I see that there is a symposium on the MarcoPolo-R mission coming up in late March, which reminds me that at a time when asteroid missions are increasingly in the news, I have yet to cover this one. It was about a year ago that the European Space Agency selected MarcoPolo-R as one of four [...]
The beauty of having spacecraft that far outlive their expected lives is that they can corroborate and supplement data coming in from much newer missions. That’s the case with our Voyager spacecraft as they continue their progress at system’s edge. The Voyagers will be moving outside the heliopause in not so many years, and when [...]
Bright sparks redefine propulsion Space blog Bright sparks redefine propulsion CubeSats , like STRaND-1 are essential for the breakthrough of new technologies in the space industry . The relatively inexpensive CubeSat enables institutes and companies to test technologies and gain valuable flight heritage without risking millions or even billions of pounds of . investment STRaND-1, the joint project between SSTL and the Surrey Space Centre SSC is one of these exciting experimental satellites and it’s not only its smartphone that makes it exceptional . Engineers at the Surrey Space Centre have also developed a unique mass and power saving plasma propulsion system to fly on the satellite . This system will be the first propulsive technology to provide very precise attitude control and .
For more on this topic, you can listen to me chat with BBC 5live’s Dotun Adebayo (from “Up All Night” on Jan. 28 — at 1hr 26mins into the show) and check out the Al Jazeera article (“Gingrich promises US ‘moon base’ by 2020“) I was interviewed for. In case you haven’t heard, one of [...]
Confirming Kepler’s planet candidates is a crucial part of the process, because no matter how tantalizing a candidate appears to be, its existence needs to be verified. We have more than 60 confirmed Kepler planets and over 2300 candidates, many of which will eventually get confirmed, but it’s interesting to see that the mission’s latest [...]
ESA DG and UK Science Minister open Kepler facility Space blog ESA DG and UK Science Minister open Kepler facility Earlier this week , Jean-Jacques Dordain , the Director General of the European Space Agency ESA officially opened SSTL’s new Kepler building . The Director General unveiled a commemorative plaque with David Willetts , the Universities and Science Minister , at an event attended by guests from the UK and European space . sectors Dr Matt Perkins , Rt.Hon . David Willetts , Sir Martin Sweeting and Jean-Jacques Dordain mark the occasion with a . handshake The Director General was taken on a tour of the building by SSTL’s CEO Matt Perkins and Executive Chairman , Sir Martin Sweeting . On their rounds they viewed satellites currently under construction in the Kepler building ,
Back in the days when I was studying Old Icelandic (this was a long time ago, well before Centauri Dreams), I took a bus out of Reykjavik for the short journey to Þingvellir, where the Icelandic parliament was established in the 10th Century. It was an unusually sunny day but that afternoon the storms rolled [...]
The methane/ethane cycle we see on Titan is reminiscent of the water cycle on Earth, which is what people are really talking about when they refer to this frigid place as vaguely ‘Earth-like’ — this is not exactly a temperate climate! But we have a long way to go in understanding just how the cycle [...]
How solar storms affect you Space blog How solar storms affect you We are currently experiencing the effects of a solar storm . Since Monday morning , high-energy particles have been hurtling towards Earth from the Sun . This is the result of a Coronal Mass Ejection CME a sudden burst of electromagnetic energy and particles released into space from the Sun’s atmosphere . This Youtube video shows a large solar eruption that occurred in June , : 2011 In space , CME particles can collide with crucial electronics onboard a satellite , disrupting its systems . This is of particular concern in a region centred over a point close to the Falkland Islands , known as the South Atlantic Anomaly , where the Earth’s inner radiation belt comes closer to our planet’s surface . Normally satellites
DMCii captures Rio flooding image Space blog DMCii captures Rio flooding image DMCii has acquired an image of the recent flooding in Brazil . Torrential rains and a broken dam caused the Paraiba do Sul river to burst its banks close to the coastal town of Atafona , Rio de Janiero . The level of the River reached 10.9m , 3 metres higher than normal meaning over 4,000 people had to be evacuated from the immediate area . As reported by the Rio Times the nearby town of Três Vendas was so badly affected that it was patrolled by city guards to prevent looting and the power was cut to prevent short circuits . occurring Flooding of Paraiba do Sul river . Image from UK-DMC2 SSTL 2012, supplied by . DMCii This is one of many flooding incidents in south-east Brazil with total evacuation numbers now
: All aboard : TechDemoSat-1 takes on payloads Space blog All aboard : TechDemoSat-1 takes on payloads The UK’s space technology demonstration satellite , TechDemoSat-1, is one step closer to completion . SSTL has received several of the eight payloads that will fly on the pioneering small satellite and the project team is busy integrating . them TechDemoSat-1, which is roughly the same size as a dishwasher , will trial new space technologies in orbit giving them much sought after flight time and encouraging the commercialisation of British . technologies TechDemoSat-1 Announced before Christmas , the first payload to be integrated is the Mullard Space Science Laboratory’s Charged Particle Spectrometer ChaPS that will detect electrons and ions simultaneously . ChaPS is a miniaturised
Launch – November 9, 2011 Daylife/AP Photo used by permission A Russian spacecraft that became
Image via Wikipedia I can’t go to the moon. Yes it bugs me that we don’t fly people to 
As 2011 draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on my absenteeism from Astroengine. But it’s not my fault, I’ve been typing like a madman for these guys. But that’s enough excuses, 2012 promises to be a huge year for space, and if I get my time management skills back up to scratch, there [...]
The Long March rocket carrying the unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou 8 blasts off from the launch pad at 
: 2011 in review : IAC to STRaND-1 Space blog 2011 in review : IAC to STRaND-1 We hope you enjoyed the first half of our year in review yesterday , but there’s more to cover and it is the season for giving after all In October the SSTL-50, SSTL’s new microsatellite platform , landed at The International Astronomical Congress IAC in Cape Town , South Africa . The SSTL-50 is a highly cost-effective satellite design that can be built and launched in just 12 months . Its small size also means that two SSTL-50’s can fit facing each other in a space head module so double the amount of satellites can be launched in one go . It doesn’t just redefine cost effective space again but its dual-mode design also offers scientific missions state-of-the-art innovation with the piece of mind of SSTL’s
: 2011 in review : From UKSA to Kepler Space blog 2011 in review : From UKSA to Kepler In 2011 Europe has launched its first satellites into its future GNSS constellation , America has found Earth-like planet Kepler-22b while China has dominated space news , and Russia’s stricken Phobos-Grunt has brought the year to a close . Following the formation of the UK Space Agency in 2010, the UK has also had a busy year especially here at SSTL . We have seen important projects reach major milestones , celebrated anniversaries , and unveiled some very exciting new space technologies to the world . In February , the Disaster Monitoring Constellation celebrated its 10th birthday . This unique international collaboration was set up to gather and distribute images of disaster zones anywhere in the