SpaceX postpones Starlink launch from Florida

Orlando FL (SPX) Sep 18, 2020 SpaceX postponed its 13th launch cluster of Starlink communications satellites Thursday, citing a "recovery issue." The launch aboard a Falcon 9 rocket had been planned for 2:19 p.m. EDT from Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. It was called off about 2 p.m. Although the company didn't elaborate on the...

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NanoAvionics enters India's space market through partnership with Ananth Technologies

Vilnius, Lithuania (SPX) Sep 18, 2020 NanoAvionics, a multinational nanosatellite mission integrator, has signed a partnership agreement with Ananth Technologies Ltd (ATL) which marks NanoAvionics' entry into India's growing NewSpace industry. The agreement makes Ananth Technologies the official distributor of NanoAvionics' products and...

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Rocket policy must not be limited by capital, liability: Startups

Chennai (IANS) Sep 18, 2020 The proposed launch vehicle or rocket policy should be startup friendly, not be restrictive in terms of minimum capital for the company, rocket size and other things and the criteria be clear and upfront, said top officials of two rocket companies. They also said the private rocket makers are start-ups which the proposed...

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Zombie satellites and rogue debris threatening existence of ISS

London, UK (Sputnik) Sep 17, 2020 "Millions of pieces of space junk orbiting the Earth present a significant threat to UK satellite systems, which provide the vital services that we all take for granted - from mobile communications to weather forecasting," said Sharma. As he urged mankind to "clean up our act", the official announced new funding...

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SwRI scientist searches for stellar phosphorus to find potentially habitable exoplanets

San Antonio TX (SPX) Sep 17, 2020 A Southwest Research Institute scientist has identified stellar phosphorus as a probable marker in narrowing the search for life in the cosmos. She has developed techniques to identify stars likely to host exoplanets, based on the composition of stars known to have planets, and proposes that upcoming studies target...

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Exolaunch to Deliver the NetSat constellation into Orbit for Wurzburg Center for Telematics

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Sep 18, 2020 The Wurzburg Center for Telematics, an independent research center in Germany, and Exolaunch, a rideshare launch and deployment solutions provider, announce a launch agreement for a NetSat nanosatellite formation. Under the launch agreement, Exolaunch will coordinate all launcher related activities, including...

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NASA technology enables precision landing without a pilot

Washington DC (SPX) Sep 18, 2020 Some of the most interesting places to study in our solar system are found in the most inhospitable environments - but landing on any planetary body is already a risky proposition. With NASA planning robotic and crewed missions to new locations on the Moon and Mars, avoiding landing on the steep slope of a crater...

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Venus' ancient layered, folded rocks point to volcanic origin

Raleigh NC (SPX) Sep 18, 2020 An international team of researchers has found that some of the oldest terrain on Venus, known as tesserae, have layering that seems consistent with volcanic activity. The finding could provide insights into the enigmatic planet's geological history. Tesserae are tectonically deformed regions on the surface...

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UK's Air Chief warns arms race in space could end in disaster

London, UK (Sputnik) Sep 17, 2020 States, including Russia, have expressed concerns before about the militarisation of space and how it could potentially lead to the destruction of the existing security balance they have been trying to maintain over the last several decades. British Air Force Chief Marshall Mike Wigston has said that space...

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Spacecraft to fly past Venus weeks after signs of life detected in planet's atmosphere

Moscow (Sputnik) Sep 18, 2020 A spacecraft with the intended destination of Mercury is expected to make a close flyby of Venus in mid-October, providing scientists with the chance to gather additional information to back up recent revelations that the distant planet may in fact harbor life. The spacecraft in question - BepiColombo - is part...

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