SpaceX sends Starlink Group 17-12 smallsats into the California fog – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-09-19 00:00
On Friday, September 19 at 9:31 a.m. PT, Falcon 9 launched 24 Starlink smallsats to low-Earth orbit joining the Starlink constellation from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. There was a possibility that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may have heard one or more sonic booms during the launch, but what residents experienced depended on weather and other conditions. A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch on X @SpaceX.
NASA’s Deep Space Communications Demo Exceeds Project Expectations
Original Publication Date: 2025-09-18 15:43
NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications technology successfully showed that data encoded in lasers could be reliably transmitted, received, and decoded. The technology demonstration recently completed its 65th and final pass, sending a laser signal to Psyche and receiving the return signal, from 218 million miles away. The project has exceeded all of its technical goals after two years.
Hubble Images Celestial Cigar’s Smoldering Heart
Original Publication Date: 2025-09-19 07:00
This image features the star-powered heart of the galaxy, located just 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear) Popularly known as the Cigar Galaxy, M82 is considered a nearby galaxy. The galaxy forms stars 10 times faster than the Milky Way.
From Supercomputers to Wind Tunnels: NASA’s Road to Artemis II
Original Publication Date: 2025-09-18 16:41
High-speed network connection between NASA wind tunnel and supercomputing enables collaboration to improve the rocket for the Artemis II mission. NASA’s high-end computing capability and facilities, paired with unique facilities at Ames, give us the ability to increase productivity by shortening timelines, reducing costs, and strengthening designs.