Space Highlights - July 3, 2017

July 3, 2017

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has launched 10 communications satellites for Iridium Communications from Vandenberg AFB in California.  Shortly thereafter, in a separate launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida, another SpaceX Falcon 9 booster placed a Bulgarian communications satellite into orbit.
https://www.space.com/37303-spacex-iridium-satellite-launch-watch-live.html
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/spacex-set-launch-satellites-california-air-base-48266878
https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/06/23/bulgarias-first-communications-satellite-heaved-into-orbit/


An ISRO PSLV rocket successfully placed 31 satellites into orbit, including the Cartosat-2 Earth observation satellite and 30 smaller satellites from 14 countries.
http://www.newsnation.in/science-news/isro-pslv-c-38-launch-live-cartosat-2-30-other-satellites-launch-from-satish-dhawan-space-centre-sriharikota-andhra-pradesh-article-174929.html


An Ariane 5 rocket placed two geosynchronous communications satellites into orbit, marking the 80th consecutive successful launch for the Ariane 5 booster.  The two satellites comprised the Indian-built GSAT 17, and the European Hellas-Sat 3/Inmarsat S EAN spacecraft.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/06/28/ariane-5-rocket-tallies-80th-straight-success-with-on-target-satellite-launch/


China successfully launched an X-ray telescope into orbit aboard a Long March 4B rocket.  The Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope is intended to search for evidence of black holes.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/06/china-successfully-launches-x-ray-satellite


The smallest experimental satellite yet built was recently launched into space from NASA's Wallop Island facility.  The microsatellite, which weighed in at 64 g, was designed by a student in India.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/nasa-launches-worlds-lightest-satellite-designed-by-18-year-old-tamil-nadu-student/smallest-3d-printed-satellite/slideshow/59283141.cms


An upper stage booster malfunction has left the Chinasat-9A communications satellite in a lower-than-planned orbit.  This was the first failure involving a Long March 3B rocket since 2009.  The satellite is reportedly healthy, but will not be able to fulfill its planned role from its current, low earth orbit.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/06/19/chinese-broadcasting-satellite-ends-up-in-wrong-orbit-after-rocket-failure/


Upgraded software recently uploaded to Curiosity will allow NASA's Mars rover greater autonomy to identify targets for investigation.  The new AI software is being tested as a means to reduce idle time between when the rover initially surveys an area, and when human controllers on Earth can relay radio signals directing the rover to further investigate specific features.
https://www.space.com/37326-curisoty-rover-picks-its-own-targets.html


NASA has released new images of sunrise on Saturn, as well as of Saturn's moon Iapetus, captured by the Cassini spacecraft as it winds down its mission to the ringed planet.  Cassini recently marked the 13-year anniversary of its arrival at Saturn.
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/cassini-probe-captures-saturns-dawn-in-stunning-image/article19154008.ece
http://www.sci-news.com/space/cassini-image-iapetus-04949.html
https://www.space.com/37353-nasa-cassini-saturn-mission-anniversary.html


NASA's Juno spacecraft has now completed five up-close passes of Jupiter, mapping atmospheric conditions at the gas giant.
https://phys.org/news/2017-06-gemini-images-juno-spacecraft-discovery.html


A new study claims that a survey of the orbital patterns of four newly discovered Kuiper belt objects suggests that previous claims that orbital distributions in the outer solar system were indicative of a previously unidentified, Neptune-sized "Planet Nine" may have been premature.  However, the team which assembled the original "Planet Nine" study have countered that three of the four new objects actually do bolster the case for a ninth planet - and that only one of the newly discovered objects does not.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/06/new-haul-distant-worlds-casts-doubt-planet-nine
https://www.nature.com/news/solar-system-survey-casts-doubt-on-mysterious-planet-nine-1.22177


A separate study of inner-Kuiper belt objects has suggested that another candidate planet my exist in the outer solar system: pointing to a much smaller, Mars-sized planet as being responsible for the orbital inclination of these inner Kuiper belt objects.  The proposed new object would be much smaller than the Neptune-sized "Planet Nine" that was first proposed in 2016, and would also lie much closer to the sun - close to the orbit of Pluto.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/06/27/a-mysterious-mars-sized-planet-may-be-hiding-at-the-edge-of-our-solar-system/?utm_term=.438e9c4d2116


A new theory for the behavior of dark matter suggests that part of the reason that it may be so difficult to detect is that it behaves differently at different scales - forming a "superfluid" or Bose-Einstein condensate at a galactic level, but acting like a low-density gas or vapor when viewed from an inter-galactic scale.
https://www.sciencealert.com/this-new-explanation-for-dark-matter-could-be-the-best-one-yet


A separate study has also attempted to resolve the differences in observed dark matter distributions and behavior at the galactic level - as compared to the intergalactic scale - by conducting a series of numerical simulations to pinpoint the dark matter characteristics that best match all observed phenomena.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2017/06/29/dark-matter-theory-triumphs-in-sweeping-new-study/#2f28045252d8

Space Highlights - June 8, 2017

June 8, 2017

India's ISRO has successfully launched the GSAT-19 communications satellite into orbit, marking the first launch for India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV MkIII) - India's largest booster rocket yet.
http://www.space.com/37093-india-launches-most-powerful-rocket-yet.html
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/isro-gsat-19-satellite-launch-live-updates-india-attempts-to-put-3136-kg-satellite-in-orbit-4689969/


A Russian Proton rocket launched Echostar-21 into orbit this week - the first such launch in a year, since an engine glitch led to a previous launch failure.
https://phys.org/news/2017-06-russian-rocket-satellite.html


NASA's Cassini spacecraft has completed its seventh dive inside of Saturn's rings.
http://newatlas.com/cassini-saturn-nasa/49888/


NASA has released a new fly-by video of Jupiter, assembled from images collected by the Juno spacecraft.
https://www.wired.com/2017/06/juno-jupiter-video/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4567302/Incredible-video-shows-s-like-fly-Jupiter.html


Researchers have identified a Jupiter-sized exoplanet that is hotter than the surface of most stars.  The planet orbits close to a hot A-type star, which has been super-heating the planet's atmosphere.
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/05/hottest-exoplanet-ever-discovered-.html

Space Highlights - June 1, 2017

June 1, 2017

An Ariane 5 booster successfully placed two communications satellites - the ViaSat-2 and Eutelsat 172B - into orbit.
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/06/ariane-5-dual-payload-launch-csg/
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=50968


