Solar Orbiter Mission
- All
- News
- Videos
-
NASA Prepares to Launch First Quantum Sensor for Measuring Gravity from Orbit
NASA, in collaboration with academia and private companies, is developing the first quantum sensor to map Earth’s gravity from space. Using cold rubidium atoms, the compact instrument will deliver highly sensitive, long-term measurements. This mission could transform how we study Earth’s subsurface and explore planetary bodies across the solar ...
-
Artemis II Orion Service Module Secured for Launch at Kennedy Space Center
NASA’s Artemis II Orion spacecraft is a step closer to its mission around the Moon. Three spacecraft adapter jettison fairings have been installed on its service module at Kennedy Space Center. These panels will protect the solar arrays from heat, wind, and acoustic forces during launch. Once in space, they will detach, allowing the arrays to dep...
-
NASA’s EZIE Satellites Begin Mission to Study Auroral Electrojets and Space Weather
NASA’s Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (EZIE) mission has been launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The trio of small satellites will map auroral electrojets, powerful currents in Earth’s atmosphere linked to solar storms. Their data will enhance space weather prediction models and help understand planetary mag...
-
SpaceX Falcon 9 Successfully Deploys NASA’s SPHEREx Telescope and PUNCH Probes
NASA’s SPHEREx and PUNCH missions have successfully launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SPHEREx will map the entire celestial sky in 102 infrared colours, while PUNCH will study the transition of the sun’s corona into the solar wind. The two-year missions aim to deepen our understanding of th...
-
US Space Force Shares First X-37B Space Plane Image, Revealing Mission Insights
The US Space Force has released the first-ever image of its X-37B space plane in orbit. Captured while conducting experiments above the African continent, the image shows the spacecraft’s solar panel and open payload bay. The X-37B, launched on December 28, 2023, has been in orbit for over a year, testing new space domain awareness technologies a...
-
SpaceX Achieves 400 Orbital Rocket Landings with Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy
SpaceX achieved its 400th orbital-class rocket landing with Falcon 9 leading the charge. The company’s focus on reusable technology has reshaped space exploration, with Falcon Heavy contributing through multi-booster landings. Starship development also continues, aiming to support human missions to the moon and Mars. This milestone underlines Spa...
-
ESA Uses Solar Orbiter to Turn Solar Flares into Sound, Offering New Insights
The European Space Agency (ESA), in collaboration with NASA, has used data from the Solar Orbiter mission to convert solar flares into audible sound. By mapping solar flare data into blue circles and pairing them with tones, a new way to experience solar activity has been created. This process is linked to the sun’s 11-year solar cycle, with curr...
-
NASA Confirms Successful Flyby of Parker Solar Probe, Completes Closest Sun Approach
NASA's Parker Solar Probe has set an unprecedented milestone, coming 3.8 million miles from the Sun at a speed of 430,000 mph. Launched in 2018, the spacecraft has utilised Venus flybys to perfect its orbit, enabling this historic feat. With advanced technology, it endures extreme temperatures, gathering critical data about solar wind and particle ...
-
NASA’s InSight Mars Lander Captured with Dust Layers by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
NASA’s retired InSight Mars lander has been spotted by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) in a recent image taken on October 23, 2024. The image, captured using the HiRISE camera, shows dust accumulation on InSight’s solar panels, now matching the reddish-brown Martian surface. This observation provides insights into wind patterns and dust m...
-
ISRO Successfully Launches PSLV-C59 Carrying ESA’s Proba-3 Satellites
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the PSLV-C59 rocket on December 5, 2024, from Sriharikota, deploying the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 satellites into orbit. Proba-3, a twin-satellite mission, aims to demonstrate precision formation flying, achieving control down to a millimeter. The spacecraft will cre...
-
India to Launch European Proba-3 Satellites Today: How to Watch Live and Everything You Need to Know
ESA’s Proba-3 mission, set to launch aboard India’s PSLV rocket on 4th December 2024, will create artificial eclipses in space using two satellites. These eclipses will allow extended observations of the Sun’s corona, advancing solar research and testing innovative formation-flying technology. The mission marks a major step in satellite colla...
-
ISRO Gets Government Nod for Shukrayaan Venus Orbiter Mission and Chandrayaan-4
India’s Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM) and Chandrayaan-4 mission, approved by the government in September 2024, mark historic steps toward India's space vision for 2047. VOM will study Venus's surface, atmosphere, and solar interaction, while Chandrayaan-4 will return lunar samples from the South Pole. These missions are set to advance technology an...
-
Mars' Moons Might Have Been Created From Asteroids Coming Too Close to the Red Planet
A study published in Icarus explores the possibility that Mars’ moons, Phobos and Deimos, formed from asteroid debris torn apart by the planet’s gravitational forces. Researchers ran advanced simulations to propose this scenario, which fits the moons’ circular orbits better than previous theories. Japan’s upcoming MMX mission is expected to...
-
Solar Activity Increase Results in Shortens Lifespan of Binar CubeSats
Curtin University’s Binar CubeSats, launched with a six-month mission lifespan, re-entered Earth's atmosphere after only two months due to unexpectedly high solar activity. This surge in solar phenomena has increased atmospheric drag, impacting the stability of satellites in low Earth orbit. As solar forecasting remains limited, smaller satellite...
-
NASA's Solar Orbiter Captures Highest-Resolution Images Of The Sun To Date
The Solar Orbiter mission has provided the most detailed images yet of the Sun's visible surface, capturing stunning views of sunspots and plasma flows.
