How the European Space Agency uses Extended Reality (XR) Technologies

How the European Space Agency uses Extended Reality (XR) Technologies

"At the European Space Agency (ESA), we are elevating the future of space through the use of transformative technologies. For over 20 years, ESA has been exploring the potential of Extended Reality (XR), including Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (VR/AR/MR), which provides immersive experiences by connecting digital content with the real world."

"XR marks a new era of space innovation, allowing us to interact, experience and engage with space and beyond. This video showcases some of the recent XR projects at ESA, demonstrating the immersive, interactive, and seamless experiences that this technology can create."

"XR will play a significant role in enhancing space missions, becoming a go-to tool for ESA and space experts. XR allows our engineers to interact with components of the spacecrafts and support mission operations and provides realistic training for astronauts and educational and outreach experiences."

Discover more about Extended Reality at ESA: 
https://xr.esa.int/

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)
Duration: 5 minutes, 22 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 25, 2025

#ESA #Space #Europe #HumanSpaceFlight #Moon #Mars #ExtendedReality #XR #AugmentedReality #AR #MixedReality #MR #VirtualReality #VR #Simulations #SimulatedReality #InformationTechnology #IT #SpaceTechnologies #SpaceExploration #AstronautTraining #STEM #Education #HD #Video

A Rocket and a Star

A Rocket and a Star

On the morning of September 24, 2025, a rocket crosses the bright solar disk in this long range telescopic snapshot captured from Orlando, Florida. This image was captured about 50 miles north of its Kennedy Space Center launch site. 

This rocket carried three new space weather missions to space. Signals have now been successfully acquired from all three—NASA's Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Follow-On Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1)—as they begin their journey to L1, an Earth-Sun lagrange point. L1 is about 1.5 million kilometers in the sunward direction from planet Earth. Appropriately, major space weather influencers, aka dark sunspots in active regions across the Sun, are posing with the transiting rocket. In fact, large active region AR4225 is just right of the rocket's nose.

The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) will map the heliosphere—the invisible cosmic shield surrounding our solar system—and to answer some great unknowns about how particles accelerate in the solar wind.

Learn more about IMAP: 
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/imap/ 
https://imap.princeton.edu/

NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory is a small satellite that will observe Earth’s outermost atmospheric layer, the exosphere. It will image the faint glow of ultraviolet light from this region, called the geocorona, to better understand how space weather impacts our planet.

The SWFO-L1 spacecraft will monitor space weather and detect solar storms in advance, serving as an early warning beacon for potentially disruptive space weather, helping safeguard Earth’s critical infrastructure and technological-dependent industries. The SWFO-L1 spacecraft is the first NOAA observatory designed specifically for and fully dedicated to continuous, operational space weather observations.

Image Credit & Copyright: Pascal Fouquet
Release Date: Sept. 27, 2025

#NASA #NOAA #Space #Astronomy #Science #IMAPMission #IMAP #Stars #Sun #Heliophysics #Heliosphere #InterstellarMedium #ISM #Planets #Earth #SolarSystem #SolarWind #SpaceWeather #SWFOL1 #CarruthersGeocoronaObservatory #GSFC #SpaceX #Falcon9Rocket #KSC #Photography #PascalFouquet #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #APOD

Japan’s Hayabusa2 Spacecraft's Next Target is Smaller and Faster than Expected

Japan’s Hayabusa2 Spacecraft's Next Target is Smaller and Faster than Expected

Astronomers have discovered that the next target for Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft, the asteroid 1998 KY26, is almost three times smaller than previously thought, and spinning much faster than expected. This study was conducted using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), and its results offer important new information for the upcoming mission, just six years out from the spacecraft’s encounter with this tiny asteroid. 

