Jeff Bezos blasts 80‑year‑old adventurer into space in latest Blue Origin launch
Footage shows the rocket blasting a crew, which included seasoned world traveller Arvinder 'Arvi' Singh Bahal, into space for a 10 minute journey on Sunday (3 August).
Joining Bahal were five other passengers, including cryptocurrency billionaire Justin Sun, who bid $28million for his seat back in 2021.
The space tourism mission — known as NS-34 —was the 34th flight for the New Shepard program, and it set off from a private launch site in West Texas at 8.30am EDT.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Trump's NASA chief Sean Duffy expedites timeline for nuclear reactor on the moon
President Donald Trump's NASA chief Sean Duffy has expedited the timeline to build a nuclear reactor on the moon, according to a directive obtained by The Independent . The space agency has already mentioned the benefits of developing fission surface power (FSP) on the moon and Mars. 'Relatively small and lightweight, fission systems are powerful and could enable robust operations on the Moon and Mars,' NASA writes on its website. The agency says it's currently working with the Energy Department and the space industry to design a fission power system that would provide at least 40 kilowatts of power. In a directive sent to the heads of NASA on July 31, Duffy, the acting administrator of the agency and Trump's transportation secretary, ordered that the nuclear reactor provide at least 100 kilowatts of power and be ready to launch by 2030. NASA chief Sean Duffy has expedited the timeline to build a nuclear reactor on the moon, according to a new directive () The directive, first reported on by Politico, mentioned China and Russia's joint effort to place a reactor on the moon by the mid-2030s. The two U.S. adversaries first announced their plans in March 2024. 'The first country to do so could potentially declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not there first,' Duffy warned in the directive. NASA's Artemis campaign aims to establish the first long-term presence on the moon. During Trump's inaugural address, he said the U.S. would launch astronauts 'to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars.' 'It is about winning the second space race,' a NASA senior official told Politico. An artist's concept of a fission power system on the moon (NASA) In Duffy's new timeline, a Fission Surface Power Program Executive will be designated within 30 days of the directive. The executive 'is empowered to provide reporting and updates with maximum transparency directly to the Administrator,' Duffy wrote. Within 60 days, NASA will ask for industry proposals for the nuclear reactor, according to the directive. The directive mentioned Trump's budget request for the 2026 fiscal year, which includes $350 million for a new program 'that will accelerate the development of high priority technologies for Mars, (i.e. FSP).' The funding would increase up to $500 million starting in the 2027 fiscal year. Trump's budget request also proposes a huge cut to NASA, with The Planetary Society, a global non-profit space organization, reporting it's the smallest budget proposed for the agency since 1961.
Sky News
3 hours ago
- Sky News
Permission granted for first-of-its-kind British rocket launch
Permission for the first vertical space launch from UK soil by a British rocket company has been granted by the air safety regulator. The licence from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) gives Glasgow-based Skyrora the green light to launch its Skylark L rocket from the SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands. "Skyrora is proud to be leading efforts that enable launch activity from the UK, and we look forward to achieving a reliable commercial launch programme that benefits us all," said Volodymyr Levykin, CEO of Skyrora. "It is essential that the UK has sovereign launch capabilities." Image: A Skyrora engineer builds a rocket in the company's factory near Glasgow While it's a step towards that goal, the licence doesn't mean the Shetlands will rival America's Cape Canaveral any time soon. Although the CAA licence allows Skyrora up to 16 launches a year, SaxaVord isn't expected to be able to facilitate a launch until early 2026. The current licence is also limited to sub-orbital launches of the 11m tall rocket. Skyrora expects its rocket to reach an altitude of between 120 and 130km - well over the 100km-high "Karman Line", which is the internationally-agreed boundary of space. But Skylark L lacks the heft to access low-earth orbit, the ultimate goal for the emerging "micro launch" industry. Image: A Skyrora engineer works on one of the company's rockets 'Important milestone' Like many of its competitors, Skyrora is using this smaller rocket to test various technologies - and the regulatory environment - before attempting an orbital flight with its larger vehicle, Skyrora-XL. Launching from northern latitudes like the UK offers easier access to satellites in polar or sun-synchronous orbits. Smaller rockets potentially mean cheaper and faster launches, offering a "responsive" launch capability to service or support the increasing number of satellites in orbit. "I am thrilled we've reached this important milestone in the UK space sector, and I congratulate Skyrora for being the first UK company to receive a rocket launch licence," said aviation and space minister Mike Kane. The UK, however, has been criticised for being slow to develop a domestic space capability since the Space Industry Act made it possible back in 2018. The first licence for a UK space launch wasn't granted until 2022, but the attempt by Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic for a horizontal rocket launch from an aircraft failed. Read more on Sky News: Hunt for smugglers fuelling meth explosion Sky reporter returns to scene of riots confrontation Another licence was granted earlier this year to German micro-launch company RFA but an explosion during testing of their rocket at SaxaVord delayed its plans for a suborbital launch this year. Modifications being made to the SaxaVord spaceport mean it may not be ready to accommodate a launch until 2026. Skyrora told Sky News that if there are significant delays to its plans to launch from SaxaVord, it may look into transferring its CAA licence to Australia's regulator. If so, it expects it could launch SkylarkL from Australia's Woomera test range before the end of 2025. No doubt that would be a disappointment for the UK government and thousands of space enthusiasts in the UK, but it would see history repeat itself. The first (and last) British-built rocket to put a satellite into orbit, Black Arrow, launched from Woomera in 1971. Related Topics
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Telegraph
US to build nuclear reactor on the moon
The US is planning to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon as it seeks to push ahead in the space race. Sean Duffy, the new Nasa head, is preparing to announce plans to install a small reactor on the moon to allow astronauts to undertake lengthy missions on the lunar surface and pave the way for future Mars expeditions. A directive from the space agency, seen by The Telegraph argues that a reactor is necessary to stop rival superpowers effectively colonising the Moon and establishing US 'keep-out' zones. China and Russia previously announced a joint effort to put a reactor on the Moon by the mid-2030s, it notes. 'The first country to do so could potentially declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not there first,' the directive says, referring to existing plans to explore the Moon and prepare for missions to Mars. Nasa needs to 'move quickly' to 'support a future lunar economy' and 'strengthen our national security in space', it adds. Solar panels are ineffective because nights on the Moon last the equivalent of two weeks on Earth. A Nasa official said: 'If we are going to have a habitable system on the Moon then we have to bring power.' He said small reactors were already in use on submarines and aircraft carriers. 'They solve the problem,' he added. Mr Duffy, who is also the US transport secretary, has directed Nasa to seek industry proposals for a minimum 100 kilowatt reactor to launch by 2030. The agency had already been working on a 40-kilowatt reactor to use on the moon by the early part of the next decade. Mr Duffy was named interim head of Nasa after Donald Trump abruptly withdrew the nomination of Jared Isaacman, a tech billionaire and commercial astronaut. The move deepened a rift between Mr Trump and Elon Musk, the SpaceX billionaire and until that point one of the president's closest political allies. Mr Musk, who had pushed for Mr Isaacman to be named to the top job, wrote on social media in May: 'It is rare to find someone so competent and good hearted'.
