China launched the first group of satellites for its Guowang megaconstellation on Dec. 16, marking the beginning of its efforts to provide global satellite internet coverage. The Long March 5B rocket, launched from Hainan, carried the satellites into low Earth orbit. The Guowang constellation, managed by China Satnet, aims to compete with systems like Starlink, with plans to deploy nearly 13,000 satellites by 2032. This … Continue reading China kicks off Guowang megaconstellation with Long March 5B launch

SpaceX’s Dragon cargo capsule undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on Dec. 16 at 11:05 a.m. EST, completing the CRS-31 mission. The spacecraft will splash down off Florida’s coast on Dec. 17, returning thousands of pounds of equipment and experiment samples for NASA. Dragon is the only cargo vehicle capable of safely bringing items back to Earth; other cargo freighters, like Cygnus and Progress, … Continue reading SpaceX’s 31st Dragon cargo capsule departs ISS to head home to Earth

In a secretive mission, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the U.S. military’s GPS III SV-07 satellite on Dec. 16, demonstrating the ability to condense a typical two-year planning cycle to under six months. Originally slated for a late 2025 launch aboard ULA’s Vulcan rocket, SV-07 was reassigned due to Vulcan delays. The “Rapid Response Trailblazer-1” (RRT-1) mission aimed to prove the U.S. Space Force’s … Continue reading SpaceX launches U.S. Space Force ‘rapid response’ GPS mission

Astroscale, a Japanese space company, achieved the closest ever approach by a commercial operator to space junk, coming within 15 meters of a defunct rocket upper stage. This was part of the Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J) mission, selected by JAXA for its Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration. While this close approach was not required by JAXA, it aimed to demonstrate precise rendezvous and … Continue reading Astroscale orbital janitor gets within 15 meters of space junk

A new study published in Science examines the frequency of solar superflares by analyzing data from 56,450 sun-like stars observed by NASA’s Kepler space telescope. These superflares, which release immense energy, were detected as sharp brightness peaks. By studying these stars, researchers estimate that a sun-like star experiences a superflare approximately once every century, Phys.org has reported. The study, which accounts for errors and non-sun-like stars, offers … Continue reading Observations suggest sun-like stars emit superflares once per century

Ingenuity, NASA’s Mars helicopter, may have crashed during its 72nd flight on January 18, 2024, but it isn’t finished. Despite rotor damage, the helicopter’s avionics and sensors remain functional, allowing it to continue operating as a weather station, taking images and recording telemetry daily. NASA’s investigation into the crash revealed that the Martian surface’s bland texture caused the navigation system to lack critical information. While … Continue reading NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter could live on as a weather station for 20 years