With a final, modest, thruster burn yesterday afternoon, ESA’s billion-star surveyor finalised its entry into orbit around ‘L2’, a virtual point far out in space. But how do you orbit nothing? And who can show you how to get there, anyway? Just after 15:30 GMT (16:30 CET) yesterday, Gaia made a short thruster burn, nudging … Dowiedz się więcej
At 10.00 GMT on 20 January 2014, out in deep space near Jupiter, an alarm will go off. This will be the signal to rouse the Astrium-built comet-chasing spacecraft Rosetta from the deep sleep it has been in for the previous 31 months. Rosetta was launched in March 2004 on a mission to rendez-vous with … Dowiedz się więcej
Arianespace’s “supply pipeline” is supporting the company’s high-activity launch pace planned for 2014, with launcher elements arriving this week in French Guiana for its third flight of the lightweight Vega and another heavy-lift Ariane 5 mission. The Ariane 5 main cryogenic stage for Arianespace’s Flight VA218 emerges from the roll-on/roll-off interior cargo bay. These components … Dowiedz się więcej
ESA’s billion-star surveyor Gaia is now in its operational orbit around a gravitationally stable virtual point in space called ‘L2’, 1.5 million km from Earth. Gaia has been travelling towards L2 since 19 December, when, just before dawn local time, it was spectacularly launched from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. A day later, Gaia … Dowiedz się więcej
Boeing [NYSE: BA] has completed the first of two 702HP (high power) geomobile satellites, Centenario, for Mexico’s new Mexsat end-to-end satellite communications system. Mexsat will provide enhanced social communications to the people of Mexico, as well as capability for military, civil and humanitarian needs. Centenario will be stored by Boeing for the Mexican Ministry of … Dowiedz się więcej
Students in Newport News and Williamsburg, Va., will begin 2014 by talking with astronauts in orbit aboard the International Space Station. Expedition 38 Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA will participate in a live video chat, or downlink, at 10:25 a.m. EST Tuesday, Jan. 7, with students and educators from Denbigh High School’s Aviation Academy … Dowiedz się więcej