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Monday 5 June 2023 Dublin: 12°C

# Space

Last week
28th May 2023 - 3rd June 2023
# Space
Rainy weather on Earth interrupts livestream broadcast from Mars
The images that made it through showed about one-third of Mars as the spacecraft circled the planet.
# unidentified flying object
NASA scientists say 'more high quality data' needed on UFOs in first public meeting
NASA announced last year it was analysing observations in the sky that can’t be identified as aerial or natural phenomena.
# Emirates Mission
UAE unveils plans to send spaceship to explore solar system’s main asteroid belt
The UAE became the first Arab country and the second country ever to successfully enter Mars’ orbit on its first try.
Last month
May 2023
# Artemis
Nasa picks Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to build second lunar lander for Moon mission
Blue Origin will use its still-in-development New Glenn rocket to launch its lunar missions from Cape Canaveral.
This year
2023
# starship
Elon Musk's SpaceX Starship explodes minutes after test launch of world's biggest rocket
Starship did not separate correctly from its second stage and exploded.
# No Go
ESA mission to explore Jupiter’s moons postponed due to risk of lightning
Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, or Juice, will scope out whether the planet’s watery moons could possibly support life.
# to infinity and beyond
Astronomers discover one of biggest black holes ever recorded using new technique
The ultramassive black hole, one of just four ever observed, is more than 30 billion times the mass of the Sun.
# Lift-off
First ever 3D-printed rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral but fails to reach orbit
A US company has successfully launched a rocket made of 85% 3D-printed parts but it failed to reach orbit.
# Space
Nasa Webb telescope captures image of star on cusp of death 15,000 light-years away
The star in the constellation Sagittarius, officially known as WR 124, is 30 times as massive as our sun.
# The final frontier
SpaceX Dragon crew to blast off for ISS after cancelled Monday launch
The launch was scrubbed on Monday just minutes before liftoff because of a clog in a filter that supplies ignition fluid to start the engines.
# Space
New planet ring system discovered in our Solar System
The ring system is around a newly discovered dwarf planet, named Quaoar, which is around half the size of Pluto and orbits the Sun beyond Neptune.
# Reach For the Stars
Jupiter has just broken the record for most moons in the solar system
It’s taken out Saturn.
# Look Up
Green comet to make its closest approach to Earth in 50,000 years tonight
The comet will be visible in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
# Asteroid 2023 BU
Truck-sized asteroid misses Earth in one of the closest approaches to the planet ever recorded
Despite its proximity, it sailed harmlessly past us last night according to scientists.
# light pollution
Stars disappearing from human sight at ‘astonishing rate’, say scientists
Astronomers believe LED bulbs may be contributing to the night sky getting rapidly brighter.
# to infinity and beyond
New image from James Webb telescope holds clues on how the first stars formed
It shows a young cluster of stars NGC 346, which is more than 200,000 light-years from Earth.
# Space
Russia to send new capsule to return crew from ISS as Soyuz suffers meteorite strike
The Soyuz MS-22 will have to return to earth crewless due to damage to the craft.
# Night Sky
Five starry spectacles to watch out for in 2023
Is that a comet?
Last year
2022
# Space
Irish airspace access to be briefly restricted during UK Virgin satellite launch
Virgin Orbit is planning to launch a satellite this month from Spaceport Cornwall, which is based at an airport in south-west England.
# Space Exploration
Chinese astronauts return to Earth after six-month mission
The capsule carrying the trio touched down at a landing site in the Gobi Desert in northern China.
# Test Yourself
QUIZ: How much do you know about astronauts?
That’s one small step for man…
# to infinity and beyond
Nasa’s Orion capsule enters moon orbit as test mission nears halfway point
The mission is one of a number of test runs intended to return humans to the moon by 2025.
# To infinity...
British medic set to become first astronaut recruit with a disability
The European Space Agency calls John McFall a ‘Parastronaut Feasibility Study Member’.
# NASA
NASA spacecraft comes within 80 miles of Moon ahead of record-breaking orbit
The capsule will travel nearly 250,000 miles from Earth, the longest distance for a spacecraft designed for astronauts.
# to infinity and beyond
Nasa's James Webb space telescope spots early galaxies hidden from Hubble
The Webb telescope is indicating stars may have formed sooner than previously thought.
# Let's Get Quizzical
Quiz: How much do you know about the Moon?
Nasa has again rescheduled its long-delayed uncrewed mission to the Moon.
# The Red Planet
Mars set to be visible next to the full moon tonight
The planet will be “extremely bright to the naked eye” from this evening.
# challenger
Section of destroyed space shuttle Challenger found on ocean floor
The shuttle broke apart shortly after lift-off on 28 January 1986, killed seven people on board.
# to infinity and beyond
James Webb Space Telescope reveals ‘fingerprint’ created by two stars
New images show rings which were created when the stars came close together and streams of gas they blew into space collided.
# Space
Nasa spaceship succeeds in deflecting asteroid in historic test
“We showed the world that Nasa is serious as a defender of this planet,” said Nasa chief Bill Nelson.
# crash course
Nasa tests defence technology by crashing spacecraft into asteroid
The aim of the mission was to demonstrate that dangerous incoming rocks can be deflected by deliberately smashing into them.
# Out of this World
Jupiter should be visibile tonight as it comes closest to Earth in 60 years
The planet will come within 590 million kilometres of Earth during an event known as “opposition”.
# no space
NASA calls off Moon launch due to tropical storm
Artemis 1 is an uncrewed mission around the moon that will pave the way for future crewed missions.
# The final frontier
QUIZ: How well do you know these space-related movies?
There always seems to be something deadly hurtling towards the planet.
# Florida
Nasa postpones rocket launch to the moon for the second time
The launch was originally planned for 29 August but had to be abandoned moments before lift-off due to issues with an engine.
# Your Say
Poll: Will you watch the Nasa launch today?
The test is an uncrewed mission around the moon.
# we have a problem
Nasa's Artemis 1 moon rocket launch postponed due to engine issue
The next available launch date for the mission will be on Friday, but a decision has not yet been made on whether it will go ahead.
# Space
Nasa's 'most powerful rocket' set for launch of Artemis 1 moon mission
While this mission will be uncrewed, the agency aims to put people on the Moon in 2025.
# Jupiter ascending
New NASA space telescope shows Jupiter’s auroras and tiny moons
Scientists released the shots of the solar system’s biggest planet today.
# Space Oddity
'Drop everything and go': Russian spacewalk cut short due to issue with faulty suit
Wednesday’s mission was the seventh spacewalk for Oleg Artemyev.