Stratolaunch Systems rolled out its satellite launch platform for the first time: a giant airplane that's intended to heft satellite launch rockets to high altitude for release.  Stratolaunch has been largely funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
http://breakingdefense.com/2017/05/microsoft-co-founder-rolls-out-satellite-launch-plane-ors-plus/


Cassini has made its closest pass yet with Saturn's innermost ring.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/05/30/cassini-survives-closest-brush-with-saturns-inner-ring/


Data collected from Cassini suggests that Saturn's moon Enceladus may have tipped over in the distant pass - with terrain that's now in its polar region once having been located near the moon's equator.
https://phys.org/news/2017-05-cassini-saturn-moon-enceladus.html


The first two research papers connected with NASA's Juno spacecraft have been released, revealing some of the first results from the deep, multilayered picture that Juno's instruments are providing to map Jupiter's atmosphere.
http://earthsky.org/space/juno-at-jupiter-1st-science-results


Passing close to Jupiter's cloud tops, the Juno spacecraft has captured the first views of Jupiter's small, faint rings ever captured from inside the ring's orbit.
http://www.space.com/37006-first-photo-jupiter-rings-inside-juno.html


NASA's Curiosity rover has revealed that the ancient lake that once existed at Gale crater on Mars was divided into two distinct layers - both of which had the necessary conditions to support microbial life, if any had existed.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2133376-mars-rover-sees-signs-of-microbe-friendly-layers-in-ancient-lake/


A deep pit identified on the surface of Mars appears to be surrounded by a "Swiss cheese" terrain that continues to puzzle researchers.  The area was identified by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4563740/What-s-PIT-Mars-Orbiter-spots-Swiss-cheese.html


LIGO, an instrument designed to detect gravity waves, has identified its third black hole merger.
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/ligo-detects-third-black-hole-merger-0106201723/
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/06/black-holes-gravitational-waves-space-genius-science/

Space Highlights - May 24, 2017

May 24, 2017

NASA has entered into an agreement with India's ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) to jointly place an Earth resources, radar mapping satellite into orbit in 2021 using India's GSLV rocket.
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/GSLV_Rocket_to_Launch_Nasa_ISROs_NISAR_Satellite_999.html


Rocket Lab's Electron small satellite rocket is expected to make its first orbital attempt later this week.  The new booster is aimed at the microsatellite market.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/05/20/small-satellite-launcher-set-for-first-orbital-test-flight/


The first microsatellite to be developed and built in Slovakia is expected to be launched on a Falcon 9 rocket in early June.
https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20540006/the-launch-of-the-first-slovak-satellite-set.html


Ireland's first satellite, developed by University College Dublin and Queen's University Belfast, is expected to be released as a piggy-back payload to the International Space Station.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/first-irish-satellite-to-be-launched-in-space-790875.html


NASA has released new images of Saturn's icy moon Enceladus, capturing the moon's polar regions in greater detail.
https://thespacereporter.com/2017/05/cassini-captures-new-images-enceladus/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4531040/NASA-reveals-stunning-new-Cassini-image-Enceladus.html


A new study canvasing data from the Cassini spacecraft has concluded that the geology of Saturn's largest moon Titan, with its river beds and lakes formed by liquid methane, resembles its counterparts on Mars more closely than its counterparts on Earth.
https://phys.org/news/2017-05-history-titan-landscape-resembles-mars.html
http://www.astrobio.net/comparativeplanetology/rivers-three-worlds-tell-different-tales/
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2131672-titans-riverbeds-show-a-terrain-built-more-like-mars-than-earth/


Researchers have now precisely mapped the orbits of all seven TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets - the outermost of which takes less than 19 Earth days to complete one orbit.
http://www.space.com/36962-earth-size-exoplanet-trappist-1h-not-habitable.html


Despite a wide range of exoplanets identified within the past decade, no consistent classificiation system currently exists for identifying the various bodies.
http://www.space.com/36935-planet-classification.html


Having failed to detect evidence for Axions, CERN's CAST detector has placed further limits on the sort of particles that might make up dark matter.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170523104335.htm

Space Highlights - May 18, 2017

May 18, 2017

A Russian-made Soyuz rocket launched the Boeing-made SES-15 communications satellite into orbit this past week from French Guiana.
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Arianespace_launches_SES_15_using_Soyuz_rocket_999.html


SpaceX launched the Inmarsat-5 F4 communications satellite into orbit aboard a FalconX booster this week.  This was the heaviest geosynchronous satellite launch yet made by a FalconX rocket, leaving no fuel remaining in the tanks to attempt a recovery of the booster's first stage.
http://www.space.com/36852-spacex-launches-inmarsat-5-f4-satellite.html


Satellite photos indicate that North Korea is upgrading its Sohae launch facility, possibly for another satellite launch or ballistic missile test.
https://sputniknews.com/military/201705191053769022-north-korea-sohae-launch-site/


NASA has released another batch of photographs as the Cassini spacecraft continues its ring-diving orbits around Saturn.
http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/missions/solar-system/cassini-image-shows-saturn-heading-toward-solstice/


The Opportunity rover has begun its descent into "Perserverance Valley," entering the rim of a giant Martian crater.
http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/missions/solar-system/nasas-opportunity-mars-rover-begins-study-perseverance-valley/


NASA officials have revealed that the Curiosity rover was very nearly lost some six months after it had landed on Mars, due to a software glitch that could have permanently disabled the rover.
http://www.space.com/36841-mars-rover-curiosity-computer-glitch-60-minutes.html


NASA has released a new time-lapse video of the dwarf planet Ceres, as captured by the Dawn spacecraft.
http://www.space.com/36874-ceres-opposition-sun-movie-dawn.html


Researchers have identified a moon orbiting the third largest dwarf planet, 2007 OR10 in the outer reaches of the solar system.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170518140249.htm


Researchers have successfully mapped the magnetic field lines of a giant exoplanet over 1000 light years away.  The planet, HAT-P-7b is nearly 80-percent more massive than Jupiter, and orbits its star every couple of days - leading to a very hot and active atmosphere.
https://phys.org/news/2017-05-variable-hot-giant-exoplanet-magnetic.html


Results released from the first trial run of the XENON1T, the most sensitive instrument yet devised to hunt for the existance of WIMPS (weakly interacting massive particles), has yet to find evidence for one of the hypothesized forms of dark matter.
https://phys.org/news/2017-05-xenon1t-sensitive-detector-earth-wimp.html

Space Highlights - May 10, 2017

May 10, 2017

The Indian Geosynchronous Satellite Launch communications satellite was placed into orbit this past week, linking India with its neighbors in South Asia.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/05/06/india-launches-satellite-linking-its-south-asian-neighbors/


