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☆ After 8 months stuck in orbit, Varda's drug spacecraft gets FAA approval to return
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Space startup Varda received long-awaited approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to bring its first spacecraft back to earth after a stint manufacturing drugs in space. Varda's small W-Series 1 capsule, or W-1, has been stuck in orbit since it launched eight months ago. The FAA's approval means Varda will try to land the W-1 mission on Feb. 21. The W-1 mission is a demonstration of the company's automated in-space manufacturing process. The company previously said it expects to return a few kilograms of manufactured material on the W-1 mission.

Persons: Varda Organizations: Federal Aviation Administration, Air Force's Utah, FAA Locations: Utah, United States

☆ Investing in Space: Regulatory hold up keeps Varda spacecraft stuck in orbit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. There's a small spacecraft zipping around Earth right now, but, unlike most satellites in orbit, it wants to come down. The launch went great, the spacecraft has been healthy, drugs were made, but the necessary license for capsule reentry has not been granted. That may make sense for launch but it's a bit more difficult for reentry," Asparouhov said. How the stratosphere reacts to a reentry capsule in September is very different than February, which is very different than June."

Persons: CNBC's Michael Sheetz, it's, Varda —, Delian Asparouhov, Varda's, Varda, Asparouhov, " Varda Organizations: Air Force's Utah, Federal Aviation, Air Force, FAA Locations: Varda, Australia, Utah

☆ NASA to unveil first newly returned near-Earth asteroid sample
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The material collected by the OSRIS-REx spacecraft three years ago from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu was to be unveiled at NASA's Johnston Space Center in Houston, a little more than two weeks after it was parachuted into the Utah desert. The landing of the return capsule capped a six-year joint mission of the U.S. space agency and the University of Arizona. It was only the third asteroid sample, and by far the biggest, ever returned to Earth for analysis, following two similar missions by Japan's space agency ending in 2010 and 2020. At the time it landed, the Bennu sample was estimated to weigh about 100 to 250 grams (3.5 to 8.8 ounces). Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Will DunhamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Keegan, REx, NASA's, Johnson, Samples, Steve Gorman, Will Dunham Organizations: NASA, Department of Defense's Utah, Space Center, University of Arizona, Utah Test, Empire, Thomson Locations: Dugway , Utah, U.S, Houston, Utah, Ryugu, Los Angeles

☆ Photos show the 3.86 billion-mile journey of NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample mission from start to finish
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

NASA's OSIRIS-REx has been traveling for seven years to get an asteroid sample to Earth. Check out its 3.86 billion-mile journey from launch to asteroid sample landing in the photos below. NASA/Keegan BarberAfter collecting the largest asteroid sample ever brought to Earth, OSIRIS began its long journey home. AdvertisementAdvertisementSample retrievalRecovery team members gather around a capsule containing Bennu asteroid samples as part of NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission. Analyzing the sampleLockheed Martin recovery specialists Levi Hanish and Michael Kaye take the lid off NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample.

Persons: REx, —, what's, OSIRIS, imager, Bennu, NASA's, Dante Lauretta, Keegan Barber, Rick Bowmer, NASA’s, Molly Wasser, Martin, Levi Hanish, Michael Kaye, Robert Markowiz, Noah Petro, What's, It's Organizations: Service, REx, NASA, United Launch Alliance, Atlas, Goddard, University of Arizona, Survey, NASA's Goddard Space, Earth, Department of Defense's Utah, AP, US Air Force, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Space Center, JPL, Caltech Locations: Cape Canaveral , Florida, Salt Lake City, Houston, Houston , Texas

☆ NASA's first asteroid sample parachutes into Utah desert
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Sept 24 (Reuters) - A NASA space capsule carrying the largest soil sample ever scooped up from the surface of an asteroid streaked through Earth's atmosphere on Sunday and parachuted into the Utah desert, delivering the celestial specimen to scientists. It marked only the third asteroid sample, and by far the biggest, ever returned to Earth for analysis, following two similar missions by Japan's space agency ending in 2010 and 2020. OSIRIS-REx collected its specimen three years ago from Bennu, a small, carbon-rich asteroid discovered in 1999. Parachutes deployed near the very end of the descent, slowing the capsule to about 11 mph before it fell gently onto the desert floor of northwestern Utah. The Bennu sample has been estimated at 250 grams (8.8 ounces), far surpassing the 5 grams carried back from Ryugu in 2020 or the tiny specimen delivered from asteroid Itokawa in 2010.

