SpaceX made history this week by successfully catching its own rocket booster as it landed back on Earth. Using a launch tower to ‘catch’ the rocket in ‘chopsticks,’ SpaceX achieved a key milestone in its goal to develop a reusable space launch system for the Starship space transport.
Elon Musk, co-owner of SpaceX, expressed excitement on social media about the possibility of catching the ship next year. This advancement in reusable rocket technology not only marks a significant achievement for SpaceX but also has the potential to reduce space junk currently orbiting the Earth.
Europa Clipper Mission: Searching for Life near Jupiter
NASA’s Europa Clipper launched towards Jupiter’s moon Europa aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket. Over the next three years, the probe will gather data about Europa’s surface and subsurface using nine onboard instruments, with the goal of confirming the presence of a saltwater ocean beneath the moon’s frozen surface.
ESA’s Hera Mission to Investigate Asteroids
The European Space Agency’s Hera mission aims to study a shattered asteroid called Dimorphos, recently impacted by NASA’s DART spacecraft. Hera will provide valuable insights into asteroid deflection capabilities and contribute to future space defense systems against near-Earth asteroids.
Solar Maximum Activity and Space Weather
Earth’s sun has reached its maximum level of activity during its 11-year magnetic cycle, leading to increased solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and sunspots. This heightened solar activity poses risks to power grids and satellites, but Earth’s magnetic field protects us while offering stunning aurorae as a visual treat.