“We found that the reality of the object is completely different from what it was previously described as,” says astronomer Toni Santana-Ros, a researcher from the University of Alicante, Spain, who led a study on 1998 KY26 published today in Nature Communications. The new observations, combined with previous radar data, have revealed that the asteroid is just 11 meters wide, meaning it could easily fit inside the dome of the VLT unit telescope used to observe it. It is also spinning about twice as fast as previously thought: “One day on this asteroid lasts only five minutes!" he says. Previous data indicated that the asteroid was around 30 meters in diameter and completed a rotation in 10 minutes or so. 

"The smaller size and faster rotation now measured will make Hayabusa2’s visit even more interesting, but also even more challenging,” says co-author Olivier Hainaut, an astronomer at ESO in Germany. This is because a touchdown maneuver, where the spacecraft ‘kisses’ the asteroid, will be more difficult to perform than anticipated.

1998 KY26 is set to be the final target asteroid for the Japanese Aerospace eXploration Agency (JAXA)'s Hayabusa2 spacecraft. In its original mission, Hayabusa2 explored the 900-meter-diameter asteroid 162173 Ryugu in 2018, returning asteroid samples to Earth in 2020. With fuel remaining, the spacecraft was sent on an extended mission until 2031, when it is set to encounter 1998 KY26, aiming to learn more about the smallest asteroids. This will be the first time a space mission encounters a tiny asteroid—all previous missions visited asteroids with diameters in the hundreds or even thousands of meters. 

1998 KY26 is a nearly spherical sub-kilometer asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object of the Apollo group. It measures approximately 11 meters (40 feet) in diameter and is a fast rotator, having a rotational period of only 5.35 minutes. It was first observed on June 2, 1998, by the Spacewatch survey at Kitt Peak National Observatory when it passed 800,000 kilometers (half a million miles) away from Earth (a little more than twice the Earth–Moon distance).

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Directed by: Angelos Tsaousis and Martin Wallner
Editing: Angelos Tsaousis
Written by: Amy Briggs and Sean Bromilow
Footage and photos: ESO, Luis Calçada, Angelos Tsaousis, Martin Kornmesser, P. Das et al., K. Noll et al., Gerhard Hüdepohl, Daniele Gasparri
Scientific consultant: Paola Amico, Mariya Lyubenova
Duration: 1 minute, 18 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 18, 2025

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Asteroid #NEO #1998KY26 #Hayabusa2 #はやぶさ2 #Spacecraft #JAXA #宇宙航空研究開発機構 #Japan #日本 #SolarSystem #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #ParanalObservatory #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #SpaceExploration #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon: View from Red Rock, Arizona

Comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon: View from Red Rock, Arizona

Comet Lemmon is not just another icy rock—it is a time-traveler returning to the inner solar system after roughly 1,350 years.

It was discovered on January 3, 2025, by a sky-survey team and was initially mistaken for an asteroid at a dim magnitude of +21.5; later imagery showed a tiny coma and faint tail, prompting its reclassification as a comet, with pre-discovery images traced back to November 2024. This initial misclassification highlights how subtle these objects can be when far away—and how surprise discoveries can change our understanding of a celestial object’s journey. Stretching as far as 240 astronomical units (AU) out and now spiraling inward, Lemmon’s orbital period—now estimated between 1,150 and 1,350 years—is gradually shortening due to gravitational shifts. It is a reminder that the cosmos is dynamic—and this rare return makes Comet Lemmon a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle for nearly all of us.

Orbital calculations show the comet will pass closest to Earth around October 21, 2025, at roughly 0.60 AU (about 89 million km). It will reach perihelion (its nearest point to the Sun) on November 8, 2025, at about 0.53 AU.

This alignment—in which Lemmon is both near Earth and still illuminated by the Sun—creates a prime observational window. Its brightness and proximity are at a sweet spot during late October, offering a golden hunting ground for skywatchers.

Arizona is a state in the Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the northwest and California to the west, and shares an international border with the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California to the south and southwest.

Image Credit: Thomas Eby 
Image Details: "Recorded between 12:05 and 12:14 UT 9/25/2025 with RASA8 + ZWO 585mc Pro camera. Interesting tail structure developing."