Iran has announced plans to launch two satellites in the coming weeks, in what critics are describing as a cover for Iran's ballistic missile weapons program.
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/iran-launch-two-new-satellites-cover-illicit-icbm-program/


Vector Space has made its first successful launch of its microsatellite booster.
http://www.space.com/36710-vector-space-test-launch-success.html


The U.S. Air Force's miniature, unmanned space plane returned for a landing in Florida this past week, after spending nearly two years in orbit.  The purpose and details behind the X-37B's orbital missions remains classified.
http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2017/05/what-americas-secret-space-shuttle/137699/


NASA has released images of Titan's methane cloud cover, captured during the last close pass made by the Cassini spacecraft before it began its "ring diving" orbits last month.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/05/09/cassini-downlinks-view-of-titans-methane-clouds-on-third-loop-inside-rings/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4490106/NASA-reveals-stunning-image-clouds-streaking-Titan.html


Researchers have confirmed that the gap between Saturn and its rings really is the "big empty," after the Cassini spacecraft sent back data from its two initial ring-diving orbits where it passed between Saturn and its innermost ring.  Dust levels between Saturn and its innermost ring were much lower than what scientists had expected.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/nasa-cassini-saturn-rings-big-empty-grand-finale-images-pictures-video-footage-a7715011.html
http://astronomy.com/news/2017/05/cassini-and-the-great-empty


NASA has released a new video depicting images from Cassini's "ring diving" orbit, that took it between Saturn and its innermost rings.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/sciencetech/video-1458153/New-movie-shows-NASA-s-Cassini-spacecraft-dive-Saturn.html


NASA's Curiosity rover sent back photos of black sanddunes on Mars, as the rover began to take samples from a linear, active sand dune.
http://www.space.com/36738-mars-rover-curiosity-sand-dunes-photos.html
http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/missions/solar-system/nasa-curiosity-rover-samples-linear-active-dune-mars/


Two new Saturn-sized exoplanets have been identified by researchers.  The planets orbit red dwarf stars.
http://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/14802/20170510/two-new-exoplanets-orbiting-red-dwarfs-discovered-to-have-saturn-like-mass.htm
https://phys.org/news/2017-05-saturn-mass-exoplanets.html

Space Highlights - May 3, 2017

May 3, 2017

SpaceX successfully launched a U.S. spy satellite into orbit, its first such launch on behalf of the National Reconnaissance Office.
http://www.space.com/36666-spacex-launches-first-spy-satellite-nails-landing.html


Iridium plans to launch four more batches of next generation communications satellites later this year.  Each batch is launched in a cluster of 10 Next satellites that will eventually form a global network.
http://spacenews.com/iridium-plans-to-launch-four-more-sets-of-next-generation-satellites-this-year/


The Brazilian government expects to have its first military communications satellite launched later this week, following delays at Arianespace's launch facility in French Guiana, due to a workers' strike.
http://www.zdnet.com/article/brazilian-satellite-attempts-launch/


The Cassini spacecraft has completed its second "ring dive" orbit, passing between Saturn and its innermost ring.  The new orbit is expected to end in a finale in a few months time, as the spacecraft, having nearly exhausted its fuel, crashes into the gas giant.
http://www.space.com/36693-saturn-big-empty-cassini-second-ring-dive.html


NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured images showing sedimentary rock layers in part of the Valles Marineris canyon system.
http://www.ibtimes.com/water-mars-nasas-mro-snaps-image-sedimentary-rock-layers-valles-marineris-ganges-2531833


NASA's Dawn spacecraft, currently in orbit around the dwarf planet Ceres, has lost its remaining reaction wheels - which are used to help orient the spacecraft during complex maneuvers.  It is expected that the spacecraft will be able to complete its mission from its current orbit, but future orbital maneuvers are unlikely without the precision control that the reaction wheels would have afforded.
http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/missions/solar-system/nasas-dawn-spacecraft-experiences-reaction-wheel-malfunction/


A newly discovered exoplanet has been identified some 13,000 light years away.  Although the planet is believed to be similar in size to the Earth, its orbit would render it an icy, frozen world.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/26/us/ice-world-exoplanet-discovery-trnd/


A recent experiment conducted by CERN - using a special telescope focused on the sun - has failed to turn up evidence for axions - one of the leading candidates for the missing "dark matter" of the universe.  Axions, if they exist, are predicted to interact with magnetic fields, making it possible to detect axions that might be emitted by the sun.  The absence of evidence for Axions further narrows the field for what dark matter particles might exist.
http://www.ibtimes.com/cerns-cast-experiment-limits-dark-matter-possibilities-not-finding-solar-axions-2533242


Observations of distant galaxies being conducted by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory suggest that a "fuzzy dark matter" model - which calls for the mass of dark matter particles to be much lower than most theories currently in favor - may better match the observed early galaxy formations.
http://www.astronomy.com/news/2017/05/testing-dark-matter-theories

Fighter Jet Times - April 27, 2017

April 27, 2017

As part of the first deployment of the F-35 to Europe, U.S. Air Force F-35As have arrived in Estonia for NATO wargames, in what many are interpreting as a signal to Russia.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/us-f-35-jets-land-in-estonia-for-exercises-in-putins-backyard/article/2621178
https://www.stripes.com/news/europe/us-f-35-stealth-fighters-arrive-in-estonia-for-nato-drills-1.465268


For the fourth time in the same week, U.S. fighters were scrambled to intercept Russian strategic bombers off of the Alaskan coast.
http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/04/21/russian-planes-buzz-alaska-four-nights-in-a-row/
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/21/politics/russian-bombers-tensions-trump/


Three additional F-35 fighters arrived in Israel this past weekend, complimenting the two aircraft delivered last December.  Israel has a total of 50 F-35s on order.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/three-more-f-35-fighter-jets-touch-down-in-israel/
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Second-installment-of-US-made-F-35-military-jets-land-in-Israel-488741


The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report cautioning legislators not to rush into a multiyear block-buy for the F-35 fighter, as has been recently proposed, until the terms for such a contract have been settled between the Pentagon and the airframe and engine manufacturer.
http://www.defensenews.com/articles/gao-urges-caution-on-economic-order-quantity-buy-for-f-35


The GAO has also issued a study warning that the cost for correcting software problems with the F-35's avionics are likely to be much higher than the $532 million cited by the Pentagon, and could easily total $1.7 billion before the Block 3F software becomes operational.  Many of the weapons systems and sensor integration algorithms on the F-35 require the Block 3F software to become operational.
http://www.businessinsider.com/government-accountability-office-f-35-block-3f-4-delay-2017-4
http://www.gao.gov/assets/690/684207.pdf


