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Live coverage: Vega rocket deploys second Sentinel satellite
Europe's Sentinel 2A land imaging satellite designed to glimpse cities, farms and forests from orbit launched aboard a Vega rocket. The 2,500-pound satellite lifted off at 0151:58 GMT Tuesday (9:51:58 p.m. EDT Monday).
‘Europe’s Landsat’ in the starting blocks
The first in a planned multi-decade series of European land imaging satellites is fastened on top of a solid-fueled Vega launcher at a French Guiana space base for liftoff Monday, kicking off a mission to track everything from global crop growth to urban sprawl.
For comet scientists, elation and redemption at Philae’s wakeup
Research teams across Europe spent the last half-year meticulously going through a wish list of experiments for the Philae comet lander without knowing whether they would ever get a chance to execute the tasks.
Jason 3 satellite shipped to Vandenberg for SpaceX launch
An international oceanography satellite arrived at its California launch base from a factory in France on Thursday for fueling, testing and other final preps before its scheduled Aug. 8 blastoff on a Falcon 9 rocket.
Saturn moon’s ice canyons viewed by Cassini
Saturn's moon Dione received a fleeting visitor this week, when NASA's Cassini spacecraft whizzed by to image bizarre streaks thought to be canyons with ice walls up to 100 stories tall.
International ocean research observatory fails in orbit
An Argentine satellite hosting a NASA sensor designed to measure the saltiness of Earth's oceans has ended its mission after four years in orbit, NASA said Wednesday.
Long-lived tropical weather satellite re-enters
A 2.9-ton rainfall research satellite fell into Earth's atmosphere Tuesday for a destructive re-entry after a 17-year mission, according to NASA.
Engineers seek to stabilize radio link with comet lander
Emboldened by renewed contact with Europe's comet lander, engineers are repositioning the mission's Rosetta mothership this week to establish a reliable a communications link with the dishwasher-sized Philae landing craft, a prerequisite for resuming a science campaign abbreviated by a power shortfall last year.
Space Florida to take over KSC’s shuttle runway
NASA will hand over control of the Kennedy Space Center's disused space shuttle landing strip to the state of Florida on June 22 in a major step toward repurposing the three-mile-long runway for future spacecraft, officials said Monday.
OneWeb selects Airbus to build 900 Internet satellites
Airbus Defense and Space and OneWeb, a startup backed by Richard Branson's Virgin Group and wireless tech giant Qualcomm, announced Monday plans to set up a joint venture for the construction of 900 Internet broadcasting satellites for launches beginning in 2018.