Text Credit: Nasaspacenews[dot]com
Location: Red Rock, Arizona
Image Date: Sept. 25, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Comets #CometC2025A6Lemmon #Coma #CometaryTails #SolarSystem #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #ThomasEby  #Astrophotographers #RedRock #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

""Have a quick look out the window . . ." | International Space Station

"Have a quick look out the window . . ."  | International Space Station

The Cupola is a panoramic control tower for the International Space Station, a dome-shaped module with windows that allows operations on the outside of the station to be observed and guided. It is a pressurized observation and work area that accommodates command and control workstations and other hardware. Through the robotics workstation, astronauts control the station’s robotic arm. This helps with the attachment and assembly of station elements much like the operator of a building crane perched in a control cabin. Crew members in the Cupola can communicate with other crew members in another part of the station or outside during spacewalk activities. Spacewalks can be observed from the Cupola along with visiting spacecraft and external areas of the station with the Cupola offering a viewing spectrum of 360 degrees.

Follow Expedition 73:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 73 Crew

Station Commander: Sergey Ryzhikov (Roscosmos)

JAXA Flight Engineer (Japan): Kimiya Yui

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Alexey Zubritskiy, Oleg Platonov

NASA Flight Engineers: Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke

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.

Video Credit: Kimiya Yui/JAXA

Duration: 17 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 25, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Planets #Earth #Cupola #Astronauts #AstronautVideography #KimiyaYui #油井亀美也 #Japan #日本 #JAXA #宇宙航空研究開発機構 #Cosmonauts #Russia #Roscosmos #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Shark Fin Aurora and More over Canada's Alberta

Shark Fin Aurora and More over Canada's Alberta

Photographer Karsten Berger: "The wind was blowing on Earth and in space. It was difficult to get a non-blurry image. The auroras looked as if they were being whisked away."

On Earth, auroras are mainly created by particles originally emitted by the Sun in the form of solar wind. When this stream of electrically charged particles gets close to our planet, it interacts with the magnetic field, which acts as a gigantic shield. While it protects Earth’s environment from solar wind particles, it can also trap a small fraction of them. Particles trapped within the magnetosphere—the region of space surrounding Earth in which charged particles are affected by its magnetic field—can be energized and then follow the magnetic field lines down to the magnetic poles. There, they interact with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the upper layers of the atmosphere, creating the flickering, colorful lights visible in the polar regions here on Earth.

Earth auroras have different names depending on the pole they occur at. Aurora Borealis, or the northern lights, is the name given to auroras around the north pole and Aurora Australis, or the southern lights, is the name given for auroras around the south pole.

The Colors of the Aurora (U.S. National Park Service)

https://www.nps.gov/articles/-articles-aps-v8-i1-c9.htm

Alberta is a province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, the Northwest Territories to its north, and the U.S. state of Montana to its south. Alberta and Saskatchewan are the only two landlocked Canadian provinces.

Image Credit: Karsten Berger 
Location: High Level, Alberta, Canada
Image Date: Sept. 22, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planets #Earth #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #MagneticField #Magnetosphere #SolarWind #Sun #Star #Photography #KarstenBerger #Photographer #CitizenScience #HighLevel #Alberta #Canada #NorthAmerica #STEM #Education

The Cygnus Cargo Spacecraft's Lifecycle | International Space Station

The Cygnus Cargo Spacecraft's Lifecycle | International Space Station

"Northrop Grumman pioneered technologies for cargo delivery and other logistics services in space. For the world's most complicated delivery service, we have brought more than 159,000 pounds of supplies, equipment and science experiments to the International Space Station since 2013."

Learn about NASA's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) Program:
https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/commercial-resupply/

Follow Expedition 73:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 73 Crew

Station Commander: Sergey Ryzhikov (Roscosmos)

JAXA Flight Engineer (Japan): Kimiya Yui

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Alexey Zubritskiy, Oleg Platonov

NASA Flight Engineers: Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke

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.