Boeing has elected to withdraw as a contender to replace Belgium's F-16 fighter fleet, citing an "unfair" competition.  Lockheed Martin's F-35 is widely expected to win the Belgian contract.
http://www.janes.com/article/69739/boeing-not-to-compete-unfair-belgian-fighter-requirement


The RAF has deployed four Eurofighter Typhoons to Romania as part of a four-month NATO deployment.
http://www.janes.com/article/69804/raf-typhoons-arrive-in-romania


The third Dassault Rafale fighter destined for Qatar has made its first flight.  The Qatari aircraft have a different avionics suite from their French counterparts, and are expected to undergo extensive testing prior to their delivery in 2018.
http://www.aviationanalysis.net/2017/04/pictures-qatari-dassault-rafale-takes-off.html


A U.S. Navy F/A-18E crashed while attempting to land on the USS Carl Vinson, south of the Philippines.  The pilot ejected safely and was recovered aboard the carrier.  The cause of the crash has not been announced.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/04/21/us-fighter-pilot-approaching-uss-carl-vinson-ejects.html


North Korea has announced its "largest ever" live fire exercise, after the U.S. warned North Korea against conducting additional ballistic missile or nuclear weapons tests.
https://www.nknews.org/2017/04/north-korea-conducts-largest-ever-live-fire-military-drills/


China has launched its first domestically-built aircraft carrier, amid considerable fanfare.  The vessel will join an existing carrier which China purchased from Russia.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/first-made-in-china-aircraft-carrier-unveiled-as-uss-carl-vinson-nears-korea-20170426-gvsr2e.html


Analysts have continued to ridicule Iran's purported Qaher F-313 "stealth fighter", pointing out that the tire pressure for the aircraft - which is clearly stenciled on the outside of the "prototype" shown taxiing in recent videos - is indicative of a lightweight airplane with very limited fuel and payload capacity.
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/iran-qaher-f313-stealth-fighter-jet-fake-tire-psi
http://www.businessinsider.in/irans-stealth-fighter-is-a-total-joke/articleshow/58270311.cms

Space Highlights - April 26, 2017

April 26, 2017

Among the microsatellites that were piggy-backed onto a recent supply launch for the International Space Station, was a satellite to measure plasma characteristics built by students at Aalto University in Finland, as well as a series of satellites intended to take measurements of the Earth's upper atmosphere designed by students at a high school in Israel, and the University of Colorado in Boulder, among others.
https://phys.org/news/2017-04-aalto-satellite-space.html
https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-high-school-students-launch-nano-satellite-into-space/


Mongolia's first communications satellite has been announced - with the Asia Broadcast Satellite re-branding its ABS 2A satellite as the Mongol-Sat1.  The ABS 2A was manufactured by Boeing and was launched in January.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mongolia-satellite-idUSKBN17L18W
http://www.satellitetoday.com/telecom/2017/04/19/abs-co-brands-abs-2a-capacity-mongolsat-1/


The Cassini spacecraft has made its final, close fly-by of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, passing within 608 miles of the moon's surface.
http://earthsky.org/space/cassini-final-titan-flyby-april-2017


NASA has released images of a giant canyon on the surface of Saturn's moon Tethys, as captured by the Cassini spacecraft during a recent encounter.
http://www.space.com/36586-saturn-moon-tethys-canyon-cassini-photo.html


NASA's Opportunity rover is leaving behind "Cape Tribulation", the promitory on the edge of a crater that it has been exploring for the past several months, to head towards "Perserverance Valley" - which is believed to be a dry, ancient riverbed that cuts into the wall of the crater.
https://www.universetoday.com/135129/opportunity-leaving-tribulation-behind/
http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/missions/solar-system/opportunity-mars-rover-leaves-tribulation-perseverance/


Researchers have assembled a detailed map for one of the candidate landing sites for NASA's next planned Mars rover, scheduled to touch down in 2020.
http://www.astrobio.net/also-in-news/researchers-produce-detailed-map-potential-mars-rover-landing-site/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170420113741.htm


A photograph recently released from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter depicts the landing platform for the Opportunity Mars rover, still visible in the center of the small crater where the lander came to rest in 2004.
http://www.space.com/36587-mars-rover-opportunity-landing-site-new-photo.html


Researchers have identified an exoplanet some 40 light years from Earth, which some scientists have suggested could be a good candidate for searching for alien life.  The planet orbits a red dwarf star that is "very quiet", unlike Proxima B, for example, which also hosts a planet in its habitable zone but which is known to have an active history of intense flares.
http://www.space.com/36587-mars-rover-opportunity-landing-site-new-photo.html
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Newly_Discovered_Exoplanet_May_be_Best_Candidate_in_Search_for_Signs_of_Life_999.html


Recent computer simulations of galaxy formation continue to provide evidence for the existence of dark matter, indicating that without its presence, galaxies would not exist as we see them today.
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Simulated_Galaxies_Provide_Fresh_Evidence_of_Dark_Matter_999.html

Space Highlights - April 19, 2017

April 19, 2017

China has launched its highest capacity communications satellite yet, the Shijian 13 - also known as Chinasat 16 - which was launched into orbit by a Long March 3B rocket.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/04/12/chinas-highest-capacity-communications-satellite-launched-into-orbit/
http://spacenews.com/china-launches-an-experimental-communications-satellite/


An Atlas V rocket has sent a payload on its way to the International Space Station, which in addition to space station supplies includes 36 experimental microsatellites.  The collection of small satellites were largely sponsored as university experiments, including for example, the first such Australian-built satellite to be launched in 15 years.
https://www.wired.com/2017/04/watch-nasa-launch-38-itty-bitty-satellites-iss/
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Australias_back_in_the_satellite_business_with_a_new_launch_999.html


Researchers combing throught data supplied by the Cassini spacecraft have concluded that the oceans on Saturn's moon, Enceladus contain the necessary chemical ingredients to support life.  Cassini sampled gases released by hydrothermal geysers, which provided a chemical trace for the oceans hidden beneath the icy exterior of the moon.
http://www.newsweek.com/saturn-moon-habitable-583831
http://www.popularmechanics.com/space/solar-system/news/a26044/cassini-evidence-hydrothermal-vents-enceladus/
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/nasa-announcement-today-alien-life-exist-saturn-enceladus-cassini-hydrogen-plume-hydrothermal-a7681821.html


As part of its grand finale, before plunging into the depths of Saturn's atmosphere, the Cassini spacecraft is expected to fly between Saturn and its rings for the first time - providing new data on the rings' structure and composition.
https://thetartan.org/2017/4/17/scitech/saturnprobe
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/04/missions-last-hurrah-cassini-aims-solve-riddle-saturns-rings


NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has identified a region of Mars marked by mysterious secondary craters - which feature a raised-relief structure not normally seen.  The unusual contours point to an unusual soil composition at the time of the impact, possibly involving some amount of water on the surface.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/nasa-mars-orbiter-spots-strange-secondary-crater-117041900310_1.html


New images released from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reveal newly identified lakes and gullies that once cut across ancient craters on the Martian surface.
http://www.ibtimes.com/nasas-mars-orbiter-captures-lakebeds-source-gullies-craters-martian-surface-2525858


NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) orbiter has detected a distribution of metal particles and ions in the upper atmosphere of Mars which underscore differences between the Martian environment - where there is no strong magnetic field - and Earth - where a planetary magnetic field deflects charged metal ions.
http://cdanews.com/2017/04/maven-detects-metal-in-mars-atmosphere/


Landslides on the surface of the dwarf planet Ceres, as documented by the Dawn spacecraft, point to an underlying icy crust.
http://www.news.gatech.edu/2017/04/17/landslides-ceres-reflect-hidden-ice
http://www.astronomy.com/news/2017/04/landslides-on-ceres


New observations from the Dawn spacecraft confirm that Ceres does have a thin atmosphere - but that the composition and density changes during the orbit of the dwarf planet, and with the intensity of solar activity at any given time.
https://www.universetoday.com/134922/confirmed-ceres-transient-atmosphere/
https://astronomynow.com/2017/04/07/ceres-temporary-atmosphere-linked-to-solar-activity/


The New Horizons spacecraft, now half way between Pluto and its next fly-by target, has been placed in a five-month slumber to reduce wear on the spacecraft.
https://futurism.com/goodnight-new-horizons-sleep-well/


Scientists have confirmed the identification of the smallest exoplanet known to have an atmosphere.  The planet, located 39 light years away, is only slightly larger than the Earth.  Traces of water and methane have been identified in the atmosphere of the planet, which orbits closely around a red dwarf star.
http://gizmodo.com/this-is-the-smallest-exoplanet-known-to-have-an-atmosph-1794079768
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2127096-atmosphere-containing-water-detected-around-rocky-exoplanet/


Researchers searching for exoplanets have identified a large planet, three times the size of Jupiter, in orbit around a star 21,000 light years away, using a new technique known as gravitational microlensing.  The researchers hope to use this method to eventually locate smaller planets closer to Earth.
https://phys.org/news/2017-04-massive-exoplanet-gravitational-microlensing-method.html


A group of researchers has identified a "bridge" of dark matter connecting distant galaxies.  If confirmed, this finding could help to explain the large-scale structure among galaxy clusters witnessed in the universe.
http://earthsky.org/space/waterloo-image-dark-matter-cosmic-web-2017
http://www.wired.co.uk/article/dark-matter-bridge

Space Highlights - April 5, 2017

April 5, 2017

After successfully launching a satellite last week aboard a used Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX successfully recovered the used booster a second time, and brought it back into port for refurbishment this week.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/reused-rocket-back-port-satellite-launch-spacex-46572980
https://thespacereporter.com/2017/04/spacex-successfully-launches-recovers-reused-booster/


United Launch Alliance has won three launch contracts from the U.S. government - one each for the Delta 4, Atlas 5-551, and Atlas 5-401 launch vehicles.  The planned launches include the NROL-82 spy satellite, a weather satellite, and one undisclosed payload.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/04/02/united-launch-alliance-wins-three-u-s-government-satellite-launches/


NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has completed 50,000 orbits of the red planet to date, accumulating a catalogue of some 90,000 images.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bridaineparnell/2017/03/30/mars-orbiter-has-circled-the-planet-50000-times/#3223bd4865fd


Evidence collected from NASA's Mars Atmospheric and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft suggests that some 90 percent of the Martian atmosphere was lost to space over the span of a few hundred million years, leaving the Martian surface the dry, barren environment that we know today.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2126363-nasa-orbiter-shows-mars-lost-90-per-cent-of-its-co2-to-space/


The Cassini spacecraft is expected to begin its "Grand Finale" this month, diving inside of Saturn's rings for the first time.  The spacecraft is also expected to have a final, close encounter with Saturn's largest moon, Titan, before burning up in Saturn's atmosphere.
http://www.space.com/36351-cassini-saturn-mission-grand-finale-titan.html
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/apr/04/nasa-cassini-spacecraft-end-20-year-mission-saturn-moons


The New Horizons spacecraft is now mid-way between Pluto and its next target: Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69.
http://www.astronomy.com/news/2017/04/new-horizons-halfway-to-mu69


Four objects have been flagged by researchers for follow-up study as possible candidates for the proposed Planet Nine.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/citizen-scientists-spot-candidates-for-planet-nine/


A recent study into the orbits of the Milky Way galaxy's dwarf satellite galaxies suggests that these structures can be explained only if similarly sized, dark matter dwarf galaxies likewise exist to stabilize the observed orbits.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170330164959.htm


A group of researchers is preparing to use a global network of radio telescopes to peer into the inner regions of the Milky Way galaxy, in an attempt to produce the first ever "image" of the region surrounding the black hole at the center of the galaxy.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/science/astronomers-close-in-on-first-direct-view-of-a-black-hole/article34597122/

Space Highlights - March 30, 2017

March 30, 2017

A refurbished Falcon 9 rocket is expected  to launch the SES-10 communications satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit later this week.  This will mark the first time that a refurbished Falcon 9 has been reused to launch a satellite.
http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/space-exploration-technologies/flight-proven-falcon-9-set-to-launch-ses-10-satellite/
https://thespacereporter.com/2017/03/spacex-launch-used-falcon-9-first-time/


Europe's Arianespace has shelved indefinitely any further launch attempts, due to a workers' strike at their French Guiana launch facility.
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Satellite_launch_shelved_over_strikes_999.html


The U.S. Air Force's GEO-3 satellite has returned images for the first time, after being launched in January aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V booster.  The GEO satellites are intended to act as missile launch warning sentinels, tracking the launch of ballistic missiles and rockets worldwide using infrared imaging.
http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/missions/defense/lockheed-martin-built-geo-flight-3-satellite-returns-first-images/


Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin has won this year's Collier Trophy, which is awarded each year by the National Aeronautic Association, in recognition of the most outstanding aeronautical achievement of the previous year.
http://www.geekwire.com/2017/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-collier-trophy/


