Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News

April 22, 2013

Orbital Sciences launches Antares rocket
Washington (AFP) April 21, 2013
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. As this is a test mission, Antares was not transporting the company's Cygnus ... read more

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Drone 'space ship' app to help robots on future missions European Space Agency scientists have developed a smartphone app that turns a toy drone into a virtual spacecraft on a mission to dock with the International Space Station, and uses crowd-sourced data from its manoeuvres to improve artificial intelligence on future missions. ... more		NASA urged to preserve funding for planetary science missions Members of Congress say they've urged NASA to spare planetary science funding and resist pressures to make disproportionate cuts to the science budget. ... more		Cosmonaut becomes oldest person to walk in space, Russia ministry says A 59-year-old cosmonaut became the oldest person to walk in space when he installed equipment outside the International Space Station, Russian officials said. ... more
				Russia puts mice, newts in space for a month A Russian rocket carrying a capsule filled with 45 mice and 15 newts along with other small animals blasted off Friday on a month-long orbital mission that should pave the way for manned flights to Mars. ... more		Orbital Sciences delays launch of Antares rocket Orbital Sciences, one of two private US firms chosen by NASA to shuttle cargo to the International Space Station, delayed a bid Saturday to launch a first test flight of its Antares rocket. ... more

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Stephane Israel named Chairman and CEO of Arianespace The Board of Directors of Arianespace has named Stephane Israel Chairman and CEO of the company, effective Monday, April 22, 2013. Stephane Israel, born in 1971, was appointed as a judge in th ... more		Full tank, please For ATV Einstein A fuelling operator at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana inspects progress as ATV Albert Einstein is filled with propellant to take to the International Space Station. Automated Transfer Veh ... more		India signs $7 bn deal for 97 domestically made fighter jets France doubles down on threat to build future fighter jet alone US approves $1.2 bn missile sale to Germany		Yuanwang III, VI depart for space-tracking missions The space-tracking ships Yuanwang III and Yuanwang VI departed from a port in east China's Jiangsu Province on Tuesday morning for the upcoming space docking of the Shenzhou-10 spacecraft and Tiango ... more
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New sensors can give robot hands a 'gentle touch'		Space debris said a rising threat to economically important satellites		Launch pad problem scrubs launch of Antares rocket for NASA		Astronomers find most Earth-like planets yet		Antares Launch Reschedule To Friday
US eases export rules on aerospace parts		The Sounds of Progress: NASA's Space Launch System Engineers Begin Acoustic Testing		Bechtel Partners with Planetary Resources for Space Initiative		NASA-Funded Asteroid Tracking Sensor Passes Key Test		Study: Lack of magnetic field could render many exoplanets lifeless

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