Video Credit: Northrop Grumman
Duration: 2 minutes, 13 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 25, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Science #NorthropGrumman #CygnusCargoSpacecraft #CommercialResupplyServices #CRS23 #Canadarm2 #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceTechnology #SpaceResearch #SpaceLaboratory #UnitedStates #Russia #Roscosmos #Japan #Expedition73 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Planet Mars Images: Sept. 23-26, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Planet Mars Images: Sept. 23-26, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars 2020 - sol 1635

MSL - sol 4667

MSL - sol 4671

MSL - sol 4671

Mars 2020 - sol 1634

MSL - sol 4668

MSL - sol 4671

Mars 2020 - sol 1635

Support FriendsofNASA.org

Celebrating 13+ Years on Mars (2012-2024)

Mission Name: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Rover Name: Curiosity

Main Job: To determine if Mars was ever habitable to microbial life. 

Launch: Nov. 6, 2011

Landing Date: Aug. 5, 2012, Gale Crater, Mars

Celebrating 4+ Years on Mars

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for return to Earth.

Launch: July 30, 2020    

Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

For more information on NASA's Mars missions, visit: mars.nasa.gov

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Processing: Kevin M. Gill

Image Release Dates: Sept. 23-26, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Mars #Astrobiology #Geology #CuriosityRover #MSL #MountSharp #GaleCrater #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #JezeroCrater #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #MSSS #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #CitizenScience #KevinGill #STEM #Education

Shenzhou-20 Astronauts Complete Fourth Spacewalk | China Space Station

Shenzhou-20 Astronauts Complete Fourth Spacewalk | China Space Station

The Shenzhou-20 crew aboard China's orbiting space station completed their mission's fourth spacewalk early on September 26, 2025, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The astronaut trio—Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie—worked outside the space station for approximately six hours and accomplished all assigned tasks at 01:35 Beijing Time, assisted by the Tiangong space station's robotic arm and a ground control team.

Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, tasked with conducting the spacewalk operations, finished the installation of debris protection devices and the inspection and maintenance of external equipment, according to the CMSA.

This is the first time a spacewalk has been performed by two astronauts from China's third group of astronaut recruits.

Up to now, the Shenzhou-20 astronauts have completed four extravehicular activities, making it one of the Chinese crews that have carried out the most spacewalks aboard the orbiting space station.

The crew has stayed in orbit for more than 150 days, carrying out a large number of scientific experiments and technological tests.

The Shenzhou-20 astronauts entered the space station on April 25 for a mission expected to last around 6 months.

Shenzhou-20 Crew

Chen Dong (陈冬) - Commander - Third spaceflight

Chen Zhong Rui (陈中瑞) - Operator - First spaceflight

Wang Jie (王杰) - Flight Engineer - First spaceflight

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 21 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 26, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #China #中国 #Shenzhou20Mission #神舟二十号 #Shenzhou20Crew #Taikonauts #ChenDong #ChenZhongrui #WangJie #Astronauts #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #SpaceLaboratory #EVA #Spacewalk #CMSA #中国载人航天工程办公室 #LongDurationMissions #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #Video

Equinox Auroras over Tromsø, Norway

Equinox Auroras over Tromsø, Norway

Photographer Markus Varik: " . . . nothing comes close to, what we witnessed yesterday. It was unfortunately super cloudy around Tromsø, but the weather forecast said, there should be openings here and there later on in the evening. In reality, there was more rain and clouds and there were periods, where we were just sitting under cold freezing rain for elongated periods of time. But when it mattered, the sky cleared up. The variety of different colors was just insane . . ."

The equinox marks the exact moment when the center of the Sun crosses the plane of a planet’s equator. 

The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, occurs in an upper layer of Earth’s atmosphere called the ionosphere, but they typically originate with activity on the Sun. Occasionally, during explosions called coronal mass ejections, the Sun releases charged particles that speed across the solar system.

