Space

NASA’s Lucy mission spacecraft sped close by the Earth for a second gravity assist to place the probe on a course for the first flybys of five Trojan asteroids.

Unseenlabs, boosted by the success of its in-orbit constellation of non-cooperative ship-detection satellites, is preparing its next generation.

The event took place on the sidelines of the 2024 edition of The Abu Dhabi Space Debate. The joint workshop is a collaborative event aimed at bringing together experts, industry leaders, and government officials from the UAE and Japan to strengthen cooperation in the field of space exploration. The workshop was attended by leading government officials and figures including H.E Shihab Al Faheem, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the UAE to Japan, and H.E Ken Okaniwa, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the UAE, who both delivered opening remarks highlighting the importance of collaboration to advance the space sector, and a speech by H.E. Omar Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology about the UAE value proposition. Followed by a series of presentations highlighting the space sector from both countries, and the Emirati-Japanese partnership in space sector, presented by H.E. Salem Al Qubaisi, Director General of the UAE Space Agency, H.E. Salem Al Marri, Director General of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, Mr. Hideyuki Urata, Deputy Director-General, Manufacturing Industries Bureau at Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, Dr. Hiroshi YAMAKAWA, President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Aimed at deepening the UAE’s strategic relations with Japan in the space sector, the workshop is a step towards strengthening bilateral relations and promoting shared goals in the global space industry, while exploring opportunities for partnerships and innovation. H.E Salem Al Qubaisi, Director General of the UAE Space Agency said: “The collaboration between the UAE and Japan reflects a shared commitment to advancing global space exploration and innovation. Our continued collaboration aligns with the UAE’s National Space Strategy 2030 and together, we are driving meaningful progress, fostering sustainability, and paving the way for a brighter future in the space sector.” Participants engaged in group discussions to foster collaboration among diverse stakeholders in the space sector between the two countries. The group discussions provided a platform for attendees to share their organisation's mission, expertise, and recent achievements in the space sector. These sessions included space accessibility space exploration, earth observation, navigation, and telecommunication.

The direct-to-device market could grow to $1.7 billion annually by 2029.

Astroscale’s Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan approached to within 15 m of an orbiting derelict Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H-IIA upper-stage body.

United Launch Alliance is exploring ways to turn its Centaur upper stage into a rocket that can dynamically move around space.

The joint NASA, French, Canadian and U.K. Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) orbital mission is providing an unprecedented perspective of the seafloor.

The first spacecraft from a U.S. Space Force and National Reconnaissance Office program to conduct space situational awareness are close to entering operation.

Malaysia is drafting a long-term national space defense system plan, with the ambition of deploying its own military satellites.

A decade ago, SpaceX launched six Falcon 9 rockets in a year—now, it could be on track for an orbital launch rate of 136 Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy flights.

As the U.S. Space Force nears its fifth birthday, its senior military leader is laser-focused on increasing space domain awareness to keep ahead of adversaries.

As the U.S. Space Force hones its next-gen multi-orbit missile-warning architecture, two elements reached milestones toward building out the GEO and LEO layers.

Sierra Space says it can predict—with higher accuracy than conventional methods—the locations of space debris, using “physics-informed neural networks.”

NASA is looking to February for the SPHEREx launch, a mission to survey more than 450 million galaxies to better understand the post-Big Bang cosmic expansion.

Lockheed Martin plans to launch a second self-funded prototype spacecraft in early 2025, on Firefly Aerospace Alpha rockets.

In our feature about the Mir cosmonauts' reentry preparations, we learn that Russia plans to complete a crew changeout the week our issue dated Mar. 23, 1992, was published.

Earth-observation satellite service provider Planet Labs is looking to launch its Pelican-2 spacecraft in January, bolstering on-orbit capability.

NASA's contract with the Southwest Research Institute includes the development and operation of two magnetometers as part of NOAA's Space Weather Next program.

The House Armed Services and Senate Armed Services committees are providing one of the U.S. Space Force’s procurement offices with a boost in resources.

Blue Origin reiterated its plan to launch the first New Glenn orbital rocket this month, with a key static hot-fire of the reusable first stage still pending.

Pixxel, an Indian startup developing hyperspectral satellites, has raised $24 million as part of a Series B extension round.

Iran’s space agency has for the first time launched the Simorgh rocket equipped with a space tug as an upper stage.

Even though Europe is back in the space launcher race, its progress still trails the U.S. and China.

Arianespace on Dec. 4 returned the Vega-C rocket to flight after a more than two-year hiatus following a mission failure in 2022.

The agency suspects maneuvering spacecraft could open the door to other science missions, including ones linked to Mars sample return missions.