October 4, 2023
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Breaking News
  • [ October 2, 2023 ] Simple settings tweak should save Psyche asteroid mission from overheating thrusters Falcon Heavy
  • [ September 28, 2023 ] Launch of NASA’s Psyche asteroid mission slips a week due to spacecraft issue Falcon Heavy
  • [ September 27, 2023 ] Soyuz lands safely in Kazakhstan to end record-breaking mission; Rubio: “It’s good to be home” News
  • [ September 27, 2023 ] Live coverage: Space station crew return to Earth after 371-day mission News
  • [ September 27, 2023 ] Rapid response Victus Nox launch success open new possibilities for Space Force, commercial space industry News
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Asteroids

Falcon Heavy

Simple settings tweak should save Psyche asteroid mission from overheating thrusters

October 2, 2023 Steven Young

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft, now scheduled for launch on Oct. 12, will dial down the power of its maneuvering system after engineers discovered its thrusters were in danger of overheating during its eight-year expedition to explore a metallic asteroid.

Falcon 9

Launch of asteroid deflection demonstrator slips to November

March 9, 2021 Stephen Clark

The launch of a NASA spacecraft designed to smash into an asteroid to try out a technique that could protect Earth from threatening space rocks has slipped from July until November, at the earliest, after development delays partially caused by coronavirus-related work slowdowns.

Mission Reports

Scientists thrilled with asteroid treasure returned by Japanese spacecraft

December 15, 2020 Stephen Clark

Japanese space agency officials said Tuesday they found a “large number” of pitch black rock and dust particles after opening a capsule returned to Earth earlier this month by the Hayabusa 2 mission, giving eager scientists their first significant specimens ever brought back from an asteroid.

Mission Reports

Japanese capsule carrying asteroid rocks lands in Australia after six-year mission

December 5, 2020 Stephen Clark

An armored re-entry capsule carrying pristine specimens from an asteroid streaked into Earth’s atmosphere and parachuted to a landing in the Australian outback Saturday, bringing home extraterrestrial rocks that could hold clues to the origin of life on Earth.

Mission Reports

Live coverage: Hayabusa 2 asteroid sample return capsule lands in Australia

December 5, 2020 Stephen Clark

Japan’s Hayabusa 2 mission returned to Earth Saturday after a six-year mission to collect samples from asteroid Ryugu. The mission’s sample return capsule landed in in the Australian outback around shortly before 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT) Saturday.

Mission Reports

Japanese asteroid sampling mission on course for return to Earth

December 5, 2020 Stephen Clark

Six years after departing Earth, Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft released a spinning capsule Saturday containing pristine asteroid material for a scorching re-entry and landing in the remote Australian outback, where teams are standing by to retrieve the specimens for analysis.

News

Arecibo Observatory collapses as scientists lament loss of deep space radar

December 1, 2020 Stephen Clark

The 900-ton suspended platform of Puerto Rico’s famed Arecibo Observatory collapsed Tuesday after cable failures, crashing into the radio telescope’s iconic dish and shattering a research instrument used to study pulsars, galaxies, planets, and asteroids that might threaten Earth.

Mission Reports

Scientists release new view from OSIRIS-REx’s asteroid smash and grab

November 2, 2020 Stephen Clark

Scientists say the touch and go landing by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on an asteroid last month revealed fresh insights into the structure of loose rocks that may cover the surfaces of many small planetary bodies — material that is more akin to a playground ball pit than solid bedrock.

Mission Reports

Asteroid samples sealed in OSIRIS-REx return capsule

October 29, 2020 Stephen Clark

A collection chamber that could contain more than 2 pounds of samples gathered from an asteroid in deep space last week has been sealed inside of a return capsule on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to bring the extraterrestrial specimens back to Earth in 2023, officials announced Thursday.

Mission Reports

OSIRIS-REx begins stowing asteroid sample into return capsule

October 28, 2020 Stephen Clark

Working under close supervision from ground controllers more than 200 million miles away, the robotic arm on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has begun placing specimens collected from an asteroid last week into a return capsule to bring the material back to Earth in 2023, officials said Wednesday.

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News Headlines

  • Simple settings tweak should save Psyche asteroid mission from overheating thrusters
    October 2, 2023
  • Launch of NASA’s Psyche asteroid mission slips a week due to spacecraft issue
    September 28, 2023
  • Soyuz lands safely in Kazakhstan to end record-breaking mission; Rubio: “It’s good to be home”
    September 27, 2023
  • Live coverage: Space station crew return to Earth after 371-day mission
    September 27, 2023
  • Rapid response Victus Nox launch success open new possibilities for Space Force, commercial space industry
    September 27, 2023
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