SpaceX Falcon 9 EROS-C Mission Launch | Vandenberg Space Force Base

SpaceX Falcon 9 EROS-C Mission Launch | Vandenberg Space Force Base

SpaceX capped off the busiest year in its two-decade history Dec. 30, 2022, with a Falcon 9 launch of a commercial Israeli imaging satellite.

A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 2:38 a.m. Eastern from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The rocket’s first stage, flying its 11th mission, landed back at the launch site eight minutes after liftoff.

The Falcon 9 upper stage deployed its payload, the EROS C3 imaging satellite, nearly 15 minutes after liftoff. The satellite was released at an altitude of nearly 500 kilometers in an unusual mid-inclination retrograde orbit, rather than the sun-synchronous orbit commonly used for optical imaging spacecraft.

EROS C3 was built by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for ImageSat International, a Tel Aviv-based commercial imaging company. The 400-kilogram satellite, based on IAI’s OPTSAT-3000 bus, is designed to take images at a resolution of 30 centimeters.

The launch of EROS C3 completed the most active year to date for SpaceX. The company performed 61 launches, all successful, in 2022. All but one, a Falcon Heavy launch for the U.S. Space Force, were of the company’s Falcon 9 vehicle, which has become a workhorse for the global space industry.

SpaceX nearly doubled its launch rate from 2021, when the company performed a then-record 31 Falcon 9 launches. That launch activity was driven by the company’s Starlink constellation, which accounted for 34 of the 61 launches in 2022.

The 61 launches SpaceX performed in 2022 exceeded a goal of 60 set by Elon Musk, founder and chief executive of SpaceX, in a tweet in March. Musk has not publicly stated how many launches he expects SpaceX to conduct in 2023, but SpaceX’s first launch of the new year, the Transporter-6 dedicated rideshare mission, is scheduled for no earlier than Jan. 2 on a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40.

Reads full SpaceNews article at: https://spacenews.com/spacex-completes-record-year-with-israeli-imaging-satellite-launch/

Image Credit: SpaceX

Caption Credit: SpaceNews

#NASA #Space #Earth #Orbit #LEO #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #Satellite #EROSC3 #Israel #IAI #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #Defense #Military #ElonMusk #Spaceflight #Technology #Engineering #CommercialSpace #SpaceForce #VandenburgSFB #Spaceport #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio Talks with Telemundo | International Space Station

NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio Talks with Telemundo | International Space Station

[Interview in Spanish/Español] Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Frank Rubio of NASA discussed in Spanish, life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight event December 30, 2022, with Telemundo 51/NBC6 Miami and W Radio in Miami. 

Rubio is in the midst of a science mission aboard the microgravity laboratory. The goal of his mission is to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program. 

Exploration en Español | NASA

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/home/espanol.html

NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio Official NASA Biography

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/frank-rubio

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/frank-rubio/biography

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the  International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

Get the latest from NASA weekly:

www.nasa.gov/subscribe

Credit: NASA Video

Duration: 22 minutes

Release Date: Dec. 30, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Planet #NASAenespañol #Español #Astronaut #FrankRubio #FlightEngineer #FlightSurgeon #Pilot #USArmy #Military #HispanicAmerican #LatinoAmerican #Science #HumanSpaceflight #Astronauts #Expedition68 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

What's Up for January 2023 | Skywatching Tips from NASA

What's Up for January 2023 | Skywatching Tips from NASA

What are some skywatching highlights for the Northern Hemisphere in January 2023?

Some lovely groupings this month include the Moon with Mars, and later with Jupiter, and a close conjunction of Venus and Saturn. The brilliant stars of the Northern Hemisphere's winter sky are a dazzling sight all month long. And a comet discovered last March makes its closest approach to Earth in January, gracing pre-dawn skies. 

0:00 Intro

0:11 Moon & planet highlights

1:15 Winter stars & constellations

1:59 Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)

3:03 January Moon phases

Skywatching resources from NASA: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/skywatching

NASA's Night Sky Network: https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/

Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Duration: 3 minutes, 24 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 29, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Skywatching #Earth #Moon #Planets #Mars #Venus #Jupiter #Saturn #SolarSystem #Comet #Stars #Constellations #MilkyWay #Galaxy #JPL #California #Skywatching #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Tonight's Sky: January 2023 (Northern Hemisphere)

Tonight's Sky: January 2023 (Northern Hemisphere)

In January 2023, the northern hemisphere features beautiful views of Capella, a pair of giant yellow stars; Aldebaran, a red giant star; and two star clusters—the Hyades and the Pleiades. Keep watching for the awe-inspiring space-based views of the Crab Nebula, the remains of a star that exploded as a supernova.

