Based on the orbital parameters released on https://t.co/ahE8giOwsL I mocked up a TLE for the CURVEBALL objects. Another possibility for the mission is that the payload completed most of an orbit and was recovered over the Western US, e.g. at the Utah Test and Training Range
The Exploration Company has completed an initial drop test to validate the recovery system of its Nyx spacecraft ahead of a planned 2028 demonstration mission to the International Space Station.
https://t.co/py8H611K3I
After the failed deorbit burn on May 10, three objects were tracked associated with W-4, in a 180 x 800 km orbit. One was small and decayed rapidly. The other two are likely the bus and the capsule. It's not clear to me which one is the capsule. Perigee and apogee shown here
Object 69094 (2025-135BX) based on TLE analysis appears to have come off W-4. It is probably too early to conclude it is the reentry vehicle, with a failed deorbit burn, but I look forward to an update from @VardaSpace.
💨🔫 En image, le modèle réduit de la capsule ExoMars utilisé lors du test supersonique (8 cm de diamètre).
Le canon balistique à poudre lui a permis d’atteindre 4 300 km/h (Mach ~3,5) avec une accélération maximale de 17 000 G !
📷 : ISL
China's Tianwen-3 planetary exploration mission is scheduled to launch around 2028 and bring samples from Mars back to Earth around 2031, with five international and Hong Kong and Macao cooperation projects selected to join the mission.
Cool video of New Glenn’s fairing re-entry. For this flight we installed an exo-atmospheric reaction control system (RCS) in the fairing to control re-entry and enable recovery of the fairing. We’re planning a parachute recovery later this year, and the data from these fairings gives us the learnings needed to develop and refine that capability.
ESA has completed sterilisation of the ExoMars parachute that will slow the Rosalind Franklin rover’s descent for a safe touchdown on the Red Planet.
https://t.co/wGczSe1gKb
The more I learn about the Soviet space program after the death of Korolev, the more I think that his successor's middle name must have been 'Failed'.
Vasili "Failed" Mishin
"failures under him included Soyuz 1 & 11, loss of three stations, and four probes sent to Mars"
The mirror inside the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope was donated to @NASA by the @NRO_gov. It was originally built in the late 1990s/early 2000s for Earth-imaging spy sats.
The donation was under the condition that NASA pinky-promises to never point it at Earth! promise!!!!
Roman can survey the sky ~1000x faster than Hubble. Roman will downlink 1.4 terabytes of data per day.
All from a 3-decade-old mirror.
If this is what "obsolete" (for reconnaissance) '90s NRO tech can achieve, just imagine what insane optics are pointing back at Earth right now, that we'll (probably) never know about. 😳
📷 L: @NASA | R: @L3HarrisTech
Una Crew Dragon japonesa. Propuesta de Mitsubishi de cápsula espacial tripulada reutilizable para 4 astronautas lanzada por el H3 (resolución aumentada por IA, así que algunos kanjis están mal).
ESA has released a first look at a full-scale Space Rider model that will be used in a final series of drop tests to validate its recovery system. The tests are expected to take place later this year at the Salto di Quirra test range in Sardinia, Italy.
Here we Go : Video comes out 😅😅
ISRO🚀🚀 has successfully conducted the second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) for the Gaganyaan mission off the coast of Sriharikota.
> The test validated the parachute-based deceleration and recovery system for the crew module.
> A critical step in ensuring safe return of astronauts
> Part of the final chain of human spaceflight readiness