Latest news with #satellites
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Start-up in bid to prove UK leads in space tech
A UK-built spacecraft engine that runs on metal is preparing for its first test in space, in a mission that could pave the way for longer-lasting, more flexible satellites. The plasma thruster, developed by Oxfordshire start-up Magdrive, heats tiny bits of solid metal into a hot gas to produce powerful bursts of thrust. In the future it could allow satellites to recycle parts of themselves, or space junk for fuel, but for now the metal is carried onboard. The launch, which is due from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US, at 22:00 BST, is backed by the UK and European space agencies. Mark Stokes, chief executive and co-founder of Magdrive, said the mission showed what British innovation could achieve with the right support. "We've spent four years building something that breaks the mould," he said. "This launch isn't just about proving our tech – it's about proving the UK can lead in space." Dr Gianluigi Baldesi, from the European Space Agency, said the quick progress from project start to launch demonstrated the "bold" innovation it aimed to encourage. "In less than a year, we have gone from kick-off to launch," he said. Data from the test flight is expected in August and September. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Magdrive Scientists trying to grow tea plants in space Space mission creates first ever artificial solar eclipse New engine tech could get us to Mars faster
Reuters
5 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Eutelsat shares open up 6% after France gives it capital boost
PARIS, June 20 (Reuters) - Eutelsat shares were up 6% at opening on Friday after the French government announced it would become the satellite company's biggest shareholder following a 1.35 billion-euro ($1.55 billion) capital increase. The French finance ministry said the move would help the company, which owns the world's second-largest constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites, compete with Elon Musk's Starlink. "By strengthening the capital of Eutelsat, the only European player in low-Earth orbit constellations, France is securing its strategic independence and paving the way for that of Europe," French President Emmanuel Macron wrote in a post on X early on Friday. Other major Eutelsat shareholders will subscribe to the capital increase, Eutelsat said in a statement, but it was unclear if Britain, which holds 10.9% of the company, will inject new money into it. Eutelsat merged with OneWeb in 2023, saying at the time that the tie-up would lift the group's annual sales to $2 billion by 2027, with OneWeb's second generation of LEO satellites to be launched by the decade's end. But Eutelsat has since said it needed more than three times the number of satellites previously thought, requiring up to 2.2 billion euros in financing. ($1 = 0.8686 euros)
BBC News
5 hours ago
- Science
- BBC News
UK start-up to launch metal-fuelled thruster into space
A UK-built spacecraft engine that runs on metal is preparing for its first test in space, in a mission that could pave the way for longer-lasting, more flexible plasma thruster, developed by Oxfordshire start-up Magdrive, heats tiny bits of solid metal into a hot gas to produce powerful bursts of thrust. In the future it could allow satellites to recycle parts of themselves, or space junk for fuel, but for now the metal is carried launch, which is due from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US, at 22:00 BST, is backed by the UK and European space agencies. Mark Stokes, chief executive and co-founder of Magdrive, said the mission showed what British innovation could achieve with the right support. "We've spent four years building something that breaks the mould," he said."This launch isn't just about proving our tech – it's about proving the UK can lead in space." Dr Gianluigi Baldesi, from the European Space Agency, said the quick progress from project start to launch demonstrated the "bold" innovation it aimed to encourage. "In less than a year, we have gone from kick-off to launch," he from the test flight is expected in August and September. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Line Up Satellites to Create "Artificial Total Solar Eclipse"
Two satellites just carefully lined up to form a perfect "artificial total solar eclipse" in orbit. Earlier this year, the two probes, which are part of the European Space Agency's Proba-3 mission, positioned themselves in a perfect line 492 feet apart to have one of them perfectly obfuscate the Sun's rays. Impressively, they were able to maintain their position with an accuracy down to the millimeter. The outermost satellite then snapped fascinating pictures of the Sun's corona, the outermost part of our star's atmosphere, something that's generally speaking only possible during a natural solar eclipse. The first "Occulter" satellite's 4.6-foot disc cast a three-inch shadow onto the Association of Spacecraft for Polarimetric and Imaging Investigation of the Corona of the Sun (ASPIICS) instrument mounted to the second "Coronagraph" satellite, allowing it to get an uninterrupted view of the Sun's corona. The spectacular satellite dance could give researchers new ways to study solar wind, or the continuous flow of particles from the Sun. It could also give them new views of coronal mass ejections, powerful explosions of plasma and magnetic fields that have been linked to radio blackouts and GPS outages here on Earth. "It is exciting to see these stunning images validate our technologies in what is now the world's first precision formation flying mission," said ESA director of technology Dietmar Pilz in a statement. Researchers behind the stunt are excited to gather even more images and data of the Sun's corona. "I was absolutely thrilled to see the images, especially since we got them on the first try," ASPIICS principal investigator Andrei Zhukov added. "Now we are working on extending the observation time to six hours in every orbit." "Each full image — covering the area from the occulted Sun all the way to the edge of the field of view – is actually constructed from three images," he explained. "Combining the three images gives us the full view of the corona." Best of all, Zhukov and his colleagues found that the satellites' "'artificial eclipse' images are comparable with those taken during a natural eclipse." "The difference is that we can create our eclipse once every 19.6-hour orbit," he added, "while total solar eclipses only occur naturally around once, very rarely twice a year." Scientists are already excited about the glut of new observations that could greatly enhance existing research into the Sun's atmosphere, including efforts to use computer simulations to predict future patterns. "This huge flow of observations will help refine computer models further as we compare and adjust variables to match the real images," said ESA space weather modeling coordinator Jorge Amaya in the statement. More on solar eclipses: Here's What NASA's Rovers See During an Eclipse on Mars
Bloomberg
20 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Eutelsat Raises €1.35 Billion Led by France to Aid OneWeb
Eutelsat Communications SA said it has commitments for €1.35 billion ($1.5 billion) from the French government and other investors in a deal that will help the European Starlink rival build out its fleet of satellites. The French government will invest €717 million in Eutelsat, the Finance Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. The investment takes France's stake to almost 30%. Existing investors including Fonds Stratégique de Participations, French shipping company CMA CGM and Bharti Space will also participate in the round, which will be completed by year end, Eutelsat said in a separate statement.
