China’s Shenlong robotic spaceplane, on its third mission, has added a new layer of intrigue to its space activities by deploying six unidentified objects into Earth’s orbit.
In mid-July, viewers hoping to catch a glimpse of a SpaceX rocket launch were stunned to see it followed by a bright aurora-like phenomenon over Arizona. The rocket had formed a hole in the upper atmosphere, evinced by a red glow captured by photographers on the ground.
John Raoux / AP Images
Earth’s orbit can be a chaotic place, with defunct spacecraft darting aimlessly across the dark skies. In order to tackle the growing issue of space debris, Airbus created a new device designed to keep satellites from tumbling around after they’re no longer of use.
Amazon’s space venture, Project Kuiper, is making good progress, with a pair of prototype satellites executing controlled maneuvers in low Earth orbit. The ongoing Protomission, as it’s called, sets the stage for the company to further develop its internet satellite constellation, one that could eventually compete…
Viruses are somehow even weirder than we thought. In a recent study published last month, scientists say they’ve discovered two new viruses that hijack the machinery of other bacteria-infecting viruses in order to replicate themselves. One of these vampiric viruses even acts the part, appearing to “bite” and latch…
In yet another example of awkward branding, Space Force has unveiled a retrofuturistic painting depicting a confrontation in low Earth orbit, leaving us with lots to unpack.
NOAA
Arianespace’s latest Vega mission failed to deploy two of its payloads to orbit, likely due to a failure with the release mechanism with the rocket’s upper stage.
The Bezos-Musk rivalry intensifies this week as Amazon gears up for the launch of two demo internet satellites. This marks the beginning of the Amazon billionaire’s 3,236-satellite-strong megaconstellation that might one day compete with Musk’s leading space-based service, SpaceX—with “one day” being the operative…