by David Todd | Sep 9, 2019 | ESA, Launches, Military space
An investigation has revealed the cause of the Vega launch failure on flight VV15 which lost the Falcon Eye 1 satellite causing an insurance loss of circa US$416 million. After what appeared to be successful luanch at 0153 GMT from the Kourou Space Centre on 11 July...
by David Todd | Sep 7, 2019 | ESA, History, Seradata News
The post of Minister of State for Universities and Science, which currently has cabinet “attendee” rank, is a very attractive position for up-and-coming politicians, not least because it is also in charge of the “sexy” subject of space which is...
by David Todd | Sep 3, 2019 | ESA, Satellites, SpaceX
In a sort of space “game of chicken” on 2 September 2019, two satellites heading towards each other had to decide which would move first. After a warning from the US Space Command’s tracking system, the European Space Agency (ESA) found that it was...
by David Todd | Aug 28, 2019 | ESA, International Space Station, JAXA, NASA, Seradata News
The “first ever space crime” may have been committed by astronaut Anne McClean, who is accused of using the International Space Station’s (ISS) Wi-Fi to access illegally the bank account of her estranged female spouse Summer Worden. However, in this...
by David Todd | Aug 22, 2019 | Apollo, China, ESA, exploration, India, JAXA, NASA, Russia, Seradata News
Every August Seradata does its usual analysis of the “runners and riders” in “The Great Space Race” between the major space nations. Here we judge each space programme on the basis of technological ability, financial and other resources, national will and, most...
by David Todd | Aug 14, 2019 | ESA, exploration, Russia, Satellites, Science
The complicated multi-parachute landing system for the European Space Agency’s ExoMars landing mission in 2020 is under scrutiny after it failed a second test. The test on 5 August, of the large 35 m diameter subsonic main parachute was deemed a failure. It...