 “Tonight’s Sky” is a monthly video of constellations you can observe in the night sky. The series is produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute, home of science operations for the Hubble Space Telescope, in partnership with NASA’s Universe of Learning. 

 This product is based on work supported by NASA under award numbers NNX16AC65A to the Space Telescope Science Institute, working in partnership with Caltech/IPAC, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and Sonoma State University. 

Credit: Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Duration: 4 minutes, 20 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 22, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Planets #SolarSystem #Stars #Capella #Aldebaran #Hyades #Pleiades #Constellations #Nebula #CrabNebula #Galaxy #MilkyWay #Skywatching #STScI #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Expedition 68 Crew at Christmas | International Space Station

Expedition 68 Crew at Christmas | International Space Station

Expedition 68 Flight Engineers (from left) Josh Cassada, Nicole Mann, and Frank Rubio, all from NASA, and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), pose for a festive portrait on Christmas Day inside the cupola as the International Space Station orbited 270 miles above the southern Atlantic Ocean.

Astronaut Nicole Mann poses for a festive portrait on Christmas Eve

Expedition 68 Flight Engineers (from left) Josh Cassada of NASA, Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and Frank Rubio of NASA, pose for a photograph while sharing a meal on Christmas Eve inside the International Space Station's Unity module.

Astronaut Nicole Mann exchanges samples inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox

Cosmonauts Anna Kikina and Sergey Prokopyev in the Zvezda service module

Station Commander & Cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev is pictured aboard the International Space Station

Cosmonaut Anna Kikina is pictured inside the Zvezda service module

Astronaut Koichi Wakata (Japan) looks at the Earth below

Expedition 68 Crew Christmas Week 2022 Update: The seven Expedition 68 crew members wrapped up the work week cleaning up after a spacewalk and performing a variety of research operations. The space residents spent a quiet weekend observing the Christmas holiday orbiting Earth aboard the International Space Station.

Expedition 68 Crew

Station Commander Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Flight Engineers Anna Kikina & Dmitri Petelin

NASA: Flight Engineers Nicole Mann, Frank Rubio & Josh Cassada

JAXA (Japan): Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the  International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Dates: Dec. 11-25, 2022

#NASA #Space #Earth #ISS #Astronauts #Christmas2022 #NicoleMann #FrankRubio #JoshCassada #KoichiWakata #JAXA #Japan #日本 #Cosmonauts #SergeyProkopyev #AnnaKikina #DmitriPetelin #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Russia #Россия #Science #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition68 #JSC #UnitedStates #Canada #CSA #Research #Laboratory #STEM #Education

NASA's Glenn Research Center 2022 Recap

NASA's Glenn Research Center 2022 Recap

"2022 was a year of unprecedented success! And we’re just getting started. We’ve got big plans for more history-making missions in 2023. 

Follow along at www.nasa.gov/glenn for more research and technology highlights." 

Video Credit: NASA/Heather Brown 

New Glenn Launch Vehicle test video used with permission from Blue Origin

Duration: 2 minutes, 35 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 29, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Artemis #MoonRover #LunarGateway #ElectricPropulsion #Aerospace #BlueOrigin #NewGlenn #Spacecraft #Spaceflight #NASAGlenn #GRC #Ohio #Aeronautics #Research #Science #Technology #Engineering #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Las mejores imágenes de investigaciones en la estación de 2022 | NASA

Las mejores imágenes de investigaciones en la estación de 2022 | NASA

Un año de colaboración entre las agencias espaciales y el trabajo de los astronautas han permitido expandir el legado de avances tecnológicos y descubrimientos científicos de este laboratorio orbital para el beneficio de la humanidad en la Tierra y el progreso en la exploración del espacio. 

Lee más: https://go.nasa.gov/3VvJo2Q

Exploration en Espanol | NASA

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/home/espanol.html

The International Space Station continues its scientific journey orbiting over 200 miles above the Earth’s surface. This past year, spacecraft carried crew from around the world to and from the space station, where they participated in and supported hundreds of scientific investigations and technology demonstrations. From deploying CubeSats to studying fluid dynamics in space, the orbiting lab expanded its legacy of science and discovery for the benefit of humanity. 

