WATCH LIVE: SPACEX CREW DRAGON PREPARES TO RETURN TO EARTH - SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft proved the private space company is capable of safely launching and carrying astronauts from Earth to the International Space Station. Now, SpaceX and and Crew Dragon must demonstrate their ability to safely shepherd astronauts back to Earth. "The uncrewed SpaceX DM-1 mission has one final milestone and that is the safe return to Earth," NASA wrote in an update. On Thursday afternoon, the International Space Station confirmed in a tweet that the Crew Dragon hatch had closed. The spacecraft will undock at approximately 2:30 a.m. ET Friday morning. More (Source: UPI - Mar 8)
WANT TO HACK A SATELLITE? IT MIGHT BE EASIER THAN YOU THINK - Just because a satellite is high up in orbit doesn't mean it's beyond the reach of a determined hacker, as outlined by security experts here at the RSA conference. Satellites are basically Internet of Things (IoT) devices, said Bill Malik, VP of Infrastructure Strategies at Trend Micro. "They're snazzy, they're wild, it's spaaaaace, but they're IoT devices," he said. More (Source: PCMag.com - Mar 8)
SPACECRAFTS’ SOLAR PANELS CAN SERVE DOUBLE-DUTY AS SAILS - Manoeuvring a satellite in orbit usually requires thrusters. Sometimes the thrust is provided by a fuel-burning rocket motor. Sometimes it comes from electrically heated gas. Both methods, though, add weight in the form of propellant, thus reducing launch payload. They also involve parts that may fail. And eventually they run out of juice. Moreover, satellites carrying an energetic fuel like hydrazine must undergo special tests to be certified as safe for inclusion in a launch. Other ways of manoeuvring spacecraft would thus be welcome. And two, in particular, are now being developed. More (Source: The Economist - Mar 8)
NASA SAYS IT HAS SCHEDULED THE FIRST ALL-FEMALE SPACEWALK - Just in time for International Women’s Day, NASA announced Wednesday that it will be conducting the first-ever, all-female spacewalk, CNN reports. Astronauts Christina Koch and Anne McClain will exit the International Space Station on March 29, 35 years after the first woman performed a spacewalk. They’ll be guided from the ground by flight director Mary Lawrence, and flight controllers Jackie Kagey and Kristen Facciol, according to CNN. More (Source: TIME - Mar 8)
LITTLE EARTH'S BIG WEEK ON THE SPACE STATION - This week, Earth was introduced to something adorably wonderful: Little Earth. Little Earth, also called Buddy, has enjoyed an eventful week tagging along with the astronauts on the International Space Station after launching on SpaceX's Crew Dragon on Saturday. The plush toy, made by Celestial Buddies, launched alongside space-suited dummy Ripley. Ripley, obviously named in honor of Ellen Ripley from the "Alien" movies, was meant to make sure that the first commercially operated spacecraft designed to carry astronauts would be safe and comfortable for humans. Ripley even has little sensors at key points like the head, neck and spine to see what the experience might be like for astronauts who could be using it as soon as this summer. More (Source: CNN - Mar 8)
ELON MUSK ALWAYS THOUGHT SPACEX WOULD 'FAIL' AND HE'D LOSE HIS PAYPAL MILLIONS - With Saturday's successful test launch of the spacecraft SpaceX will use to send humans to space for the first time, SpaceX has already vastly exceeded any expectations Elon Musk had when he founded the aerospace company 17 years ago. "I always thought we would fail," Musk said of founding SpaceX during a press conference Saturday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "So, this is … it's all upside." More (Source: CNBC - Mar 7)
WOULD YOU WANT TO STAY IN A SPACE HOTEL? - It was intended to set the travel world on fire: Aurora Station, the world’s first in-orbit hotel. The official announcement took place last April during the Space 2.0 Conference in San Jose, California. Housed aboard a structure about the size of a large private jet, guests would soar 200 miles above the Earth’s surface, enjoying epic views of the planet and the northern and southern lights. A jaunt won’t be cheap: the 12-day-journey aboard Aurora Station, scheduled to be in orbit by 2022, starts at a cool $9.5m (£7.3m) per person. Nevertheless, the company says the waiting list is booked nearly seven months ahead. More (Source: BBC News - Mar 7)
THE SCIENCE CIRCLING ABOVE US ON THE SPACE STATION - The International Space Station orbits Earth, 400 km above our heads, running scientific experiments that cannot be done anywhere else. Read on for our bi-weekly update on European science in space. This week ESA is highlighting space weather, so let us start with the Atmosphere–Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM) that was installed outside Europe's Columbus laboratory on the International Space Station last year. More (Source: Phys.org - Mar 7)
ONEWEB ANNOUNCED AS CUSTOMER FOR INAUGURAL ARIANE 6 LAUNCH - Arianespace has announced OneWeb, the broadband Internet provider seeking to deploy more than 600 satellites into low Earth orbit, as the launch customer for the inaugural flight of the new Ariane 6 rocket in 2020. Officials announced the agreement hours after the successful deployment of OneWeb’s first six broadband satellites Feb. 27 aboard a Soyuz rocket launched from French Guiana, a mission managed by Arianespace, the French launch services provider. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 7)
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