Iran begins steps to send astronaut to space, minister says

Iran has begun discussing plans to send humans to space, according to a report by Iranian-state media Tasnim News published on Friday. Iranian Communications Minister Isa Zarepour revealed plans for 2024 include “test[ing] the new generation of bio-capsules with the native Salman launcher. This year, we are also trying to have a space event … Read more

New satellite will track elusive methane pollution from oil and gas industry globally

A privately funded satellite is set to push methane tracking into a new era, once it launches into space on Monday. A collaborative mission between Environmental Defense Fund, Google, the Government of New Zealand and several other partners, MethaneSAT will track methane emissions around the globe in attempts to identify and quantify sources spewing the climate-heating greenhouse gas.  For 20 … Read more

Iran claims new satellite launch from Russia

Iran has announced that it successfully launched a satellite from Russia. The satellite is called the Pars-1 and is considered a “remote sensing and imaging” satellite. It was launched with a Russian Soyuz launcher. Iranian media have made much of this success. It was launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome launch base, which is 5,000 … Read more

Canadian contribution to private lunar lander could lead to a telescope on the moon

The first private spacecraft to softly land on the moon carries a Canadian instrument that will test the possibility of building an observatory at the Lunar south pole. The phone booth-sized lander by Intuitive Machines, named Odysseus, launched on Feb. 15 and touched down on Thursday near a small impact crater about 300 kilometers from the moon’s south … Read more

Satellite ERS-2 was hard to track as it fell to Earth: Here’s why

NEW DELHI: A defunct Earth-observing satellite descended from orbit Wednesday and safely disintegrated over the Pacific.The European Remote Sensing 2 satellite, known as ERS-2, made its reentry halfway between Hawaii and Alaska. The European Space Agency confirmed the end of the 5,000-pound (2,300-kilogram) spacecraft.There were no reports of damage or injuries. It was anticipated that … Read more

White House confirms reports of Russia’s ‘troubling’ anti-satellite weapon capability

The White House publicly confirmed on Thursday that Russia has obtained a “troubling” emerging anti-satellite weapon but said it cannot directly cause “physical destruction” on Earth. White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said U.S. intelligence officials have information that Russia has obtained the capability, but that such a weapon is not currently operational. … Read more

Famed former Boston Symphony, TSO conductor Seiji Ozawa dead at 88

Seiji Ozawa, the Japanese conductor who amazed audiences with the lithe physicality of his performances during three decades at the helm of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, has died, his management office said Friday. He was 88. The internationally acclaimed maestro, with his trademark mop of salt-and-pepper hair, led the BSO from 1973 to 2002, longer … Read more

New NASA climate satellite will keep eye on plankton, clouds. Here’s why

NASA’s newest climate satellite rocketed into orbit Thursday to survey the world’s oceans and atmosphere in never-before-seen detail. SpaceX launched the Pace satellite on its $948-million US mission before dawn from Cape Canaveral, Fla., with the Falcon rocket heading south over the Atlantic Ocean to achieve a rare polar orbit. The satellite will spend at … Read more

Nasa’s PACE ocean-monitoring satellite all set to be launched on Tuesday

NEW DELHI: Nasa‘s PACE spacecraft is set to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Tuesday at 1.33 am EST (12.03 pm IST). PACE, which is short for Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem, aims to map the colors of the ocean and help scientists gauge the health … Read more

This robotic, solar-powered plane might be NASA’s new way to explore Mars

Last week, the Ingenuity Mars helicopter made its final flight, far exceeding the expectations of a mission that began nearly three years ago. Now, NASA may be looking at a fixed-wing aircraft to hit the red planet’s skies next. In 2021 the Perseverance rover landed on Mars carrying a small helicopter under its belly named … Read more