August 15, 2020

Astronomers Puzzled By Ancient Milky Way-Like Galaxy 12 Billion Light-Years Away (Source: Futurism)
Astronomers have discovered a Milky Way-like galaxy called SPT0418-47 more than 12 billion light-years away from our own. That’s a big deal considering the entire universe is considered to be only 13.4 billion years old, meaning that the newly found galaxy is an extremely ancient remnant of our universe’s very long, distant past. Adding to the mystery, early galaxies are usually considered to be extremely unstable and don’t resemble the Milky Way, as it is, in most ways.

“This result represents a breakthrough in the field of galaxy formation, showing that the structures that we observe in nearby spiral galaxies and in our Milky Way were already in place 12 billion years ago,” said Francesca Rizzo. The team identified distinct features such as a rotating disk and a bulge, with a large group of stars packed around its center, very much like the Milky Way. “The big surprise was to find that this galaxy is actually quite similar to nearby galaxies, contrary to all expectations from the models and previous, less detailed, observations,” Filippo Fraternali said. (8/13)

NASA, SpaceX Targeting October for Next Astronaut Launch (Source: NASA)
NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than Oct. 23 for the first operational flight with astronauts of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as a part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission will be the first of regular rotational missions to the space station following completion of NASA certification.

The mission will carry Crew Dragon commander Michael Hopkins, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialist Shannon Walker, all of NASA, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission specialist Soichi Noguchi for a six-month science mission aboard the orbiting laboratory following launch from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Crew-1 will launch in late October to accommodate spacecraft traffic for the upcoming Soyuz crew rotation and best meet the needs of the International Space Station. Launch will follow the arrival of NASA astronaut Kate Rubins and cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov of the Russian space agency Roscosmos aboard their Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft and the departure of NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner from the space station. The launch timeframe also allows for a crew handover with NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission next spring. (8/14)

ESA Sets Stage for Three-Way Competition to Build Next-Generation Galileo Constellation (Source: Space News)
The European Space Agency is preparing to select two companies to build the second generation of Galileo navigation satellites under contracts to be signed in early 2021. The ESA-led competition, arranged on behalf of the European Commission, pits rising German manufacturer OHB against European heavyweights Thales Alenia Space and Airbus Defense and Space. “The intention is to retain two suppliers in a dual-source mode providing these satellites,” he said.

ESA will initially order two satellites apiece from the selected providers. Follow-on contracts will cover the next 12 satellites in a constellation that will eventually consist of 24 active satellites and up to six spares. OHB, once a novice in satellite manufacturing, now finds itself in the role of the incumbent, having built 22 of the 26 Galileo satellites in orbit. (8/14)