Keraunothnetophobia, as defined by some online dictionaries, is the fear of falling artificial satellites and other space objects. It is not to be confused with Keraunophobia, the fear of lightning strikes. Although often regarded as especially irrational,...
Lots of military space orders – mostly small ones – were announced during April 2024. Many were revealed at one of the military space conferences during the month, including the Space Symposium, Colorado Springs, USA. There were also some large...
The US Navy has used its Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptor in action for the first time. SM-3s were used to shoot down Iranian medium-range ballistic missiles fired at Israel on 13 April in response to a fatal air strike, which Israel is widely believed to be...
The cost of NASA’s Mars Sample Return project has doubled from a projected US$5.3 billion to US$11 billion, prompting many to question whether it is worth continuing with the mission. In response, the US space agency has turned to its field centres for cost cutting...
A pair of major launches, that took place just days apart in April, illustrate how far Russia has lost its way from the days when it was at the forefront of rocket launch technology. The first, from the US, was a swansong: the Delta IV Heavy’s last flight. The other,...
Farah Ghouri finds out how Aarti Holla-Maini, director of the UN Office of Outer Space Affairs, is faring six months into the job, her plans for the office and why she believes the UN’s sustainability guidelines are the “treaty of our times” Six months after taking up...