Auroras are produced when the Earth's magnetosphere is sufficiently disturbed by the solar wind that the trajectories of charged particles in solar wind and magnetospheric plasma, mainly in the form of electrons and protons, precipitate them into the upper atmosphere (thermosphere/exosphere) due to Earth's magnetic field, where their energy is lost. The resulting ionization and excitation of atmospheric constituents emits light of varying color and complexity. [Wikipedia]

Solid Colored Aurora

Green is common at the upper latitudes, while red is rare. On the other hand, aurora viewed from lower latitudes tend to be red.

Element Emission Colors

Oxygen: The big player in the aurora is oxygen. Oxygen is responsible for the vivid green (wavelength of 557.7 nm) and also for a deep brownish-red (wavelength of 630.0 nm). Pure green and greenish-yellow aurorae result from the excitation of oxygen.

Nitrogen: Nitrogen emits blue (multiple wavelengths) and red light.

Other Gases: Other gases in the atmosphere become excited and emit light, although the wavelengths may be outside of the range of human vision or else too faint to see. Hydrogen and helium, for example, emit blue and purple. Although our eyes cannot see all of these colors, photographic film and digital cameras often record a broader range of hues.

Aurora Colors According to Altitude

Above 150 miles: red, oxygen

Up to 150 miles: green, oxygen

Above 60 miles: purple or violet, nitrogen

Up to 60 miles: blue, nitrogen

The Colors of the Aurora (National Park Service)

https://www.nps.gov/articles/-articles-aps-v8-i1-c9.htm

Image Credit: Markus Varik
Markus' website: 
https://www.facebook.com/greenlandertromso
Image Date: Sept. 22, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Earth #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #SolarSystem #Sun #Photography #Photographer #MarkusVarik #Tromsø #Norway #Norge #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA's Orion Spacecraft: How the Launch Abort System for Crew Safety Works

NASA's Orion Spacecraft: How the Launch Abort System for Crew Safety Works

"On launch day, every element of Orion is poised for purpose. Among the most important is the Launch Abort System (LAS)—a slender tower mounted above the crew module, ready to provide astronauts with a swift and controlled escape, if the mission requires it. The LAS is always on watch, standing guard from the moment the crew boards Orion and the hatch is closed. Should it be called into action, it can respond in milliseconds—whether on the launch pad or during ascent—separating the spacecraft from its rocket, guiding it to a safe trajectory and clearing the way for a return to Earth."

Learn more about Orion's LAS: 
https://lockheedmartin.com/en-us/news/features/2025/how-orion-s-launch-abort-system-protects-astronauts.html

The upcoming Artemis II test flight will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen around the Moon and return them safely back home.

The Artemis II crew will be sent on a ten-day Moon journey no earlier than April 2026.

NASA's Artemis II Mission:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii

Video Credit: Lockheed Martin
Duration: 2 minutes, 26 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 25, 2025

#NASA #ESA #CSA #Space #Mars #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIIMission #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #DeepSpace #Astronauts #MoonToMars #Science #SpaceTechnology #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #LockheedMartin #SafetySystems #CrewSafety #AstronautSafety #LaunchAbortSystem #LAS #UnitedStates #Canada #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Liftoff: Amazon Project Kuiper Satellites on Atlas V Rocket | United Launch Alliance

Liftoff: Amazon Project Kuiper Satellites on Atlas V Rocket | United Launch Alliance

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral on Sept. 25, 2025 at 8:09 a.m. EDT carrying the Kuiper 3 mission for Amazon's Project Kuiper broadband satellite constellation. The ULA Atlas V 551 mission launched 27 operational broadband satellites, bringing the total number of Project Kuiper satellites launched by ULA to 81.

Project Kuiper is Amazon's low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband network. Its mission is to provide fast, reliable Internet access to customers around the world, including those in unserved and underserved communities, using a constellation of more than 3,200 LEO satellites.

