by David Todd | Oct 2, 2015 | commercial launch services, exploration
The Google Lunar X-prize contender Moon Express has ordered three Rocket lab Electron launches in its bid to win the US$20 million prize. Two of the launches will take place in 2017 from the Rocket Lab’s Kaitorete Spit launch site in New Zealand. Both of...
by David Todd | Sep 29, 2015 | ESA, exploration, Science
Mars has a dry cold climate with very low atmospheric pressure, conditions which would normally preclude liquid water from existing. However, the appearance of downward pointing streaks hundreds of metres long which appeared to grow and wane with the time of year, led...
by David Todd | Sep 24, 2015 | China, exploration
While China’s Chang’e 3 landing and rover mission was, in the main, successful, albeit that the Yutu rover failed after only a few weeks, nevertheless, China has decided to not repeat the mission. Instead, China has announced to the United Nations that it...
by David Todd | Jul 29, 2015 | China, ESA, exploration, History, JAXA, NASA, Russia
High Summer is the time of year when the Seradata space team does its annual analysis of the relative chances of each nation “winning the space race”. In this we act as a notional bookmaker offering notional odds that reflect each nation’s relative chances...
by David Todd | Jul 27, 2015 | exploration, History, Russia
While state relations between the UK and Russia have been very rocky over the poisoning assassination of the ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko using a Russian lunar rover nuclear isotope, and Russia’s annexation of parts of Ukraine, at museum level, at...
by David Todd | Jul 23, 2015 | ESA, exploration
Having beaten off its European rivals for the contract, the €350.8 million (US$389 million) construction contract for the European Space Agency ‘s JUICE mission to Jupiter has been finally awarded to Airbus Defence and Space. The mission will be sent to...