The European Space Agency has down-selected the preferred landing site for its ExoMars rover to one of two locations.  The ExoMars rover is expected to arrive at the red planet in 2021.
http://www.space.com/36244-exomars-rover-mars-landing-site-finalists.html


A new study suggests that the axial tilt of the dwarf planet Ceres will be heavily influenced over time by the gravitational effects of Jupiter - making it less likely that water ice might still exist at the surface in its shadowed, polar regions.
http://www.astrobio.net/also-in-news/ice-ceres-shadowed-craters-linked-tilt-history/


NASA has released a new composite image highlighting Pluto's atmosphere, back-lit by the sun, as captured by the New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/pluto-photos-nasa-new-images-planet-a7653691.html

Space Highlights - March 22, 2017

March 22, 2017

Small satellite launch start-up Rocket Lab has raised an additional $75 million in venture capital, as it relocates its headquarters in California.
http://fortune.com/2017/03/21/rocket-lab-raises-75-million/


The U.S. Air Force successfully launched a Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral, carrying the WGS-9 communications satellite.  The night-time satellite launch was also captured from orbit by the GOES-16 weather satellite.
http://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2017/03/20/goesr-satellite-launched-atlasv-rocket-detected-deltaiv-united-launch-alliance-cape-canaveral-air-force-station-national-weather-service/99419230/
http://www.space.com/36119-advanced-us-military-satellite-wgs-9-launch-success.html


Japan successfully launched the IGS (Information Gathering Satellite), radar surveillance satellite into orbit aboard an H-IIA rocket.  The IGS is intended to provide Japan with space-based intelligence on activities in North Korea and China.
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/03/japanese-h-iia-rocket-latest-igs-launch/
http://www.space.com/36099-japan-launches-spy-satellite-igs-radar-5.html


SpaceX launched the EchoStar 23 communications satellite aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center.  Due to the high target orbit - requiring a longer rocket burn - no attempt was made to recover the first stage of the launch booster.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/nation-now/2017/03/16/spacex-launches-satellite-second-try/99243608/


The aluminum wheels on NASA's Curiosity rover are starting to show the wear from their age, after five years on the surface of Mars.
http://www.popsci.com/curiosity-mars-rovers-wheels-are-starting-to-break
https://knowridge.com/2017/03/two-breaks-observed-on-curiosity-mars-rovers-wheel/


A Finnish film maker has assembled some 50,000 images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to produce a video of the spacecraft's view in orbit around the red planet.
http://gizmodo.com/filmmaker-painstakingly-crafts-one-of-the-best-looks-at-1793462214
http://www.universetoday.com/134547/ever-wondered-final-approach-mars-might-feel-like/


Europe's ExoMars spacecraft has begun lowering its orbit around Mars, as it positions itself to sample the Martian atmosphere for signs of methane.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/03/20/europes-exomars-craft-begins-lowering-its-orbit/


The European Space Agency has revealed details for its CHEOPS (CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite) planet hunter, due to be launched in 2018.
http://www.space.com/36144-cheops-exoplanet-satellite.html

Space Highlights - March 16, 2017

March 16, 2017

SpaceX plans to launch the EchoStar 23 communications satellite from the Kennedy Space Center later this week.
http://www.space.com/36084-spacex-2nd-satellite-launch-try-thursday-webcast.html


SpaceX has been awarded a contract, beating out United Launch Alliance to launch a U.S. Air Force Global Positioning satellite into orbit.  This is the second such U.S. Air Force contract awarded to SpaceX.
http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2017/03/15/spacex-scores-another-win-in-push-for-military-satellite-launches.html


Poor weather has delayed the launch of a Japanese radar intelligence satellite.  The launch was expected to take place this week aboard a Japanese H-2 rocket, to be launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/03/14/poor-weather-forecast-delays-japanese-spy-satellite-launch/


NASA's Cassini spacecraft has provided new, close-up images of Saturn's small moon, Pan which displays a band of debris collected from Saturn's rings.
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/2017/20170309-cassini-drops-amazing-images.html
http://earthsky.org/space/cassini-shows-strange-saturn-moon-pan


The Cassini spacecraft has successfully detected the heat pattern from the sub-surfaced ocean on Saturn's moon Enceladus.
https://www.rt.com/viral/380743-nasa-cassini-heat-ocean-enceladus/


A new documentary on NASA's Curiosity rover was recently released, documenting the spacecraft's first four years on Mars.
http://www.space.com/35992-curiosity-documentary-details-mars-science.html


NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been tracking multiple, massive dust storms on the surface of Mars.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170312103637.htm


A French-Canadian team of researchers have released initial findings from studies of a free-floating exoplanet, some 117 light years away.  The object, with 4 to 7 times the mass of Jupiter, is too small to be a brown dwarf (sub-stellar mass objects that are large enough to briefly ignite deuterium fusion nuclear reactions), but is large enough to emit enough heat energy to be detected by infrared telescopes.
http://www.universetoday.com/134325/strange-loner-planet-gets-astronomers-attention/

A recent study of distant galaxies suggests that dark matter played a smaller role in the early universe - which would appear to indicate that dark matter took longer to coalesce around galaxies than ordinary matter did.
http://earthsky.org/space/dark-matter-less-influential-early-universe

Space Highlights - March 8, 2017

March 8, 2017

The European Space Agency expects to launch its Sentinel-2B Earth observation satellite later this week.
http://www.space.com/35925-european-sentinel-2-earth-satellite-launch-webcast.html


Space launch start-up Blue Origin has signed its first commercial launch customer, to launch a communications satellite for Eutelsat Communications.  Blue Origin has been funded for the past 16 years by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, but has yet to launch a satellite into orbit.
http://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/blue-origin-signs-first-commercial-customer-for-satellite-launches/


Brazil expects to launch its first independently developed satellite later this month: a communications satellite that is expected to serve both military and civilian customers.
http://www.zdnet.com/article/brazil-readies-first-satellite-launch/


China launched an experimental satellite, labeled KT-2, into a polar orbit this past week aboard a newly developed small solid rocket booster.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/03/03/small-experimental-satellite-launched-by-new-chinese-rocket/


NASA's Cassini spacecraft has provided another close-up view of Saturn's moon Enceladus, detailing the icy grooved surface of the frozen moon.
http://www.sci-news.com/space/cassini-view-saturns-frozen-moon-enceladus-04676.html


A new study suggests that the ancient surface of Mars once harbored more water than was previously believed, based upon chemical weathering observed in meteorites recovered from Mars.
http://www.space.com/35936-ancient-mars-wetter-than-thought.html


