In 2024, astronomers surmised that Betelgeuse might have a stellar “buddy.” If this hypothetical companion existed, it would help answer some questions about the red supergiant’s strange glowing patterns. As it turns out, these suspicions were correct. After numerous false signals and empty search results, astronomers with NASA’s Ames Research Center have confirmed that Betelgeuse does, in fact, have a tiny …
Read More »Tag Archives: orbit
“This Shouldn’t Exist in Orbit”: Astronaut Stunned by ‘Impossible’ Satellite That Could Upend the Future of Space Exploration Forever – Rude Baguette
“This Shouldn’t Exist in Orbit”: Astronaut Stunned by ‘Impossible’ Satellite That Could Upend the Future of Space Exploration Forever Rude Baguette Source link
Read More »Origami Space Planes Could Solve a Major Problem in Orbit
Building a spacecraft could one day be as simple as folding a piece of paper into a plane and letting aerodynamics do the rest. A team of researchers from the University of Tokyo simulated the release of a paper airplane from the International Space Station (ISS) to see if would survive atmospheric reentry. In a paper published in Acta Astronautica, …
Read More »Friday night light: SpaceX launch from California sends two dozen new Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit
SpaceX added 24 new Starlink satellites to its orbital network on a Friday night (July 18) launch from California. The company’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 8:52 p.m. local (11:52 p.m. EDT or 0352 GMT on July 19) from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base. At about nine minutes into the flight, the booster’s …
Read More »Astronomers Discover Rare Object in Perfect Sync with Neptune’s Orbit
In a groundbreaking discovery published in The Planetary Science Journal, a team of astronomers led by the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian has confirmed the existence of a rare object located far beyond Neptune. Known as 2020 VN40, this trans-Neptunian object is in a unique orbital resonance with the giant planet Neptune. For every ten orbits Neptune completes, …
Read More »SpaceX launches 26 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit from California
SpaceX sent 26 more Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit on Tuesday (July 15), after a launch from southern California. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 7:05 p.m. PDT (10:05 p.m. EDT or 0205 GMT July 18), escaping the fog and cloud cover blanketing Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The satellites (Group 15-2, according …
Read More »The handshake in orbit that made the International Space Station possible
Ben-Itzhak studies what she has termed “space blocs” – the emerging groupings of space nations. Right now, as countries plan a return to the Moon, it looks like the US and Russians will soon go their separate ways. Russia will likely side with China, and Western nations – including Europe and Canada – will coalesce around the US. But there are …
Read More »SpaceX launches mystery satellite to geostationary transfer orbit
SpaceX launched a mystery satellite to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) from Florida’s Space Coast early Sunday morning (July 13). A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Sunday at 1:04 a.m. EDT (0504 GMT), on a mission SpaceX called Commercial GTO-1. The company didn’t identify the payload, though it’s believed to be an Israeli communications satellite …
Read More »Experimental Chinese satellite turns up in unexpected orbit
HELSINKI —A Chinese Shiyan satellite appears in a low-inclination orbit never before used by the country, after a week-long detection delay and uncertainty over its mission. To continue reading this article: Register now and get3 free articles every month. You’ll also receive our weekly SpaceNews This Week newsletter every Friday. Opt-out at any time. Sign in to an existing account …
Read More »