February 8th, 2023
Author: 
NASA’s Moon mission mouthful, the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, is doing just fine. Mercifully called CAPSTONE for short, the CubeSat has been operating in a Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) for 85 days – completing approximately 12.5 orbits since arrival November 13th of last year. The microwave oven–sized spacecraft, tipping […]
Posted in 
That troubled NASA Lunar Flashlight mission is facing an uphill battle in achieving its primary goals. The Lunar Flashlight team decided to attempt lunar flybys using any remaining thrust that the probe’s out of kilter propulsion system can deliver. This new attempt is designed to get the CubeSat into high Earth orbit, which includes periodic […]
Which state has the most commercial space launches? What launch site is the busiest? How many companies are licensed to conduct launch and reentry operations? You can find answers to all these questions and more by exploring the interactive commercial space data section of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Fact Book. This data visualization went […]
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at Jezero Crater acquired new imagery during its 42nd flight on February 5 using its navigation camera mounted in the helicopter’s fuselage and pointed directly downward to track the ground during flight. Distance flown by the mini-chopper to date: roughly 27,688 feet (8,439 meters), chalking up roughly 70 minutes of total […]
China’s Shenzhou-15 taikonauts are preparing to carry out their first spacewalking tasks for outfitting the country’s Tiangong space station. The extravehicular activities are to occur within the next few days, according to the China Manned Space Agency. This current trio has been living in orbit for 70 days since they entered the space station combination […]
There’s an uptick in reports of people finding downed space junk on Earth. Over the years, some recovered wreckage from incoming rocket bodies and spacecraft has been trucked into research facilities for intensive scrutiny. Up close inspection of the scraps from afar is aiding research into the fiery and destructive reentry […]
There is an increased uptick in research focused on Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon, or UAP. In many ways, serious looks into UAP is the classic unveiling of a riddle wrapped up in an enigma. The pace of government interest in UAP is palpable – underscored by the recent release by the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), […]
Video stills are in circulation of the Chinese balloon after it was hit with an AIM-9X anti-air missile fired from a F-22 Raptor on Feb. 4, 2023. The Raptor was dispatched from the 149 Fighter Squadron based at Langley Air Force Base. Used to down the balloon was a single AIM-9X Sidewinder missile, fired from […]
They are small…and they are impactful. Since 2013, the fight heritage for small spacecraft has increased by over 30% and has become the primary source to space access for commercial, government, private, and academic institutions. The overall capability of small spacecraft continues to mature, with technologies still being developed to make, for example, deep […]
There is a lengthy legacy of flying saucer folklore, of alien interlopers from afar; of governmental cover-ups tied to calls for “full disclosure” – an exposé that would divulge our Earth is, indeed, a stopover for starfolk whisking throughout the universe. Tales of recovered vehicles and occupants, those poor souls that after crossing interstellar space […]