United Launch Alliance (ULA) update:
https://newsroom.ulalaunch.com/releases/united-launch-alliance-propels-amazons-project-kuiper-to-enhance-broadband-access-to-connect-the-world

Amazon's Project Kuiper:
https://www.aboutamazon.com/what-we-do/devices-services/project-kuiper

Credit: United Launch Alliance (ULA)

Duration: 19 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 25, 2025

#NASA #Space #Earth #Satellites #LEO #Amazon #ProjectKuiper #Kuiper3Mission #SatelliteConstellations #CommunicationsSatellites #BroadbandInternetServices #AtlasVRockets #ULA #CapeCanaveral #Florida #UnitedStates #CommercialSpace #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Atlas V Rocket Liftoff: Amazon Project Kuiper Satellites | United Launch Alliance

Atlas V Rocket Liftoff: Amazon Project Kuiper Satellites | United Launch Alliance

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral on Sept. 25, 2025 at 8:09 a.m. EDT carrying the Kuiper 3 mission for Amazon's Project Kuiper broadband satellite constellation. The ULA Atlas V 551 mission launched 27 operational broadband satellites, bringing the total number of Project Kuiper satellites launched by ULA to 81.

Project Kuiper is Amazon's low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband network. Its mission is to provide fast, reliable Internet access to customers around the world, including those in unserved and underserved communities, using a constellation of more than 3,200 LEO satellites.

United Launch Alliance (ULA) update:
https://newsroom.ulalaunch.com/releases/united-launch-alliance-propels-amazons-project-kuiper-to-enhance-broadband-access-to-connect-the-world

Amazon's Project Kuiper:
https://www.aboutamazon.com/what-we-do/devices-services/project-kuiper

Credit: United Launch Alliance (ULA)
Release Date: Sept. 25, 2025

#NASA #Space #Earth #Satellites #LEO #Amazon #ProjectKuiper #Kuiper3Mission #SatelliteConstellations #CommunicationsSatellites #BroadbandInternetServices #AtlasVRockets #ULA #CapeCanaveral #Florida #UnitedStates #CommercialSpace #STEM #Education

Behind The Scenes: IMAP, SWFO-L1 & Carruthers Missions Pre-launch | NASA

Behind The Scenes: IMAP, SWFO-L1 & Carruthers Missions Pre-launch | NASA

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's SWFO-L1 spacecraft and NASA’s IMAP and Carruthers Geocorona Observatory stands vertical at Launch Complex 39A during early morning on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with NASA’s IMAP and Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, as well as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's SWFO-L1 spacecraft attached, rolls to Launch Pad 39A on September 21, 2025, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with NASA’s IMAP and Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, as well as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's SWFO-L1 spacecraft attached, rolls to Launch Pad 39A on Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's SWFO-L1, along with NASA's Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) and Carruthers Geocorona Observatory fully integrated for launch.

Technicians integrate NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Follow On Lagrange - 1 (SWFO-L1) satellite to the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Secondary Payload Adapter Array Ring (ESPA) inside the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025.

Technicians integrate NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Follow On Lagrange - 1 (SWFO-L1) satellite to the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Secondary Payload Adapter Array Ring (ESPA) inside the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025.

The integration of the rideshares prepares for the next milestone of attaching NASA’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) Sun mapping observatory to a payload adapter and stacking all three observatories together to prepare them for encapsulation in the payload fairing.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's SWFO-L1 Observatory successfully positioned above a work stand during pre-launch processing at the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Technicians use a crane to lift the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Follow On–Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) Observatory above a work stand for integrations on Friday, July 25, 2025, during prelaunch processing at the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched and deployed NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), the agency’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Follow On–Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) spacecraft. Launch took place on schedule at 7:30 a.m. EDT, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

The missions will each focus on different effects of the solar wind—the continuous stream of particles emitted by the Sun—and space weather—the changing conditions in space driven by the Sun—from their origins at the Sun to their farthest reaches billions of miles away at the edge of our solar system. 

The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) will explore and map the heliosphere—the invisible cosmic shield surrounding our solar system—to answer great unknowns about how particles accelerate in the solar wind.

