The Dragon 2 cargo spacecraft blasting off atop a Falcon 9 rocket to start its CRS-34 mission (Image NASA+)

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A few hours ago, the SpaceX Dragon 2 spacecraft blasted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in its CRS-34 (Cargo Resupply Service 34) mission, also referred to as SPX-34. After almost 12 minutes, it separated successfully from the rocket’s last stage and went en route. This is the 34th mission for the Dragon/Dragon 2 spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station with various cargoes and then return to Earth, again with various cargoes.

Artist's concept of the zone called ENDTRANZ, colored in red, part of a forming star system

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An article published in “The Astrophysical Journal” reports the results of a study that has identified an important part of the planetary formation process. A team of researchers led by Indrani Das of the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA) has discovered a transition zone where gas becomes a part of a planet-forming disk using the ALMA radio telescope. This zone was called ENDTRANZ (Envelope Disk Transition Zone) and was located around the protostar L1527 IRS.

An artist's concept comparing the semi-heavy water content of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS to that of Earth. The insets show the relative abundance of water containing deuterium instead of normal hydrogen

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An article published in the journal “Nature Astronomy” reports the results of a study on the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, which indicate that it formed in a much colder environment than the solar system. This conclusion was reached by a team of researchers led by Luis E. Salazar Manzano, a Ph.D. student at the University of Michigan, using observations conducted with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescope. Specifically, the Atacama Compact Array (ACA) revealed a ratio of so-called semi-heavy water to ordinary water at least 30 times higher than that found in solar system comets and over 40 times higher than that found in Earth’s oceans. Such an enrichment of water with so many deuterium atoms can only occur in very cold environments, around 30 Kelvin.

The Bluebird 7 satellite blasts off on a New Glenn rocket (Image courtesy Blue Origin)

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Confirmation has been received that AST SpaceMobile’s Bluebird 7 satellite will fall back to Earth after entering an orbit too low to reach the required level for direct cell phone communications. The problem emerged on Sunday, shortly after separation from Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket’s second stage. Initial investigations quickly identified the mishap as a consequence of a malfunction of the second stage.

The Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft captured by the Canadarm2 robotic arm in its NG-24 mission (Image NASA)

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Yesterday, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft, launched last Saturday, April 11, reached the International Space Station and was captured by the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Astronaut Jack Hathaway, assisted by his colleague Chris Williams, conducted the slow maneuver to move the Cygnus until it docked with the Station’s Unity module after about two hours.