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Orbital Insertion

All articles tagged with #orbital insertion

science1 month ago•12 min saved

BepiColombo set to enter Mercury orbit after eight-year slow cruise

After eight years of a slow, gravity-assisted cruise powered by ion propulsion, the European-Japanese BepiColombo spacecraft will enter Mercury’s orbit in November 2026—Mercury’s third close visit and second orbiter. The arrival is gradual due to a prior thruster issue fixed in 2024, and the two orbiters will then separate to study Mercury’s surface/interior and magnetic environment, with full science operations expected to begin in 2027.

via Space Daily|

#bepicolombo #ion-propulsion #mercury

space4 months ago•9 min saved

Blue Origin nails booster reuse, but upper stage derails AST satellite deployment

Blue Origin’s New Glenn achieved a successful reuse of its first-stage booster with a precise landing, but the mission’s upper stage did not place AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 into the planned orbit, delivering the satellite to an off-nominal, too-low orbit that will require de-orbiting, despite payload separation and the satellite powering on. The mishap tempers the milestone of reusability with a reminder that upper-stage performance remains a critical challenge for New Glenn and Artemis-era ambitions.

via Ars Technica|

#ast-spacemobile #blue-origin #new-glenn