Look back at some of the best photos of breakthrough science the crew members conducted in 2022: https://go.nasa.gov/3FVGTlX

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 2 minutes, 50 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 29, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #NASAenespañol #Español #Astronauts #Technology #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition67 #Expedition68 #Research #Laboratory #UnitedStates #Russia #Japan #ESA #Europe #STEM #Education #Photography #HD #Video

Best International Space Station Science Images of 2022 | NASA

Best International Space Station Science Images of 2022 | NASA

The International Space Station continues its scientific journey orbiting over 200 miles above the Earth’s surface. This past year, spacecraft carried crew from around the world to and from the space station, where they participated in and supported hundreds of scientific investigations and technology demonstrations. From deploying CubeSats to studying fluid dynamics in space, the orbiting lab expanded its legacy of science and discovery for the benefit of humanity. 

Look back at some of the best photos of breakthrough science the crew members conducted in 2022: https://go.nasa.gov/3FVGTlX

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 3 minutes 

Release Date: Dec. 28, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Astronauts #FlightEngineers #Technology #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition67 #Expedition68 #Research #Laboratory #Experiments #UnitedStates #Russia #Japan #ESA #Europe #STEM #Education #Photography #HD #Video

Is There Life on Mars? We Asked a NASA Scientist

Is There Life on Mars? We Asked a NASA Scientist

Is there life on Mars? No, we have never discovered life on the Red Planet, but we have found lots of evidence that suggests Mars could have once supported life in its ancient past. There’s even a chance that Mars could be habitable beneath its surface. NASA astrobiologist Heather Graham explains more. 

Keep up with all of NASA’s endeavors at the Red Planet: https://mars.nasa.gov

 

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Producers: Scott Bednar, Jessica Wilde

Editor: Daniel Salazar

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date:  Dec. 28, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Life #Astrobiology #Astrobiologist #HeatherGraham #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Watch Dual Antennas Deploy on International Earth Satellite: SWOT | NASA/JPL

Watch Dual Antennas Deploy on International Earth Satellite: SWOT | NASA/JPL

The SWOT Earth satellite is the first to survey nearly all water on Earth’s surface. Two cameras aboard the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite captured the large mast and antenna panels of the spacecraft’s main science instrument deploying over four days, a process that was completed on Dec. 22, 2022. The masts, which unfold from opposite sides of the spacecraft, can be seen extending out from the spacecraft and locking in place, but the cameras stopped short of capturing the antennas at the ends of the masts being fully deployed (a milestone the team confirmed with telemetry data). This video places the two camera views side by side. 

Located 33 feet (10 meters) apart, the two antennas belong to the groundbreaking Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) instrument, which will measure the height of water on over 90% of Earth’s surface and provide a high-definition survey of our planet’s water for the first time.

Launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in central California on Dec. 16, 2022, SWOT is a collaboration between NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the UK Space Agency. 

The mission used two customized commercial cameras aboard the satellite (the same type used to capture NASA's Perseverance rover landing on Mars) to capture the antenna deployment process.

To learn more about the mission, visit: https://swot.jpl.nasa.gov/

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/CNES

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Dec. 28, 2022

#NASA #Space #Earth #Planet #SWOT #Satellite #Spacecraft #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #Oceans #Freshwater #SurfaceTopography #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #CSA #Canada #CNES #France #UKSpaceAgency #UnitedKingdom #JPL #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Timelapse #HD #Video

NASA's Artemis III Moon Rocket: Core Stage Engine Section Arrives at Kennedy

NASA's Artemis III Moon Rocket: Core Stage Engine Section Arrives at Kennedy

Following the success of Artemis I, this is the core stage engine section of the NASA Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will deliver the first person of color and the first woman to the Moon on the Artemis III Mission.

Teams from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, delivered this Space Launch System (SLS) core stage engine section for Artemis III to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Saturday, December 10, 2022. 

Follow updates on the Artemis blog: 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

As NASA moves forward with SLS production and assembly for future Artemis missions, technicians at the spaceport are beginning core stage assembly and outfitting activities beginning with the Artemis III Moon rocket. In tandem, teams at Michoud will continue to manufacture the remaining four other elements of the 212-foot-tall core stage.

Teams transferred the engine section from the Pegasus barge to the center’s Space Station Processing Facility where teams will begin processing operations ahead of final integration in the Vehicle Assembly Building.

Crews at Kennedy then loaded a launch vehicle stage adapter transportation stand onto the Pegasus for delivery to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, to support operations for the Artemis II mission and beyond.

