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NASA's Kepler planet hunter appears broken

Agence France-PresseMay 15, 2013 17:15
NASA's planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft appears to be hobbled by a faulty wheel and may be near the end of its four-year mission, space agency scientists said Wednesday. Kepler, a $600 million mission, was launched in 2009 on a search for other planets. So far, it has found 2,700 candidates, including a handful that may be habitable worlds, not too hot and not too cold. The problem is a reaction wheel that keeps the spacecraft pointed but has stopped working, said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA.

Astronaut Chris Hadfield back on Earth after five-month mission in space

The Canadian PressMay 13, 2013 06:00
LONGUEUIL, Que. - Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who became a worldwide sensation thanks to his tweets, musical performances and stunning photos from the International Space Station, was back on the ground Monday night. Hadfield touched down in Kazakhstan on a Russian Soyuz capsule which was also carrying Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko and NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn — the same pair the Canadian astronaut blasted off with on Dec. 19, 2012.

Ecuador on list of Space Faring Nations with satellite launch

Agencia EFEApril 26, 2013 12:00
Beijing, Apr 26 (EFE).- Ecuador entered the space race Friday after putting into orbit its first domestically produced satellite, the Pegasus 01, which was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China. The launch, which took place with the blasting off of the Chinese unmanned LM2D satellite-carrier rocket, was right on schedule at 12:13 p.m. The Pegasus, a cube measuring 10 by 10 centimeters (4 by 4 inches) and weighing 1.2 kilos (2 2/3 pounds), will transmit direct images and videos from space for educational and scientific purposes.

Cargo spaceship docks with ISS despite antenna mishap

Agence France-PresseApril 26, 2013 11:15
An unmanned cargo vehicle on Friday successfully docked with the International Space Station, in a delicate manoeuvre after its navigation antenna failed to properly deploy following launch, Russian mission control and NASA said. Russian cosmonauts Roman Romanenko and Pavel Vinogradov first oversaw a so-called partial "soft docking" of the Progress craft at 1225 GMT, careful to make sure the unopened antenna did not cause any damage.

Cargo spaceship docks with ISS despite antenna mishap

Agence France-PresseApril 26, 2013 09:16
An unmanned cargo vehicle on Friday successfully docked with the International Space Station, in a delicate manoeuvre after its navigation antenna failed to properly deploy following launch, Russian mission control and NASA said. Russian cosmonauts Roman Romanenko and Pavel Vinogradov first oversaw a so-called partial "soft docking" of the Progress craft at 1225 GMT, careful to make sure the unopened antenna did not cause any damage.

Ecuador launches first homemade satellite

Agence France-PresseApril 26, 2013 03:00
Ecuador launched its first satellite into space from China Friday morning, in a moment broadcast live on radio and television back home. The "Pegaso" (Pegasus) nanosatellite, designed and built in Ecuador, set off aboard an unmanned rocket at 0413 GMT from the Jiuquand station in northern China. Measuring just 10 by 10 by 75 centimeters (four by four by 30 inches), and weighing 1.2 kilograms (2.6 pounds), Pegaso will beam live video images back to Earth from an onboard camera.

Orbital Sciences launches Antares rocket

Agence France-PresseApril 22, 2013 00:15
US manufacturer Orbital Sciences launched its first Antares rocket Sunday, paving the way for a demonstration flight to the International Space Station within months. The two-stage launch vehicle blasted off at 5:00 pm (2100 GMT) from the Wallops Flight Facility on an island off the coast of the eastern US state of Virginia.

Orbital Sciences launches Antares rocket

Agence France-PresseApril 21, 2013 19:00
Orbital Sciences, one of two private US firms chosen by NASA to shuttle cargo to the International Space Station, launched its first Antares rocket Sunday. Liftoff of the two-stage launch vehicle -- 131 feet (40 meters) tall and 12.8 feet in diameter -- took place at 5:00 pm (2100 GMT) at the Wallops Flight Facility on an island off the coast of the US state of Virginia, some 170 miles (270 kilometers) from Washington.

Orbital Sciences launches Antares rocket

Agence France-PresseApril 21, 2013 18:15
Orbital Sciences, one of two private US firms chosen by NASA to shuttle cargo to the International Space Station, launched a first test flight of its Antares rocket Sunday. The launch of the two-stage launch vehicle -- 131 feet (40 meters) tall and 12.8 feet in diameter -- took place at 5:00 pm (2100 GMT) from the Wallops Flight Facility situated on the Eastern Shore of the US state of Virginia.

Iridium, Harris upbeat on aircraft-tracking venture

April 10, 2013 20:04
By Andrea Shalal-Esa COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (Reuters) - Satellite operator Iridium Communications and Harris Corp on Wednesday said a new space-based aircraft-tracking venture will save airlines money, but also holds promise for the U.S. military, which is facing a sharp downturn in spending in coming years.
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