space
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Casper, Scooby-Doo, and Yogi Rock: How NASA’s Naming System for Martian Landscape Has Evolved
On February 18, 2021, a car-sized robot parachuted its way down to the surface of Mars to begin searching for signs of ancient life on the Red Planet. From that day on, the landing site where NASA’s Perseverance rover plopped down became known as Octavia E. Butler, named after the prolific science fiction author behind…
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Europe Aims for SpaceX-Like Commercial Cargo Missions to Earth Orbit
The European space industry, lagging behind other industry players, is now seeking its own commercial vehicles that can transport cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) and future low Earth orbit destinations. The European Space Agency (ESA) sent out a call for private European space companies to develop ideas for cargo transport vehicles that can…
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China Launches First Civilian to Space, Targets 2030 for Crewed Lunar Landing
China launched its latest crew of astronauts to the Tiangong space station, including the first civilian sent to orbit by the country’s rapidly evolving space program. The Shenzhou-16 crew launched on board a Long March 2F rocket late Monday at 9:31 a.m. on Tuesday local time from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northern China’s…
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Company Wants to Launch Mission to Resurrect Space Telescope 297 Million Kilometres From Earth
When something drifts off into space, it’s usually done and dusted. A private company, however, is saying not so fast to manmade objects in space. It has plans to revive the legendary space telescope more than two astronomical units, or 297 million km away from Earth.