Image Credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

Image Date: Dec. 10, 2022

Release Date: Dec. 19, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Space #Earth #Moon #Artemis #ArtemisIII #CrewedMission #Orion #Spacecraft #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Science #Engineering #Technology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #Exploration #KSC #MAF #UnitedStates #Europe #History #STEM #Education

Space Sparks: Hubble Takes a Grand Tour of The Outer Solar System

Space Sparks: Hubble Takes a Grand Tour of The Outer Solar System

Space Sparks Episode 8: This is the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope's most recent annual grand tour of the outer Solar System. This is the realm of the giant planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—extending as far as 30 times the distance between Earth and the Sun. Unlike the rocky terrestrial planets like Earth and Mars that huddle close to the Sun’s warmth, these far-flung worlds are mostly composed of chilly gaseous soups of hydrogen, helium, ammonia, and methane around a packed, intensely hot, compact core.

Credit: Directed by: Bethany Downer and Nico Bartmann  

Editing: Nico Bartmann  

Web and technical support: Enciso Systems  

Written by: Bethany Downer  

Footage and photos: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center), and M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley) and the OPAL team, N. Bartmann

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: Nov. 18, 2021

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planets #Jupiter #Saturn #Uranus #Neptune #SolarSystem #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Hubble Takes a Grand Tour of The Outer Solar System

Hubble Takes a Grand Tour of The Outer Solar System

This is the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope's most recent annual grand tour of the outer Solar System. This is the realm of the giant planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—extending as far as 30 times the distance between Earth and the Sun. Unlike the rocky terrestrial planets like Earth and Mars that huddle close to the Sun’s warmth, these far-flung worlds are mostly composed of chilly gaseous soups of hydrogen, helium, ammonia, and methane around a packed, intensely hot, compact core.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley) and the OPAL team  

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: Nov. 18, 2021

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planets #Jupiter #Saturn #Uranus #Neptune #SolarSystem #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Planetary Portraits: Hubble’s Grand Tour of The Outer Solar System

Planetary Portraits: Hubble’s Grand Tour of The Outer Solar System

This is the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope's most recent annual grand tour of the outer Solar System. This is the realm of the giant planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—extending as far as 30 times the distance between Earth and the Sun. Unlike the rocky terrestrial planets like Earth and Mars that huddle close to the Sun’s warmth, these far-flung worlds are mostly composed of chilly gaseous soups of hydrogen, helium, ammonia, and methane around a packed, intensely hot, compact core.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center), and M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley) and the OPAL team  

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date:  Nov. 18, 2021

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planets #Jupiter #Saturn #Uranus #Neptune #SolarSystem #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Hubble's Grand Tour of The Outer Solar System

Hubble's Grand Tour of The Outer Solar System

This is the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope's most recent grand tour of the outer Solar System. This is the realm of the giant planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—extending as far as 30 times the distance between Earth and the Sun. Unlike the rocky terrestrial planets like Earth and Mars that huddle close to the Sun’s warmth, these far-flung worlds are mostly composed of chilly gaseous soups of hydrogen, helium, ammonia, and methane around a packed, intensely hot, compact core.

Note: The planets are not shown to scale in this image.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center), and M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley) and the OPAL team

Release Date: Nov. 18, 2021

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planets #Jupiter #Saturn #Uranus #Neptune #SolarSystem #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Galaxies in Fornax: One of a Pair | Hubble Space Telescope

Galaxies in Fornax: One of a Pair | Hubble Space Telescope

In this image, the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope peers into the spiral galaxy NGC 1317 in the constellation Fornax, more than 50 million light-years from Earth. This galaxy is one of a pair, but NGC 1317’s rowdy larger neighbor NGC 1316 lies outside Hubble’s field of view. Despite the absence here of its neighboring galaxy, NGC 1317 is accompanied in this image by two objects from very different parts of the Universe. The bright point ringed with a criss-cross pattern is a star from our own galaxy surrounded by diffraction spikes, whereas the redder elongated smudge is a distant galaxy lying far beyond NGC 1317.

The data presented in this image are from a vast observing campaign of hundreds of observations from Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys. Combined with data from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) research facility in the Atacama desert, these observations help astronomers chart the connections between vast clouds of cold gas and the fiercely hot young stars that form within them. ALMA’s unparalleled sensitivity at long wavelengths identified vast reservoirs of cold gas throughout the local Universe, and Hubble’s sharp vision pinpointed clusters of young stars, as well as measuring their ages and masses. 

Often the most exciting astronomical discoveries require this kind of telescope teamwork, with cutting-edge facilities working together and providing astronomers with information across the electromagnetic spectrum. The same applies to future telescopes, with Hubble’s observations laying the groundwork for future science with the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST Team  

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: Nov. 29, 2021

#NASA #ESA #ESO #Hubble #ALMA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #NGC1316 #NGC1317 #Fornax #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video