IMAGEGraalVM speeds up native image buildsGraalVM 22.1, the latest release of the Oracle-built polyglot runtime, features an early iteration of quick build mode for Native Image, the platform’s technology for ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation ...
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IMAGEPhotos: Close-ups of NASA’s moon rocket on the launch padThese images from pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center show NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket awaiting a rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs. The photos were taken Thursday, April 21, as technicians prepared the 322-foot-tall (98-meter) rocket for rollback to the VAB to replace a faulty helium check valve on the upper stage and troubleshoot a hydrogen leak on the tail service mast umbilical connecting the mobile launch platform to the core stage. Rollback to the VAB is scheduled for Monday, completing the rocket’s first visit to pad 39B. NASA transferred the Space Launch System moon rocket to the pad for the first time March 17, and it arrived at the complex the next morning. NASA is preparing the rocket for launch on the Artemis 1 mission, the first full-up test flight of the giant new rocket and the Orion crew capsule, designed to carry astronauts to the moon on future Artemis flights. Email the author. Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.
IMAGEU.S. ASAT ban meant to support U.N. discussions on space threatsA State Department official said the Biden administration’s announcement of a ban of one kind of ASAT weapon tests was timed to support discussions at an upcoming United Nations forum on norms of behavior in space.
IMAGEJapan’s ispace negotiating first commercial moon landing insuranceJapanese lunar lander developer ispace said April 21 it is negotiating the world’s first insurance coverage for a commercial mission to the moon’s surface.
IMAGENASA to award demonstrations of commercial satellite services to replace TDRSNASA expects to make awards this spring in the next phase of its effort to transition from operating its decades-old network of communications satellites to purchasing commercial services.
IMAGECosmonauts complete spacewalk to activate space station’s European Robotic ArmRussian cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev carried out a spacewalk on April 18 to prepare the International Space Station’s new European Robotic Arm for use.
IMAGESchedule effects of SLS rollback still uncertainNASA managers said a rollback of the Space Launch System from its launch pad after three truncated countdown tests will allow them to address issues both at the pad and with the vehicle, but that it was too early to predict what it would do to the schedule for the vehicle’s first launch.
IMAGERivada hopes its LEO plan will rise above Kleo Connect legal battlesGerman satellite startup Kleo Connect’s majority shareholders are challenging a deal they say minority investors illegally devised to give its spectrum to Rivada Networks, which plans to use the frequencies for its own low Earth orbit constellation.
IMAGERussia launches Soyuz rocket with military spy satelliteA new Russian spy satellite launched April 7 aboard a Soyuz rocket, likely embarking on a mission to identify and locate foreign military forces by tracking their radio transmissions.
IMAGESpace domain awareness: A secret weapon against shadowy threats in orbitKBR, a Defense Department and NASA contractor with $6 billion in annual sales, paid $800 million in 2020 to acquire Centauri, a company focused on space sensors and satellite tracking. The acquisition gave KBR an entry into the business of “space domain awareness,” a military term for the capability to track objects in space and predict potential threats.
IMAGENASA Releases Equity Action Plan to Make Space More Accessible to AllIn support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to advance racial equity in the federal government, NASA has released its first-ever Equity Action Plan.
IMAGECommercial crew has no problem adapting to life on space stationThe first NASA-sanctioned all-private crew to visit the International Space Station has had few problems adapting to weightlessness, but a non-stop schedule of proprietary research and public outreach has left little “window time” for sightseeing, their commander said Wednesday.
IMAGENASA restarts moon rocket wet dress rehearsal countdownNASA restarted a two-day dress-rehearsal countdown Tuesday for the agency’s new Space Launch System moon rocket after a series of unrelated glitches, mostly involving ground systems, blocked two earlier attempts to fully fuel the huge launcher to verify its readiness for flight.
IMAGENASA defends decision to proceed with modified SLS countdown testNASA officials defended their decision to proceed with a modified version of a countdown rehearsal for the Space Launch System that does not involve fueling the rocket’s upper stage, saying they’ll wait until after the test to determine the next steps toward launch.
IMAGEPath to sustainable space unclear after Russia’s Ukraine invasionBefore Russia invaded Ukraine, many considered international space cooperation safely insulated from geopolitical strife.
IMAGESpaceX to launch quartet of mini geostationary satellites in 2023Startup Astranis has purchased a dedicated Falcon 9 launch from SpaceX for four miniature geostationary communications satellites. Known as MicroGEO, the comparatively...
IMAGESpeedcast sees a dearth of satellite capacity aheadDemand for satellite communications has outstripped supply in markets recovering from the pandemic, according to satcoms provider Speedcast CEO Joe Spytek.
IMAGENASA bumps Artemis countdown rehearsal until after Axiom crew launchNASA officials said Tuesday they are standing down from a cryogenic loading test on the agency’s Space Launch System moon rocket until after the launch of a commercial crew mission from a neighboring pad at the Kennedy Space Center. A countdown test Monday was delayed by what NASA managers characterized as minor issues, including a liquid oxygen temperature concern and a manual valve that was left in the wrong configuration before teams evacuated the SLS launch pad.
IMAGESpace industry struggling to attract more skilled workersWhile the space industry workforce continues to increase, there are signs the industry may be struggling to attract people, which could stifle its long-term growth.
IMAGEArtemis 1 wet dress rehearsal timelineThis timeline covers major countdown activities planned during the NASA’s wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis 1 mission. The wet dress rehearsal will include loading of more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the Space Launch System moon rocket on launch pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.