Space

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The current wave of space startups going public through mergers with special-purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) might lead to a round of industry consolidation as they snap up suppliers to obtain their technologies or personnel. Speaking at a Sept. 9 panel during the Satellite 2021 conference, Chris Kemp, chief executive of small

HELSINKI — China conducted its 33rd launch of 2021 early Thursday, successfully sending the ChinaSat-9B communications satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit. A Long March 3B lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China, at 7:50 a.m. Eastern, September 9. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC) announced ChinaSat-9B, also known as Zhongxing-9B,

Researchers have finally determined how long a day on Venus is, give or take an episode of Brooklyn 99. The first 1000 people to use the link will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership: http://skl.sh/scishowspace04211 Hosted by: Hank Green SciShow has a spinoff podcast! It’s called SciShow Tangents. Check it out at http://www.scishowtangents.org

SAN FRANCISCO –Attracting and retaining a diverse workforce may take effort but it can help companies succeed, according to panelists at the Satellite 2021 conference. Diverse teams perform better, said Debra Facktor, head of Space Systems for Airbus US Space and Defense Inc. “It’s just a fact. Their stock price is higher. Their returns are

WASHINGTON — NASA has selected SpaceX to launch the last in a series of geostationary weather satellites that had previously been launched by United Launch Alliance. NASA announced Sept. 10 that it awarded a contract to SpaceX for the Falcon Heavy launch of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) U spacecraft. The launch is scheduled

A new solicitation from the Defense Innovation Unit seeks “mature commercial technologies that can provide power and propulsion in the near term” WASHINGTON — The Defense Innovation Unit last week issued a call for bids for small nuclear-powered engines for space missions beyond Earth orbit. DoD wants “lightweight, portable and long-duration power sources that can

Thanks to KiwiCo for supporting this episode of SciShow Space! Head to https://kiwico.com/scishowspace to get 50% off your first month of any crate. As a species, we like to think everything about us is one of a kind, including the Milky Way Galaxy, but new evidence shows that yet again, we’re not so unique. Hosted

WASHINGTON — SpaceX is gearing up for its first purely commercial human spaceflight, but many details about the mission remain unclear. A SpaceX Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft on the Inspiration4 mission next week. Four people will fly on the mission, announced in February, spending three days in orbit but

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The good news for the Earth observation industry is that their capabilities to collect and analyze imagery are better than ever. The bad news for the industry is that many prospective customers don’t understand those capabilities. During a panel session of the Satellite 2021 conference Sept. 9, industry officials lamented that,

WASHINGTON — The House Science Committee approved its portion of a massive budget reconciliation spending bill Sept. 9, making no major changes to its NASA provisions. The full committee voted 21-17 after a daylong markup to advance its portion of the package, allocating $45.51 billion to agencies under its jurisdiction, including NASA, the National Oceanic

Black holes are some of the most extreme astronomical objects out there, but there are some that really standout. Let’s look at black holes that grow larger, consume more, and spin faster than the rest. Get 10% off today —WITH FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING—by going to http://ridge.com/SCISHOW and use code “SCISHOW” at check out. Host: Reid

Chirag Parikh said the call for nominations for the Users Advisory Group will stay open through the end of the month NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — A notice could appear in the Federal Register as early as next week seeking nominations for the National Space Council’s industry advisory group, the council’s executive secretary Chirag Parikh said

SAN FRANCISCO – Optical communications startup Xenesis signed a memorandum of understanding with MBS Lab, the research group for Germany’s Media Broadcast Satellite (MBS), Germany’s largest teleport operator. “Having a demonstration at the MBS Lab facility is a best-case scenario for us in terms of how we position ourselves for market adaption and market traction,”

WASHINGTON — NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is finally scheduled to launch Dec. 18 on an Ariane 5 from French Guiana after years of development delays. NASA, the European Space Agency and Arianespace announced Sept. 8 that they had selected Dec. 18 as the formal targeted launch date for the giant space observatory. ESA is

Plenty of other planets in the Solar System have rings. So why not Earth? ———- Dooblydoo thanks to the following Patreon supporters — we couldn’t make SciShow without them! Shout outs go to Justin Lentz, John Szymakowski, Ruben Galvao, and Peso255. ———- Like SciShow? Want to help support us, and also get things to put

SAN FRANCISCO – Optical communications startup BridgeComm announced a strategic partnership with satellite component supplier Space Micro to work together on the design, development and testing of optical communications technology for U.S. government and commercial customers. BridgeComm is working to establish a global network of ground stations and a laser communications constellation in low Earth

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Yahsat has selected SpaceX to launch its next-generation Thuraya mobile connectivity satellite in 2023, the companies announced Sept. 8. A Falcon 9 will launch the Thuraya 4-NGS satellite, being built by Airbus Defence and Space for UAE-based Yahsat, in the second half of 2023. The companies did not disclose terms of

SAN FRANCISCO – York Space Systems plans to rely on Exotrail electric propulsion for a mission to provide Earth-to-moon communications services from cislunar orbit. French startup Exotrail plans to deliver its ExoMG – cluster² thruster to York Space Systems in 2022, under a contract signed in August. York plans to integrate the thruster into its S-class

The geographic north pole doesn’t always line up with the magnetic north pole, but what do scientists know about this flipping field? Hosted by: Reid Reimers We want to learn more about you and your opinions! If you have time, please take a moment to fill out this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SciShowSurvey2017 Thank you! ———- Support SciShow

SAN FRANCISCO – Bradford Space is updating its Comet electrothermal propulsion technology and transferring production of the small satellite thrusters from the United States to Luxembourg. “The Luxembourg ecosystem allows more supportive financing of the venture of improving the technology, transferring the technology and building a facility,” said Patrick van Put, Bradford Space managing director.

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Companies that operate both geostationary satellites and low Earth orbit constellations say they see opportunities to acquire complementary firms but cautioned that a long-projected consolidation of the industry isn’t likely in the near future. In a panel discussion at the Satellite 2021 conference here Sept. 7, Bret Johnsen, chief financial officer

WASHINGTON — The House Science Committee will mark up its portion of a multitrillion-dollar spending bill this week that includes several billion dollars for NASA infrastructure but nothing for lunar lander development. The House Science Committee is scheduled to meet Sept. 9 to mark up a portion of a $3.5 trillion spending bill being considered

A new study provides mathematical evidence that dark matter could be much older than we thought and we’ve found a weird glitch in a neutron star. Host: Hank Green SciShow has a spinoff podcast! It’s called SciShow Tangents. Check it out at http://www.scishowtangents.org ———- Support SciShow by becoming a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/scishow ———- Huge

NGA provides firefighting agencies updated maps in 15 minute intervals on areas where fires are rapidly spreading. WASHINGTON — The Pentagon announced it plans to extend a pilot program that provides imagery from satellites, drones, ground sensors and cameras to help track and combat wildfires.  The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) started the program in