-
NASA Prepares to Launch First Quantum Sensor for Measuring Gravity from Orbit
NASA, in collaboration with academia and private companies, is developing the first quantum sensor to map Earth’s gravity from space. Using cold rubidium atoms, the compact instrument will deliver highly sensitive, long-term measurements. This mission could transform how we study Earth’s subsurface and explore planetary bodies across the solar ...
-
Artemis II Orion Service Module Secured for Launch at Kennedy Space Center
NASA’s Artemis II Orion spacecraft is a step closer to its mission around the Moon. Three spacecraft adapter jettison fairings have been installed on its service module at Kennedy Space Center. These panels will protect the solar arrays from heat, wind, and acoustic forces during launch. Once in space, they will detach, allowing the arrays to dep...
-
NASA’s EZIE Satellites Begin Mission to Study Auroral Electrojets and Space Weather
NASA’s Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (EZIE) mission has been launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The trio of small satellites will map auroral electrojets, powerful currents in Earth’s atmosphere linked to solar storms. Their data will enhance space weather prediction models and help understand planetary mag...
-
SpaceX Falcon 9 Successfully Deploys NASA’s SPHEREx Telescope and PUNCH Probes
NASA’s SPHEREx and PUNCH missions have successfully launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SPHEREx will map the entire celestial sky in 102 infrared colours, while PUNCH will study the transition of the sun’s corona into the solar wind. The two-year missions aim to deepen our understanding of th...
-
US Space Force Shares First X-37B Space Plane Image, Revealing Mission Insights
The US Space Force has released the first-ever image of its X-37B space plane in orbit. Captured while conducting experiments above the African continent, the image shows the spacecraft’s solar panel and open payload bay. The X-37B, launched on December 28, 2023, has been in orbit for over a year, testing new space domain awareness technologies a...
-
SpaceX Achieves 400 Orbital Rocket Landings with Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy
SpaceX achieved its 400th orbital-class rocket landing with Falcon 9 leading the charge. The company’s focus on reusable technology has reshaped space exploration, with Falcon Heavy contributing through multi-booster landings. Starship development also continues, aiming to support human missions to the moon and Mars. This milestone underlines Spa...
-
ESA Uses Solar Orbiter to Turn Solar Flares into Sound, Offering New Insights
The European Space Agency (ESA), in collaboration with NASA, has used data from the Solar Orbiter mission to convert solar flares into audible sound. By mapping solar flare data into blue circles and pairing them with tones, a new way to experience solar activity has been created. This process is linked to the sun’s 11-year solar cycle, with curr...
-
NASA Confirms Successful Flyby of Parker Solar Probe, Completes Closest Sun Approach
NASA's Parker Solar Probe has set an unprecedented milestone, coming 3.8 million miles from the Sun at a speed of 430,000 mph. Launched in 2018, the spacecraft has utilised Venus flybys to perfect its orbit, enabling this historic feat. With advanced technology, it endures extreme temperatures, gathering critical data about solar wind and particle ...
-
NASA’s InSight Mars Lander Captured with Dust Layers by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
NASA’s retired InSight Mars lander has been spotted by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) in a recent image taken on October 23, 2024. The image, captured using the HiRISE camera, shows dust accumulation on InSight’s solar panels, now matching the reddish-brown Martian surface. This observation provides insights into wind patterns and dust m...
-
ISRO Successfully Launches PSLV-C59 Carrying ESA’s Proba-3 Satellites
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the PSLV-C59 rocket on December 5, 2024, from Sriharikota, deploying the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 satellites into orbit. Proba-3, a twin-satellite mission, aims to demonstrate precision formation flying, achieving control down to a millimeter. The spacecraft will cre...
-
India to Launch European Proba-3 Satellites Today: How to Watch Live and Everything You Need to Know
ESA’s Proba-3 mission, set to launch aboard India’s PSLV rocket on 4th December 2024, will create artificial eclipses in space using two satellites. These eclipses will allow extended observations of the Sun’s corona, advancing solar research and testing innovative formation-flying technology. The mission marks a major step in satellite colla...
-
ISRO Gets Government Nod for Shukrayaan Venus Orbiter Mission and Chandrayaan-4
India’s Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM) and Chandrayaan-4 mission, approved by the government in September 2024, mark historic steps toward India's space vision for 2047. VOM will study Venus's surface, atmosphere, and solar interaction, while Chandrayaan-4 will return lunar samples from the South Pole. These missions are set to advance technology an...
-
Mars' Moons Might Have Been Created From Asteroids Coming Too Close to the Red Planet
A study published in Icarus explores the possibility that Mars’ moons, Phobos and Deimos, formed from asteroid debris torn apart by the planet’s gravitational forces. Researchers ran advanced simulations to propose this scenario, which fits the moons’ circular orbits better than previous theories. Japan’s upcoming MMX mission is expected to...
-
Solar Activity Increase Results in Shortens Lifespan of Binar CubeSats
Curtin University’s Binar CubeSats, launched with a six-month mission lifespan, re-entered Earth's atmosphere after only two months due to unexpectedly high solar activity. This surge in solar phenomena has increased atmospheric drag, impacting the stability of satellites in low Earth orbit. As solar forecasting remains limited, smaller satellite...
-
NASA's Solar Orbiter Captures Highest-Resolution Images Of The Sun To Date
The Solar Orbiter mission has provided the most detailed images yet of the Sun's visible surface, capturing stunning views of sunspots and plasma flows.
