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SpaceX is ready to send another batch of its Starlink internet satellites into orbit, and you can watch the action live. A Falcon 9 rocket is poised to launch 49 Starlink spacecraft from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida at 1:13 p.m. EST (1813 GMT). You can watch it here at Space.com, courtesy of … Read more
Astronomers have found lots of exoplanets but not much evidence of exomoons, and a new model might explain why Space 1 February 2022 By Alex Wilkins An artist’s impression of an exoplanet Shutterstock / Artsiom P Rocky planets much bigger than Earth might not be able to form large moons like our own, which is … Read more
Developments in satellite technology over the past decade have allowed the world to witness the devastating Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption and its aftermath in real time and in unprecedented detail. The findings might shed light on the anatomy of rare explosive volcanic eruptions and their effects on the planet. But satellites are also helping volcanologists … Read more
A powerful United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket will launch two “neighborhood watch” satellites for the United States Space Force on Friday (Jan. 21), and you can watch the action live. The Atlas V is scheduled to lift off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Friday at 2 p.m. EST (1900 GMT). … Read more
Despite efforts to reduce light pollution from the satellites, their disruptions of astronomical observations are increasing at an alarming pace — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
A prime ground-based observatory that scans the sky for exploding stars and dangerous near-Earth asteroids is struggling with disruptive light streaks from SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellite constellation, a new study revealed. The observatory, called the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), opened its telescope eye in California in 2017. Scanning the entire sky every two days, the … Read more
Archive photos of the Norwegian archipelago’s glaciers enabled researchers to reconstruct past melting and project ice mass loss under future climate change Environment 19 January 2022 By Adam Vaughan A glacier in Svalbard as it appeared in 1936 (top) and in 2009 (below) Norwegian Polar Institute and Geyman et al. (2022), Nature Glaciers in Svalbard, … Read more
With the rapid expansion of commercial space, there is a growing number of satellites in orbit around our planet. Most of these are in low-Earth orbit, which is becoming increasingly crowded. This has led some to be concerned about a catastrophic rise of space debris, as well as a growing frustration by astronomers due … Read more
SpaceX’s Starlink internet megaconstellation keeps growing. A two-stage SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket topped with 49 Starlink satellites lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida today (Jan. 18) at 9:02 p.m. EST (0203 GMT on Jan. 19). About nine minutes later, the rocket’s first stage came down to Earth for a pinpoint touchdown on … Read more
A SpaceX rocket will launch a new fleet of the company’s Starlink internet satellites into orbit tonight (Jan. 17) and you can watch it live online. In what will be SpaceX’s third flight of 2022, the company is set to loft 49 Starlink satellites into space on a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Launch Complex … Read more