponed a maneuver planned for the Jupiter-bound spacecraft Juno.
View ArticleDawn craft to depart asteroid for dwarf planet
One asteroid down, one to go. After spending a year gazing at Vesta, NASA's Dawn spacecraft was set to cruise toward the most massive space rock in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter—a voyage...
View ArticleVesta in Dawn's rear view mirror
(Phys.org)—NASA's Dawn mission is releasing two parting views of the giant asteroid Vesta, using images that were among the last taken by the spacecraft as it departed its companion for the last year.
View ArticleStudy looks at making asteroid mining viable
There's been a lot of buzz in the media lately about mining asteroids, largely brought on by the introduction of Planetary Resources, Peter Diamandis' new venture into the industry. But is this...
View ArticleNASA, Europeans uniting to send spaceship to moon (Update)
NASA is teaming up with the European Space Agency to get astronauts beyond Earth's orbit.
View ArticleDawn is in silent pursuit of Ceres
In the depths of the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, far from Earth, far even from any human-made object, Dawn remains in silent pursuit of dwarf planet Ceres.
View ArticleNew research key to revolutionary 'green' spacecraft propellant
In 2015, NASA, for the first time, will fly a space mission utilizing a radically different propellant—one which has reduced toxicity and is environmentally benign. This energetic ionic liquid, or EIL,...
View ArticleUS space chief updates on asteroid lasso mission (Update)
Surrounded by engineers, NASA chief Charles Bolden inspected a prototype spacecraft engine that could power an audacious mission to lasso an asteroid and tow it closer to Earth for astronauts to explore.
View ArticleKickstarting tiny satellites into interplanetary space (w/ Video)
(Phys.org) —Two University of Michigan engineering professors are turning to the Kickstarter online community to help fund an interplanetary satellite mission.
View Article'Ferrari of space' set to fall to Earth
A science satellite dubbed the "Ferrari of space" for its sleek, finned looks will shortly run out of fuel and fall to Earth after a successful mission, the European Space Agency (ESA) says.
View ArticleBid to 'reboot' aging NASA satellite is scuttled as fuel system fails
ISEE-3 will not be returning home after all. Authors of a plan to revive the forgotten NASA satellite and return it to Earth orbit conceded Wednesday that a failure in the spacecraft's propulsion...
View ArticleDawn operating normally after safe mode triggered
(Phys.org) —The Dawn spacecraft has resumed normal ion thrusting after the thrusting unexpectedly stopped and the spacecraft entered safe mode on September 11. That anomaly occurred shortly before a...
View ArticleDawn spacecraft begins approach to dwarf planet Ceres
(Phys.org)—NASA's Dawn spacecraft has entered an approach phase in which it will continue to close in on Ceres, a Texas-sized dwarf planet never before visited by a spacecraft. Dawn launched in 2007...
View ArticleNASA spacecraft making first visit to dwarf planet Ceres (Update)
A NASA spacecraft is about to reach the end of a nearly eight-year journey and make the first rendezvous with a dwarf planet.
View ArticleNASA spacecraft nears historic dwarf planet arrival
NASA's Dawn spacecraft has returned new images captured on approach to its historic orbit insertion at the dwarf planet Ceres. Dawn will be the first mission to successfully visit a dwarf planet when...
View ArticleHow to sail through space on sunbeams – solar satellite leads the way
A new kind of spacecraft that sails on sunlight has just been successfully deployed above Earth. The LightSail satellite yesterday overcame a series of glitches to unfurl its solar sails, a propulsion...
View ArticleDawn holding in second mapping orbit
NASA's Dawn spacecraft is healthy and stable, after experiencing an anomaly in the system that controls its orientation. It is still in its second mapping orbit 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers) above...
View ArticleIon propulsion—the key to deep space exploration
When we think of space travel, we tend to picture a massive rocket blasting off from Earth, with huge blast streams of fire and smoke coming out the bottom, as the enormous machine struggles to escape...
View ArticleStudent fascinated with comets devises a strategy for defending earth from...
Growing up in the California desert, Qicheng Zhang developed an early appreciation for stars and the universal expanse beyond the sky. But his biggest space curiosity by far was with comets, those...
View ArticleImage: European Service Module component of the Orion spacecraft
Even the most complex of systems comes down to properly configured wires and cables, such as those pictured here on the Propulsion Qualification Model of the Orion service module.
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