Learn more about IMAP: 
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/imap/ 
https://imap.princeton.edu/

NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory is a small satellite that will observe Earth’s outermost atmospheric layer, the exosphere. It will image the faint glow of ultraviolet light from this region, called the geocorona, to better understand how space weather impacts our planet. The Carruthers mission continues the legacy of the Apollo era, expanding on measurements first taken during Apollo 16.

The SWFO-L1 spacecraft will monitor space weather and detect solar storms in advance, serving as an early warning beacon for potentially disruptive space weather, helping safeguard Earth’s critical infrastructure and technological-dependent industries. The SWFO-L1 spacecraft is the first NOAA observatory designed specifically for and fully dedicated to continuous, operational space weather observations.

Credit: SpaceX/NOAA/BAE Space & Mission Systems

Dates: Sept. 21-24, 2025

#NASA #NOAA #Space #Astronomy #Science #IMAPMission #IMAP #Stars #InterstellarMedium #ISM #Sun #Heliophysics #Heliosphere #Planets #Earth #SolarSystem #SolarPlasma #SolarWind #SpaceWeather #PrincetonU #SWFOL1 #CarruthersGeocoronaObservatory #GSFC #SpaceX #Falcon9Rocket #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Planet Earth Aerosols: Inside the Visualization | NASA Goddard

Planet Earth Aerosols: Inside the Visualization | NASA Goddard

NASA uses satellites, ground measurements, and powerful computer models to track tiny particles floating in our air called aerosols. These small particles can travel thousands of miles, affecting the air we breathe and how far we can see, even far from where they originated. This visualization shows how these particles moved through Earth's atmosphere between August 1 and September 14, 2024.

Each color represents a type of aerosol: sea salt (blue), dust (pink/magenta), smoke from fires (orange/red), and sulfates from pollution and volcanoes (green). This visualization is based on NASA's Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) model. It provides realistic, high-resolution weather and aerosol data that enables customized environmental prediction and advances in artifical intelligence (AI) research.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Emme Watkins (eMITS): Lead Producer
Kathleen Greer (GSFC AMA): Lead Producer
Lesley Ott (HQ): Lead Scientist
Joseph V. Ardizzone (NASA/GSFC): Visualizer
Helen-Nicole Kostis (USRA): Visualizer
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: Sept. 25, 2025

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China Smart Dragon-3 Commercial Satellite Rocket Launch (Ship-based)

China Smart Dragon-3 Commercial Satellite Rocket Launch (Ship-based)

Lifting off at 07:56 UTC September 24, 2025, a Smart Dragon 3 (Jielong-3) rocket launched 11 GeeSat Geely-06 constellation satellites, plus another cubesat from the sea near Rizhao in east China's Shandong province. This was the eighth successful flight, further proving the Smart Dragon's capability to deliver 1,560 kg to a 500 km Sun-synchronous orbit. Smart Dragon-3 has a length of approximately 31 meters with a weight of 140 tons at liftoff.

The Jielong-3 rocket was developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), a subsidiary of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the country’s state-owned main space contractor. The four-stage rocket is operated by China Rocket Co. Ltd., a commercial spinoff from CASC. 

The Geely-06 constellation, operated by Geely Holding Group, is a significant advancement in China's commercial satellite network. The constellation's first phase deployment includes 64 satellites, providing real-time global surface communications and supporting an extensive user base. The constellation is designed to serve 20 million users worldwide, handling up to 340 million messages per day. It supports high-frequency users and medium- to low-frequency users, transmitting 1,900-byte packets for text, voice, and images. The first phase is set to expand to 72 satellites, boosting capacity and service reliability. 

Geely is also piloting satellite-Internet of Things (IoT) technologies for smart vehicles, marine fisheries, heavy machinery, and logistics. The constellation's service frequency features strong diffraction characteristics to better ensure communication availability and reliability "above international standards".

Image Credit: CGTN

Date: Sept. 24, 2025

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