Millions of internet users in Mongolia will be able to access high-speed connection via Starlink, the satellite communications service operated by SpaceX, the government said in a statement today (7 July). Starlink has built a fast-growing network of more than 3,500 satellites in low-Earth orbit that can provide connectivity in remote areas. "A network of fibre-optic cables already provides wide-reaching access to high-speed internet across Mongolia, but this technology will provide greater access to hard-to-reach areas," said Uchral Nyam-Osor, the Mongolian minister for digital development ..read more

The two-tonne probe, named after the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid, will be heading towards an area in space known as the second Lagrange point, where the gravitational forces of Earth and the Sun are roughly equal, creating a stable location for the spacecraft. The UK has contributed £37m towards the £850m mission, with scientists playing key roles in designing and building the probe and leading on one of the two scientific instruments on board. The aim of the mission is to shed light on two of the universe’s greatest mysteries: dark energy and dark matter. Professor Tom Kitching, of U ..read more

Starlink, the satellite communications company founded by Elon Musk, will now provide satellite services to the Ukrainian military under a new Pentagon contract.  The terminals are expected to be purchased under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which provides for the embattled nation’s long-term security needs, Bloomberg reported.  The US originally announced its plans to fund initiatives to provide satellite communications “terminals and services” to Ukraine last year, but the involvement of Musk's company has only been revealed today. "We continue to work with a range ..read more

The International Space Station (ISS) has rolled out the welcome mat for the four participants of Axiom Space's second private mission, which took off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the US on Sunday (21 May). The crew included the first female Arab astronaut, stem cell researcher Rayyanah Barnawi. She was accompanied by fellow Saudi mission specialist Ali Alqarni, the second male astronaut from the Gulf kingdom to go to space.  The two are the first Saudis to travel in a rocket since a Saudi prince launched aboard shuttle Discovery in 1985. They were joined on the trip by tw ..read more

The 120m-tall spacecraft lifted off from South Texas on 20 April on the back of SpaceX’s new Super Heavy rocket. But just minutes after the launch, the two sections of the rocket failed to detach, causing Starship to begin spinning at altitude before exploding about four minutes after leaving the ground. The launch site sits next to prime habitat for protected species and migratory birds, like the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle and the piping plover. The launch showered the surrounding area with particulate matter that could have a detrimental impact on the wildlife. The FAA has already permitted ..read more

The Hakuto-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander is expected to make its landing around 16.40 GMT today (Tuesday) after spending some weeks orbiting the Moon in an elliptical orbit starting around 2,000km above the surface. The lander’s onboard camera has already been used to take pictures of the Moon from space. During the landing sequence, Hakuto-R will perform a braking burn, firing its main propulsion system to decelerate from orbit. Utilising a series of pre-set commands, the lander will adjust its attitude and reduce velocity in order to make a soft landing on the lunar surface. The process will ta ..read more

Elon Musk has announced his rocket company will attempt a second launch of its Starship spacecraft after the first one failed its first uncrewed flight test.  The spaceship was mounted atop SpaceX's new Super Heavy rocket, which the company has described as the most powerful launch vehicle ever made. The 120-metre-tall spacecraft lifted off from South Texas on Thursday. However, only minutes after the launch, the two sections of the rocket failed to detach, causing Starship to begin spinning at altitude before exploding about four minutes after leaving the ground. The test's failur ..read more

Nasa's SpaceX Crew-6 mission lifted off at 12:34am EST (05:34am GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission has seen the arrival of the first person of Arab origin intending to stay for an extended time in the ISS, as part of a six-month-long science mission that will study microgravity. UAE's first-ever astronaut launched to orbit in 2019 aboard a Russian spacecraft. The SpaceX launch vehicle consisted of a Falcon 9 rocket topped with an autonomously operated Crew Dragon capsule called Endeavour. Onboard were Nasa's retired Navy submariner Stephen Bowen and Wo ..read more

Nasa has revealed its plans to use Blue Origin's recently developed 'New Glenn' heavy-lift rocket to blast off its dual spacecraft for the Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (Escapade) Mars mission.  New Glenn is the rocket designed by Blue Origin to compete with SpaceX's Falcon Heavy. The rocket's first flight was originally scheduled for late 2021, but this was subsequently pushed back and is still yet to take place.  Despite the lack of mission experience, the rocket has been chosen to launch Nasa's spacecraft in late 2024 from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canave ..read more

The 110lb SSPD prototype was launched into space on the Transporter-6 mission, which lifted off from Cape Canaveral on Tuesday 3 January 2023.  The demonstrator is part of the Caltech Space Solar Power Project (SSPP). The scientists behind the mission have designed three experiments to test several key components of an ambitious plan to harvest solar power in space and beam the energy back to Earth.  Satellites in geosynchronous orbit receive sunlight for more than 99 per cent of the time – as they are not subjected to the cycles of a day and changes in weather – and at a much grea ..read more