NASA's Opportunity Mars rover has reached the top edge of the crater rim at Endeavour Crater.  Opportunity has now been operating for fourteen years on the surface of the red planet.
http://www.planetary.org/explore/space-topics/space-missions/mer-updates/2017/02-mer-update-opportunity-reaches-endeavour-rim.html


The recent discovery of microfossils on Earth, dating back some 3.7 billion years, has bolstered the case that Mars may once have independently developed microbial life.  At the time that these same microfossils - the oldest yet discovered on Earth - would have been deposited, conditions on Mars were much more similar to Earth than they are today, with lakes and seas on the Martian surface.
http://dailycaller.com/2017/03/01/3-7-billion-year-old-fossil-means-life-on-mars-is-likely/
http://www.universetoday.com/134030/oldest-fossil-earth-means-finding-life-mars/


NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) orbiter narrowly missed a collision with the Martian moon Phobos this past week.  A last-minute orbital correction succeeded in diverting the spacecraft out of harm's way - a mere seven seconds before a likely collision would have occurred.
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/03/06/maven_phobos_aviodance_manoeuvre/


Following an energy surge, Japan's space agency has had to shut down two of the cameras on Japan's Venus orbiter.  The problem is believed to be related to exposure to excessive radiation, which has degraded some of the spacecraft's systems.
http://gizmodo.com/japan-forced-to-shut-down-two-cameras-on-venus-probe-1792934456
http://www.ibtimes.sg/japan-space-agency-shuts-down-2-cameras-investigating-venus-atmosphere-due-excessive-radition-8086


NASA has released a new set of close-up images of Jupiter's turbulent atmosphere, as captured by the Juno spacecraft.
http://www.newsmax.com/TheWire/jupiter-clouds-van-gogh-starry-night-juno/2017/03/06/id/777095/


Researchers have concluded that the bright regions observed by the Dawn spacecraft on the surface of Ceres are most likely the remains of cryovolcanoes that once spewed a salty, water brine onto the surface of the dwarf planet.  The water ice has long since evaporated into space, but the salt deposits remained as markers of where eruptions once occurred.  Estimates suggest that some of these cryovolcanoes must have erupted as recently as four million years ago.
http://www.universetoday.com/134124/brightest-spot-ceres-likely-cryovolcano/


Utilizing data from NASA's Kepler spacecraft, astronomers have identified five new exoplanets, including two in orbit around a star on its way towards becoming a red giant.
http://www.sci-news.com/astronomy/keplers-k2-mission-five-new-exoplanets-04675.html

Space Highlights - March 1, 2017

March 1, 2017

United Launch Alliance is preparing to launch the NROL-79 spy satellite atop an Atlas V rocket later this week.  Ironically, the first stage of the launch will be powered by the RD-180 rocket motor, supplied by Russia.
https://sputniknews.com/us/201702281051099670-us-spy-satellite-atlas-rocket/
http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/ula/ula-readies-atlas-v-for-launch-of-nrol-79-reconnaissance-satellite/


China's next generation, Fengyun-4 weather satellite has transmitted its first set of images and measurements, after reaching its destination orbit.  The satellite was launched in December.
http://english.cctv.com/2017/02/28/ARTIhgcpmD1l08eAc18ctj7L170228.shtml


NASA has released new photographs from the Cassini spacecraft, including images of Saturn's hexagonal polar storm system, as well as images showing new details in Saturn's outermost F-ring.
http://www.space.com/35849-saturn-hexagon-close-up-cassini-photo.html
http://www.sci-news.com/space/cassini-objects-saturns-f-ring-04656.html
http://www.ibtimes.co.in/new-clusters-spotted-by-nasas-cassini-saturns-f-ring-shed-light-space-collissions-717595


NASA has released video depicting the shifting sands underneath the Curiosity rover, as well as dust devils moving across the Martian landscape.
https://www.cnet.com/news/nasa-mars-curiosity-rover-shifting-sands/
http://www.foxnews.com/science/2017/02/28/cool-nasa-video-shows-dust-devils-whirling-on-mars.html


Researchers studying data from the Mars Global Surveyor have concluded that parts of the Elysium lava deposits are only three to four million years old, suggesting that the second largest Martian volcano may still be active.
https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/mars-may-erupt-again


NASA's Juno spacecraft has revealed the most detailed images yet collected of Jupiter's stormy atmosphere.
http://earthsky.org/todays-image/jupiter-atmosphere-photo-juno
http://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-juno-images-jupiter-anticyclone-storms-south-pole-2017-2


The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has approved a naming convention for features on the surface of Pluto, commonising themes across continents.
https://www.seti.org/seti-institute/news/nasa%E2%80%99s-new-horizons-iau-set-pluto-naming-themes
http://www.theverge.com/2017/2/23/14711520/nasa-new-horizons-pluto-surface-features-names-moons-themes

Space Highlights - February 23, 2017

February 23, 2017

Rocket Lab has delivered its first Electron test rocket to the company's private launch facility in New Zealand.  Rocket Lab is the latest private developer to attempt to enter the satellite launch business.
http://www.space.com/35730-electron-rocket-nears-new-zealand-test-launch.html
http://spacenews.com/rocket-lab-ships-first-electron-rocket-to-launch-site/


Rocket motor manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne has acquired missile-target developer Coleman Aerospace, which currently provides missile targets to the Pentagon to test anti-ballistic missile systems.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-aerojet-rocketdyne-20170222-story.html


NASA's Cassini spacecraft has captured new images of Saturn's outermost F-ring, as it makes its latest set of "ring grazing" orbits.
http://www.sci-news.com/space/cassini-close-up-view-saturns-intriguing-f-ring-04638.html


NASA officials have concluded that the Juno spacecraft should remain in its current, 53-day orbit around Jupiter, rather than taking the risk of losing the spacecraft to a main engine failure.  Juno had originally been slated to enter a tighter, 14-day orbit, but the necessary engine firing could potentially cripple the spacecraft, after analysts identified a potential problem with the spacecraft's propulsion system.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/02/21/nasas-juno-spacecraft-to-remain-in-current-orbit-around-jupiter/


NASA's Dawn spacecraft has identified the building blocks for life on the surface of the dwarf planet Ceres, with the identification of organic compounds in one of its craters.
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-life-asteroid-ceres-20170216-story.html


NASA has announced the identification of seven new earth-size exoplanets in orbit around a red-dwarf star some 40 light years away, three of which are believed to be in the star's "habitable zone," where liquid water could potentially exist on their surface.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/feb/22/thrilling-discovery-of-seven-earth-sized-planets-discovered-orbiting-trappist-1-star
http://www.foxnews.com/science/2017/02/22/7-new-earth-like-exoplanets-discovered-nasa-announces.html

