spacetoday.net: space news from around the webin association with SpaceNews


Soyuz launches Gaia astronomy satellite
Posted: Thu, Dec 19, 2013, 8:14 AM ET (1314 GMT)
Gaia spacecraft illustration (ESA) A Soyuz rocket successfully launched a European satellite that will accurately measure the positions and properties of one billion stars. The Soyuz rocket lifted off on schedule at 4:12 am EST (0912 GMT) from the European spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana, and the Fregat upper stage released the Gaia satellite 42 minutes later. The spacecraft will spend the next three weeks traveling to the Earth-Sun L2 point, 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, where the spacecraft will operate. The Astrium-built spacecraft will observe an estimated one billion stars during its five-year mission, measuring the positions and distances as well as physical properties. Gaia is billed as the sucecssor to ESA's Hipparcos mission, which compiled the most accurate catalog of stellar positions ever two decades ago.
<<previous article   next article>>
news in brief
Starship explodes during preparations for static-fire test
Posted: Sun, Jun 22 6:52 AM ET (1052 GMT)

French government leads investment in Eutelsat
Posted: Sat, Jun 21 8:38 AM ET (1238 GMT)

NASA further delays Ax-4 launch
Posted: Sat, Jun 21 8:34 AM ET (1234 GMT)

news links
Tuesday, July 1
Move over Starlink, here comes Kuiper
Gulf News — 4:58 am ET (0858 GMT)
USSF Seeks Industry Ideas For Space-Based Interceptors
Aviation Week — 4:57 am ET (0857 GMT)
Don’t forget about Iran’s space program
POLITICO — 4:54 am ET (0854 GMT)
EU Space Act is ‘orbital equivalent of GDPR’, says lawyer
Luxembourg Times — 4:53 am ET (0853 GMT)
Poland’s second ever astronaut is safe in space
Euro Weekly News — 4:49 am ET (0849 GMT)


about spacetoday.net   ·   info@spacetoday.net   ·   mailing list