orbit
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Space & Cosmos
Tether covered with solar panels could accelerate ISS orbit
Power diagram of the BPT tether system on the ISS. Credit: Acta Astronautica (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.actastro.2024.12.031 The ISS’s orbit is slowly decaying. Although it may seem like a permanent fixture in the sky, the orbiting space laboratory is only about 400 km above the planet. There may not be much atmosphere at that altitude. However, some are still present, and…
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Space & Cosmos
Bezos’ Blue Origin successfully launches New Glenn rocket into orbit, a feat that took 15 years to accomplish
Credit: CC0 Public Domain Shortly after 2 a.m. ET on January 16, 2025, a new rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket launch reached orbit, marking a milestone for a commercial space company with big ambitions. As a space policy expert, I see New Glenn’s success as a major step forward…
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Space & Cosmos
Chinese space station crew returns after 6 months in orbit
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Three Chinese crew members returned to Earth early Monday after staying at the Tiangong space station for more than six months, state news agency Xinhua said. Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangshou were all in “good health” after landing in the return capsule of the spacecraft Shenzhou at the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia,…
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Space & Cosmos
Space Force’s X-37B performs ‘unprecedented maneuver’ in orbit
An X-37B orbital test vehicle travels down the flight line at the AstroTech facility on March 30, 2010 in Titusville, Florida. Credit: USAF The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) has been shrouded in mystery since its first flight in 2011. Designed by Boeing and operated by the United States Space Force (USSF), this remotely operated, reusable space plane is designed…
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