Space Highlights - February 15, 2017

February 15, 2017

India successfully launched a record breaking 104 satellites aboard a single launch booster this week, including 88 Earth observation microsatellites from the U.S. start-up Planet Labs, as well as microsatellites from Israel, Kazakhstan, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-14/india-readies-record-satellite-launch-as-space-war-intensifies
http://newatlas.com/india-isro-satellite-launch-record/47919/
http://mashable.com/2017/02/12/planet-record-breaking-satellite-launch/#G0aCleuqqOqC


Arianespace conducted its first Ariane 5 launch of the year, placing the SKY Brasil-1 and Telkom-3S satellites on a trajectory towards geostationary orbit.
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/02/ariane-5-sky-brasil-1-telkom-3s-passengers/


NASA has identified three candidate landing sites for its planned 2020 Mars rover mission.
http://www.space.com/35678-nasa-2020-mars-rover-three-landing-sites.html
https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/02/13/scientists-narrow-list-of-landing-sites-for-nasas-next-mars-rover/


Researchers examining data from NASA's Dawn spacecraft are puzzling as to why they have discovered only one ice volcano of the surface of the dwarf planet Ceres.  A leading theory is that other cryovolcanoes must have once existed, but have since crumbled away due to the warmer conditions that exist at Ceres - as opposed to moons and other bodies where cryovolcanoes have been found further away from the sun.
http://www.futurity.org/ceres-cryovolcano-1354692-2/


A team of researchers has released a dataset documenting more than 100 likely exoplanets that need to be independently confirmed.  The team has cataloged observations from 1,624 stars, all within 325 light years from Earth.
https://thespacereporter.com/2017/02/exoplanet-hunting-team-finds-100-potential-planets/
http://newatlas.com/radial-velocity-star-dataset/47905/
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Astronomy_team_releases_planet_search_data_finds_more_than_100_candidates_999.html

Space Highlights - February 9, 2017

February 9, 2017

Launchers for microsatellites continue to carve out their own niche in the satellite market.
http://spacenews.com/launch-providers-making-room-for-smallsat-boom/


SpaceX's first launch from Complex 39A, since their failed booster explosion occurred last September, has been slated for February 18th.  The next launch is expected to deliver supplies to the International Space Station.
http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/space-exploration-technologies/spacex-launch-launch-complex-39a-could-be-delayed/


The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has contracted India's ISRO to launch its Nayif-1 microsatellite later this month.  The Nayif-1 will act as a relay station for amateur radio signals.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/nayif-1-satellite-to-launched-this-month


Data from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover suggests that the ancient atmosphere of Mars - at a time when Mars was able to support lakes and rivers of liquid water on its surface - had significantly less carbon dioxide than what scientists had assumed would be necessary to keep the surface temperature warm enough to support liquid water.
https://www.sciencerecorder.com/news/2017/02/09/curiosity-rover-adds-mystery-water-mars/
https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/02/early-mars-didnt-have-enough-co2-to-keep-water-liquid-curiosity-finds/


NASA has selected a landing site for its InSight Mars lander, which is scheduled to reach the surface of Mars in November 2018.  InSight is expected to drill a 15 foot deep hole into the surface of Mars.
http://insider.si.edu/2017/02/iso-boring-martian-landing-spot-nasas-insight-probe/


NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has fired its rocket motor to make a course correction, and align it for its anticipated flyby of 2014 MU69 in January 2019.
http://www.space.com/35561-new-horizons-engine-burn-2019-flyby.html
http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/missions/solar-system/new-horizons-performs-course-correction-on-path-toward-second-target/


Astronomers using the Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT) have identified a new gas giant, labeled KELT-18b orbiting a bright, hot star.  The planet is estimated to be 18 percent more massive than Jupiter, but with 1.57 times the diameter.  The planet has an orbital period of only 2.9 days, making it a "hot Jupiter" planet.
https://phys.org/news/2017-02-astronomers-hot-jupiter-exoplanet-orbiting.html


A team of European astronomers reports that they have identified a low-mass warm Jupiter orbiting a nearby K-type main-sequence star.  The planet, designated EPIC 218916923b, is the least massive warm Jupiter discovered to date.
https://phys.org/news/2017-02-astronomers-massive-jupiter-exoplanet.html

Space Highlights - February 2, 2017

February 2, 2017

India's ISRO has added another small payload to its PSLV-C37 launch, scheduled for later this month, bringing the record-setting launch attempt to 104 satellites in total.
http://tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/isro-adds-another-passenger-to-the-pslv-c37-mission-104-satellite-launch-rescheduled-to-mid-february-360514.html


SpaceX has added a new launch order from satellite operator Iridium Communications, adding an additional five satellites.  The next SpaceX launch attempt is scheduled for later this month.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-spacex-launch-order-20170131-story.html


In the first launch of a Russian Soyuz rocket from Arianespace's French Guiana launch site, Spain's SmallGEO satellite was successfully placed into orbit.
http://spacenews.com/european-soyuz-launches-smallgeo-satellite-for-hispasat/


Five independent teams are lined up to attempt the first-ever, private moon landing, hoping to win Google's Lunar XPRIZE competition.
http://nypost.com/2017/01/29/the-new-space-race-private-moon-launches-by-dec-31/


NASA has released new close-up images of Saturn's rings from the Cassini spacecraft, taken from its adjusted, "ring-grazing" orbits.
http://www.space.com/35538-saturn-rings-amazing-closeup-cassini-photos.html
http://www.popsci.com/cassini-photos-saturn-rings


Evidence continues to mount that the underlying surface of the dwarf planet Ceres, which is believed to be made up largely of ice, has been cloaked by dust from surrounding asteroids and asteroid impacts.  Instruments on the Dawn spacecraft continue to point to an underlying icy crust and mantle.
http://www.techtimes.com/articles/194573/20170126/asteroid-dust-cloaks-true-composition-of-dwarf-planet-ceres.htm
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=49818


NASA is preparing for another close flyby of Jupiter by the Juno spacecraft later this week.
http://www.ibtimes.com/nasas-juno-preps-fourth-jupiter-flyby-all-8-science-instruments-be-switched-2485102


Scientists report that they have detected water vapor in the atmosphere of a "hot jupiter" exoplanet.  Originally identified 20 years agao, 51 Pegasi b was the first "hot Jupiter" to be discovered.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23331111-800-water-spotted-in-the-atmosphere-of-nearby-hot-jupiter-exoplanet/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&campaign_id=RSS%7CNSNS-