In the third successful launch since the Soyuz FG non-fatal launch failure of the Soyuz MS-10 crewed launch, a Soyuz ST-B with an Fregat M successfully lifted off from the Sinnamary launch site near Kourou in French Guiana. Launch time was at 0047 GMT on 7 November....
At 0145 GMT on 20 October 2018, an Ariane 5 ECA rocket successfully launched the Bepi-Columbo unmanned joint mission to Mercury. There are two main spacecraft plus a carrier spacecraft on the mission. The Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) can be regarded as the main...
The commercial communications satellite operator Eutelsat has made a five-launch booking with Arianespace for its new Ariane 6 launch vehicle. The launches are set to take place from July 2022 to 2027. While launch orders and options have been received from ESA...
Ahhh…the irony. The Vega launch of the Lidar-equipped ESA satellite Aeolus (aka ADM-Aeolus), which was designed and built to measure the dynamics of strong winds, was delayed by 24 hours…err, due to strong winds. Our thanks to Seradata’s Phil Hylands for pointing...
Radar data collected by ESA’s 15-year-old Mars Express spacecraft’s MARSIS instrument has revealed a 20km-wide lake of salty water under 1.5km of ice at the South Pole of Mars. The lake is said to be similar to Lake Vostok, which lies 4km under the South Pole. While...
July saw more than its fair share of space announcements, including official acceptance of a “vertical” spaceport in Sutherland, North Scotland, and a “horizonal” one getting the nod from Virgin Galactic/Virgin Orbit at Newquay, Cornwall, England. But Cornwall has...