Italy's Vega-C rocket a step closer to returning to flight after successful engine test

Futurism
Researchers Make Breakthrough in Study of Mysterious 2000-Year-Old Computer Found in Shipwreck
Researchers say they have used cutting-edge gravitational wave research to shed new light on a nearly 2,000-year-old mystery. In 1901, researchers discovered the Antikythera mechanism in a sunken shipwreck, an ancient artifact that dates back to the second century BC. Well over a century later, researchers at the University of Glasgow say they have used […]
CNN
See Chinese rocket crash after accidentally launching
On June 30, a Chinese rocket crashed into the hills of Gongyi in central China after being accidentally launched during a ground test, according to a statement from the company, Space Pioneer. No injuries have been reported.
Futurism
China Cracks Open First Ever Sample From Moon’s Far Side
"Thicker and Stickier" After boldly going to the Moon's far side, China is now in possession of more than four pounds of lunar samples — the first ever collected in human history from that mysterious region. The state-run China Daily newspaper reports that the Chang'e 6 robotic lunar lander, which touched down back on Earth […]
The Independent
‘Once-in-a-lifetime’ cosmic event to appear in night sky after star explodes
The T Coronae Borealis, or Blaze Star, will appear as an extremely bright object in the night sky in the coming days
CNN
NASA administrator weighs in on China’s historic lunar far side samples — and potential US access
China now has the first samples ever collected from the far side of the moon and says it will share them with scientists around the world. But a 2011 law complicates access for the US.
The Independent
Scientists spot unexplained ‘tiny bright objects’ in the distant universe
Lights are not explained by current theories of galaxy growth or black holes
The Independent
Scientists discover moss can grow on Mars
Desert plant offers big boost for making Red Planet habitable
Associated Press
Flying objects and shrunken heads: World UFO Day feted amid surge in sightings, government denials
A former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer told Congress last summer about a government program that retrieves and reverse engineers unidentified flying objects. The Mexican Congress held an unprecedented session in September during which supposed mummies were presented as “nonhuman beings that are not part of our terrestrial evolution.”
AFP News
Sinkholes spread fear in Turkey's parched breadbasket
Every time Turkish farmer Fatih Sik drives his tractor across his cornfields he knows the earth could open up and swallow him at any moment. "It's the first time I have seen this, it's impressive."
Futurism
Scientists Identify Plant That Could Grow on Mars
Mars Moss Scientists in China claim to have discovered a kind of desert moss that thrives in a variety of conditions, from Antarctica to the Mojave desert — that could survive on the surface of Mars without being sheltered inside a greenhouse. As The Guardian reports, the moss called Syntrichia caninervis could help us transform the […]
Time
Scientists Are Still Trying to Figure Out How to Kill Invasive Spotted Lanternflies
Scientists have been researching the best method for killing spotted lanternflies, and they may have gotten some new leads this year through the insects' attraction to vibrations.
AFP News
Europe's Ariane 6 rocket finally ready for liftoff
Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket is set for its first-ever launch next week, carrying with it the continent's hopes of regaining independent access to space and fending off soaring competition from Elon Musk's SpaceX.After four years of delays, the European Space Agency's (ESA) most powerful rocket yet is finally due to blast off from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, at 3:00 pm (1800 GMT) on July 9.Since the last flight of the rocket's workhorse predecessor, Ariane 5, a year ago, Europe has been unable to launch satellites or other missions into space without relying on rivals such as the US firm SpaceX.Kourou was the site of launches by Russia's Soyuz rockets for more than a decade, before Moscow withdrew them after invading Ukraine in 2022. Later that year, Europe's Vega-C light launcher was grounded after a launch failure. Delays to Ariane 6's first flight -- originally scheduled for 2020 -- compounded the crisis. "Everything that could go wrong went wrong," ESA chief Josef Aschbacher said.That is why "Ariane 6 is crucial for Europe," he added. "It's absolutely mandatory for Europe to have an independent access to space."After the struggles of the 4.5-billion-euro ($4.8 billion) programme, Europe's space industry has been nervously observing the run-up to the launch.A "wet dress rehearsal" late last month ran through all the launch procedures, right up to the moment before the engines ignite on the launchpad.It went "very smoothly... like a Swiss watch," ESA space transportation acting director Toni Tolker-Nielsen said, adding that there was nothing to call the launch date into question.- 'Important moment' -Ariane 6 will put satellites into geostationary orbit, which appears stationary by matching Earth's speed at 36,000 kilometres (22,000 miles) above Earth. It can also launch constellations a few hundred kilometres up. The rocket's upper stage, powered by the Vinci engine, ignites after take-off to place satellites in orbit before falling into the Pacific Ocean -- a special feature to prevent space debris. Ariane 6's first launch will use two boosters, with a more powerful four-booster version scheduled for liftoff in the middle of next year.However, the boosters and other parts of the rocket are not reusable -- unlike SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. Billionaire Musk has repeatedly criticised Ariane 6 for not being reusable.The European response has been that it would not make economic sense for the rocket to be reusable because it was designed for far fewer launches than the Falcon 9.The rocket will initially carry out nine launches a year -- a far cry from the Falcon 9, which managed 14 in May alone.The rocket's inaugural flight will carry 18 different smaller items, including university micro-satellites and scientific experiments.Its first commercial flight is scheduled for later in 2024, with 14 more planned over the next two years. - Shock late cancellation -One positive for Ariane 6 is that space business is booming. The amount spent on launchers, satellites and other parts of the space economy is projected to surge to $822 billion by 2032, up from $508 billion last year, according to consulting firm Novaspace.But this has not yet been enough to make Ariane 6 profitable. The financing for the first 15 launches has been secured. But the ESA's 22 member states have agreed to subsidise the rocket for up to 340 million euros a year from its 16th to 42nd flights -- in return for an 11 percent discount. Ariane 6 already has an order book of 30 missions, including 18 to deploy some of Amazon's Kuiper constellation of internet satellites."That is absolutely unprecedented for a rocket that has not flown," said Stephane Israel, CEO of launch service provider Arianespace.However, just days before the inaugural flight, Europe's weather satellite operator EUMETSAT cancelled plans to use the European Ariane 6 in favour of SpaceX's Falcon 9, citing "exceptional circumstances".Philippe Baptiste, head of France's CNES space agency, called it "a very disappointing day for European space efforts".Faced with such stiff competition, the challenge for Ariane 6 will be to survive in a "market that needs rockets", ArianeGroup CEO Martin Sion said.After all, Ariane 6 is "Europe's sovereignty launcher", he added.mra-dl/spb
Associated Press
An Arizona museum tells the stories of ancient animals through their fossilized poop
One way to help tell how a Tyrannosaurus rex digested food is to look at its poop. Bone fragments in a piece of fossilized excrement at a new museum in northern Arizona — aptly called the Poozeum — are among the tinier bits of evidence that indicate T. rex wasn’t much of a chewer, but rather swallowed whole chunks of prey. The sample is one of more than 7,000 on display at the museum that opened in May in Williams, a town known for its Wild West shows along Route 66, wildlife attractions and a railway to Grand Canyon National Park.
The Independent
Chinese rocket accidentally launches before exploding
Space Pioneer hopes new rocket can compete with SpaceX’s Falcon 9
The Guardian
Blast exposure linked to brain damage in US navy veterans who killed themselves - study
Study came after suicide of Lt David Metcalf, who logged his symptoms, and examination of his brain by scientists
Cinema Online
Vivian Chow reunites with Sharla Cheung after 30 years
The singer was elated to see her former co-star coming to see her perform in Wenzhou
HuffPost
New Poll Finds 1 Democrat Absolutely Trouncing Trump
Just one problem: This person doesn't seem interested in running, should the opportunity arise.
The Telegraph
Orban urges Zelensky to accept Kremlin ceasefire offer
Viktor Orban has made a surprise visit to Kyiv where he urged Volodymyr Zelensky to accept the Kremlin’s offer of a ceasefire.
Evening Standard
'Misstiano Penaldo': John Terry brands BBC 'a disgrace' for dig at crying Cristiano Ronaldo over penalty miss
BBC coverage of the Euro 2024 did not go down well with the former Chelsea captain
The Telegraph
Chart showing hilarity of Cristiano Ronaldo’s free-kick arrogance
By now the routine is familiar around the world, from Turin to Riyadh, Lisbon to Manchester. Team of Cristiano Ronaldo wins promising free-kick, Ronaldo steps up to take it, sets ball down carefully, strides back with purpose, adopts power stance, puffs out cheeks and begins his run up. Meanwhile, fans prepare for a forthcoming goal-kick.

