by David Todd | Sep 9, 2016 | ESA, Launches, Science
ESA and Arianespace have signed a contract to secure the launch of the Aeolus satellite on a Vega launch vehicle. The 1,500 kg spacecraft is designed to measure winds using ultraviolet laser/lidar technology. The launch of the spacecraft will take place in 2017. The...
by David Todd | Sep 9, 2016 | History, On a Lighter Note, Science, Seradata News, Technology
Yes – there really is a Captain James Kirk but he is not a star ship captain. He has just taken command of the US Navy’s newest ship, the USS Zumwalt. While it has a crew of only 147 sailors and is formally called a destroyer, it actually has the tonnage...
by David Todd | Aug 30, 2016 | NASA, Satellites, Science
Like a prodigal son returned, the signals of the believed lost STEREO-B spacecraft have been joyfully received by NASA engineers indicating that the solar observing spacecraft is still alive. STEREO-B signal was recovered at 2227 GMT on 21 August 2016 after being...
by David Todd | Aug 16, 2016 | China, Launches, Satellites, Science
A Long March 2D/2 rocket successfully blasted off from the Jiuquan launch site in China on 15 August 2016 at 1740 GMT. Aboard the rocket were three spacecraft. The main payload was the QUESS (Quantum Experiment Scientific Satellite) which has subsequently been renamed...
by David Todd | Aug 5, 2016 | commercial launch services, exploration, Satellites, Science
While not yet the official licensing agency for lunar and interplanetary transportation (no official law saying so has yet been passed), the US Government Federal Aviation Authority’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation has become the de facto licensing...
by David Todd | Jul 29, 2016 | Apollo, exploration, Science
While health specialists have recently warned office workers to get up and walk around a bit to reduce their risk of early death, so now astronauts have had a similar warning. This time however, it is more to do with walking – but not on the Moon. While...
