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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s newest space observatory, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), is set to begin spying on some of the universe’s most dramatic objects — black holes and neutron stars — potentially changing our understanding of the cosmos in the process. The 730-pound (330 kilograms) IXPE satellite launched to orbit on Dec. … Read more
As the James Webb Space Telescope heads towards its distant destination from Earth, good news flowed from deep space: it has plenty of fuel left. Scientists delivered the news during a press conference Saturday (Jan. 8) held to mark the historic mirror deployment in space, as Webb executed the most complicated deployment of its lifetime … Read more
The space telescope has successfully completed a series of crucial steps to achieve full deployment, and will now continue to its final destination 1.5 million kilometres away from Earth Space 10 January 2022 By Alex Wilkins An artist’s impression of the full deployed James Webb Space Telescope NASA GSFC/CIL/Adriana Manrique Gutierrez The James Webb Space … Read more
China’s mysterious “Moon cube” is a mystery no longer. The big reveal: It’s a rock that’s not even shaped like a cube. The nation’s Yutu-2 rover discovered the object – which appeared to be a gray cube looming on the lunar horizon – in early December. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) dubbed it ‘mysterious hut’, playfully … Read more
We can all let out a collective sigh of relief. With its primary mirror array fully unfolded, the major components of the beleaguered James Webb Space Telescope are now deployed, and it continues to calmly make its way to its destination. The deployment, completed on 8 January 2022, marks a pretty important milestone for … Read more
A large robotic arm on China’s space station has successfully grasped and maneuvered a cargo spacecraft in a crucial test ahead of upcoming module launches. The 33-foot-long (10 meters) robotic arm on the Tianhe module of China’s new Tiangong space station took hold of the Tianzhou 2 supply ship and moved it around 20 degrees, … Read more
Work for the James Webb Space Telescope is just beginning. On Saturday (Jan. 8), the new observatory, the largest space telescope ever built, successfully unfolded its final primary mirror segment to cap what NASA has billed as one of its most complicated deployments in space ever. The Webb mission team is now turning its attention … Read more
From a Christmas Day launch through working through Eastern Orthodox holidays, the multicultural James Webb Space Telescope team had much to celebrate this holiday season after two weeks working to get the complex telescope deployed. Webb at last unfurled its giant mirror Saturday (Jan. 8), marking the end of likely the most complicated telescope deployment … Read more
Astronomers and space fans around the world can breathe a sigh of relief: The James Webb Space Telescope is now fully deployed. The $10 billion NASA observatory unfolded the second “wing” of its massive primary mirror today (Jan. 8), bringing the light-collecting structure up to its full size and marking the end of the mission’s … Read more
We can all breathe a bit easier now. In spite of a launch bedeviled by problem after problem, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is finally in space, making its way to its new home. And if you needed a little reassurance that this is the case (which is totally understandable), the European Space Agency … Read more