INSIDER
Rocket Lab launches a Japanese satellite from the space company's complex in New Zealand
Read full article: Rocket Lab launches a Japanese satellite from the space company's complex in New ZealandCalifornia-based Rocket Lab has launched a Japanese satellite from the space company's complex on New Zealandโs Mahia Peninsula.
New Zealand latest nation to sign space agreement with NASA
Read full article: New Zealand latest nation to sign space agreement with NASANew Zealand has become the latest country to sign a space agreement with U.S. space agency NASA, just as New Zealandโs nascent space industry begins to take off.
Thereโs more than 1 way to send a spacecraft to Venus
Read full article: Thereโs more than 1 way to send a spacecraft to VenusAdIt used to be -- in the U.S.-- NASA was the only way to fund and send a robotic mission to another world, but not anymore. The company wants to send the first robotic mission to Venus in 2023. (Image credit: Rocket Lab) (Rocket Lab)Meanwhile, NASA is considering funding its own missions to the planet considered Earthโs twin. Currently there are two Venus missions under consideration and two more equally fascinating missions, one designed to study Jupiterโs moon Io and another to Neptuneโs moon Triton. AdHereโs what launching a robotic mission to another planet looks like, in a nutshell, according to Wagner:โThis is what a typical NASA mission is.
Virgin Orbit 'drop tests' a rocket from a 747 aircraft 35,000 feet
Read full article: Virgin Orbit 'drop tests' a rocket from a 747 aircraft 35,000 feetIt's was part of a pre-planned test carried out by Virgin Orbit, the space startup backed by British entrepreneur Richard Branson. Wednesday's spectacle, during which a Virgin Orbit LauncherOne rocket was intentionally left to freefall back to the ground for a "drop test," was the final step toward reaching that goal. Once the plane reached about 35,000 feet, the typical cruising altitude for commercial aircraft, the rocket was released. Virgin Orbit was spun off from Branson's other space venture, Virgin Galactic, in 2017. In an email Thursday, Virgin Orbit spokesperson Kendall Russell added that the company is "financially comfortable."