German imaging satellite gets top billing on next SpaceX rideshare launch

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The EnMAP spacecraft at its factory in Bremen, Germany. Credit: OHB/H. von der Fecht A $330 million German hyperspectral Earth-imaging satellite will hitch a ride to orbit from Cape Canaveral with 39 smaller commercial payloads on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket set for blastoff Friday. The German observation satellite — named the Environmental Mapping and Analysis …

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Watch live: Blue Origin ready for fourth suborbital crew flight today

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Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital launcher will loft six passengers, including the rocket’s chief designer, on an up-and-down flight to the edge of space Thursday. The commercial space company is expected to launch the single-stage New Shepard rocket from West Texas shortly after 9:10 a.m. EDT (1310 GMT; 8:10 a.m. CDT). The mission will last …

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Record-setting NASA astronaut back on Earth after record-setting flight

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STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei gives a thumbs-up after landing in Kazakhstan, closing out 355 days in space. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei joined two Russian cosmonauts aboard a Soyuz spacecraft, undocked from the International Space Station and plunged back to Earth Wednesday, landing on …

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NASA astronaut, two cosmonauts set for Wednesday return to Earth

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NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei in his Russian Sokol launch and entry spacesuit. Credit: NASA NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, launched by Russia to the International Space Station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft last April, returns this week to a world torn by war in Ukraine and escalating superpower tension as he closes out a 355-day …

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Assembly Automation for Beginners: Spotlight on Fastening

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How can you start automating a screwdriving or other fastening task? In this quick guide for assembly automation beginners, we shine the spotlight on fastening. Your assembly process likely has a lot of different operations. Gluing, nailing, riveting, and many more. Of all the tasks that you might perform, screw fastening is probably the most …

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White House wants $26 billion for NASA in ’23, including funds for second moon lander

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The waning gibbous moon as viewed from the International Space Station on Jan. 21. Credit: NASA The White House’s fiscal year 2023 budget request for NASA totals $26 billion, including $7.5 billion for the agency’s Artemis moon program, a boost over this year’s budget to help pay for development of a second human-rated lander to …

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Careers in robotics: What is a robotics PhD?

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This relatively general post focuses on robotics-related PhD programs in the American educational system. Much of this will not apply to universities in other countries, or to other departments in American universities. This post will take you through the overall life cycle of a PhD and is intended as a basic overview for anyone unfamiliar …

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NASA gives priority to Artemis ground test over commercial astronaut launch

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Pilot Larry Connor and commander Mike Lopez-Alegria (left and right) during training inside a SpaceX simulator. Credit: Axiom Space / SpaceX NASA officials gave the green light Friday for the first all-commercial astronaut launch to the International Space Station on a SpaceX rocket as soon as April 3. But the astronaut launch could be delayed …

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SpaceX’s new Dragon spaceship named ‘Freedom’

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NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, pilot Bob Hines, commander Kjell Lindgren, and European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti pose with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX’s fourth human-rated Crew Dragon spacecraft has been named “Freedom” by the first team of astronauts who will ride it into orbit next month. “FREEDOM!! Crew-4 will fly to …

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Russian military communications satellite launched on Soyuz rocket

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A Soyuz rocket lifts off Tuesday with a Russian military satellite. Credit: Russian Ministry of Defense A Russian Soyuz rocket delivered a military communications satellite to orbit Tuesday in the first space launch for Russia’s military since forces invaded Ukraine last month. The Soyuz launcher lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome at 8:48 a.m. EDT …

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