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Italy's Vega-C rocket a step closer to returning to flight after successful engine test

Latest stories

Researchers Make Breakthrough in Study of Mysterious 2000-Year-Old Computer Found in Shipwreck

See Chinese rocket crash after accidentally launching

China Cracks Open First Ever Sample From Moon’s Far Side

‘Once-in-a-lifetime’ cosmic event to appear in night sky after star explodes

NASA administrator weighs in on China’s historic lunar far side samples — and potential US access

Scientists spot unexplained ‘tiny bright objects’ in the distant universe

Scientists discover moss can grow on Mars

Flying objects and shrunken heads: World UFO Day feted amid surge in sightings, government denials

Sinkholes spread fear in Turkey's parched breadbasket

Scientists Identify Plant That Could Grow on Mars

Scientists Are Still Trying to Figure Out How to Kill Invasive Spotted Lanternflies

Europe's Ariane 6 rocket finally ready for liftoff

An Arizona museum tells the stories of ancient animals through their fossilized poop

Chinese rocket accidentally launches before exploding

Blast exposure linked to brain damage in US navy veterans who killed themselves - study

Vivian Chow reunites with Sharla Cheung after 30 years

New Poll Finds 1 Democrat Absolutely Trouncing Trump

Orban urges Zelensky to accept Kremlin ceasefire offer

'Misstiano Penaldo': John Terry brands BBC 'a disgrace' for dig at crying Cristiano Ronaldo over penalty miss

Chart showing hilarity of Cristiano Ronaldo’s free-kick arrogance