Author: starpathwp-production
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Looking past Luna 25’s lunar landing failure: what’s next?
On Aug. 19, at 11:10 UTC, the Russian spacecraft Luna 25 performed a planned orbit maneuver. After an eight-day flight and two orbit corrections, it was parked in a circumlunar 90 by 113-kilometer orbit. It was time to transfer to the pre-landing orbit with the parameters of 18 by 100 kilometers. But something went wrong,…
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Multiple remote sensing satellites launched from China, as launch cadence increases
With over 35 launches in 2023, China is on its way to returning to its high launch cadence after a slow start to the year. Launches in the past few days include two rockets outside the Chang Zheng family and the mighty Chang Zheng 3 B/E’s return as it flew for the fourth time this…
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Russia’s Luna 25 lander crashes on the Moon
An animation depicts the Luna 25 probe in orbit above the Moon’s surface. Image: Roscomos. Russia’s first mission to the Moon for nearly 50 years ended in failure when the Luna 25 spacecraft crashed onto the surface, the Russian space agency Roscomos said Sunday. In an official statement published to the Telegram social media account…
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Russia’s Luna 25 spacecraft has crashed into the Moon
Sunday 8:15 am ET update: Russian space officials have confirmed the loss of the Luna 25 spacecraft on the Telegram social media network. The failure occurred during a burn of the vehicle’s propulsion system to move the spacecraft into a “pre-landing” orbit on Saturday morning. However, due to an unspecified problem, the propulsion system instead…
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Using data from InSight, scientists discover that Mars is rotating faster
In December 2022, NASA lost contact with its Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) Mars lander, which had been operating on the Martian surface for just over four years. In the time since InSight’s mission was declared over, scientists have continued to analyze the incredible data the lander collected and have…
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Peter Beck pushes toward a Neutron debut in 2024, but acknowledges challenges
Rocket Lab is having a pretty good year with a rising stock price and reaching a monthly launch cadence with its Electron vehicle for the first time. But as ever in the space business, the focus is not so much on what a company has done but what it will do. And for Rocket Lab,…
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Starship Update: Booster 9 wearing a crown, construction, and HLS test article
Preparations are taking place at Starbase for the upcoming second Starship test flight, with Booster 9 expected to return to the launch site in the coming days following the installation of its hot staging ring. Future vehicles are also being prepared for flight. At the same time, long-term aspirations are being worked on, with an…
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NASA’s buildings are even older than its graying workforce
It’s big news when a hurricane damages buildings at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center or hits a rocket factory in New Orleans. There’s damage that needs repairing immediately so missions can move forward to launch. But there’s a deeper problem with NASA’s infrastructure. Erik Weiser, director of NASA’s facilities and real estate division, told a blue-ribbon…
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Korea’s Innospace to Launch From Equatorial Launch Australia Spaceport
Korean launch company Innospace signed a deal with Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA) to launch multiple orbital missions from the Arnhem Space Centre (ASC), a new spaceport in Australia’s Northern Territory. Innospace’s first launches from the ASC are expected to commence in early 2025, and the deal announced Aug. 17 is a five-year agreement that runs…
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Rocket Lab to Launch Earth Observation Satellite for Japanese Earth Imaging Company iQPS
Rocket Lab USA, a global launch services and space systems company, announced it has signed a deal to launch an Earth observation satellite on Electron for the Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space (iQPS), a Japan-based Earth imaging company. iQPS was originally manifested on another launch vehicle, but iQPS has now selected Rocket Lab to…