Persons: REx, NASA's, Steve Gorman, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: NASA, University of Arizona, Empire, NASA's Johnson Space Center, Thomson Locations: Utah, Salt Lake City, military's, Bennu, Ryugu, Houston, Los Angeles

☆ Capsule with NASA's first asteroid sample heads for Utah touchdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The robotic spacecraft OSIRIS-REx is scheduled to release the gumdrop-shaped capsule, transporting about a cup of gravelly asteroid material, at 6:42 a.m. EDT (1042 GMT) for a final descent to Earth, climaxing a seven-year voyage. The spacecraft departed Bennu in May 2021 for a 1.2-billion-mile (1.9-billion-km) cruise back to Earth, including two orbits around the sun. The Bennu sample is estimated at 250 grams (8.8 ounces), far surpassing the 5 grams of material carried back from Ryugu in 2020 or the tiny specimen delivered from asteroid Itokawa in 2010. Scientists hope the integrity of the capsule and inner cannister bearing the asteroid material will be maintained through re-entry and landing, keeping the sample pristine and free of any terrestrial contamination. The main portion of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, meanwhile, is expected to sail on to explore yet another near-Earth asteroid, named Apophis.

Persons: Joel Kowsky, REx, climaxing, NASA's, Steve Gorman, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: United Launch Alliance, V, Cape Canaveral Air Force, NASA, Handout, Reuters, University of Arizona, Empire, NASA's Johnson Space Center, Thomson Locations: Florida, U.S, Utah, Salt Lake City, military's, Ryugu, Houston, Los Angeles

A space capsule carrying NASA’s first asteroid samples streaked toward a touchdown in the Utah desert Sunday to cap a seven-year journey. Flying by Earth, the Osiris-Rex spacecraft released the capsule from 63,000 miles (100,000 kilometers) out. About a teaspoon was returned by Japan, the only other country to bring back asteroid samples. By the time it returned Sunday, the spacecraft had traveled 4 billion miles (6.2 billion kilometers). Political Cartoons View All 1176 ImagesNow free of the sample capsule, Osiris-Rex is already targeting another asteroid.

Persons: Rex, Rex rocketed Organizations: Utah, Scientists, Space Center, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Utah, Japan, Houston

☆ OSIRIS-REx: A long-awaited asteroid sample has landed in the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Seven years after launching to space, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft flew by Earth Sunday to deliver the pristine sample from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. The sample capsule, about the size of a large truck tire, and its main parachute can be seen after landing in the Utah desert. What the sample may revealDetails about the sample will be revealed through a NASA broadcast from Johnson Space Center on October 11. If a government shutdown occurs, “it will not endanger the curation and safe handling of the asteroid sample,” said Lori Glaze, director for NASA’s Planetary Sciences Division. “Scientists believe that the asteroid Bennu is representative of the solar system’s own oldest materials forged in large dying stars and supernova explosions,” Glaze said.

Persons: REx, Rich Burns, OSIRIS, Sandra Freund, Burns, ”, Dante Lauretta, Nicole Lunning, REx curation, NASA’s, Lauretta, Lori Glaze, ” Glaze Organizations: CNN, NASA, Earth Sunday, Goddard, University of Arizona, Defense Department’s Utah, Goddard Space Flight, Lockheed, Space Center, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Monday, Johnson Space Center, Canadian Space Agency, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA’s Planetary Sciences Locations: Bennu, Greenbelt , Maryland, Tucson, Utah, Houston

☆ NASA's first asteroid sample on track for Sunday parachute landing in Utah
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreLOS ANGELES, Sept 23 (Reuters) - A NASA space capsule carrying a sample of rocky material plucked from the surface of an asteroid three years ago hurtled toward Earth this weekend headed for a fiery plunge through the atmosphere and a parachute landing in the Utah desert on Sunday. OSIRIS-REx collected its specimen from Bennu, a carbon-rich asteroid discovered in 1999 and classified as a "near-Earth object" because it passes relatively close to our planet every six years. The Bennu sample is estimated at 250 grams (8.8 ounces), far surpassing the amount of material carried back from asteroid Ryugu in 2020 and asteroid Itokawa in 2010. The main portion of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, meanwhile, is expected to sail on to explore yet another near-Earth asteroid. Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles, Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: REx, Sandra Freund, Lockheed Martin, Dante Lauretta, NASA's, Steve Gorman, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: United Launch Alliance, V, Cape Canaveral Air Force, NASA, Lockheed, University of Arizona, Empire, NASA's Johnson Space Center, Thomson Locations: Florida, U.S, ANGELES, Utah, military's, Salt Lake City, Tucson, Houston, Los Angeles

☆ An asteroid sample is about to land on Earth. Here’s what to expect
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —When the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft swings by Earth on Sunday, it is expected to deliver a rare cosmic gift: a pristine sample collected from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. After releasing the capsule, OSIRIS-REx will continue on its tour of the solar system to capture a detailed look at a different asteroid named Apophis. Returning NASA’s first asteroid sample collected in space to Earth has been years in the making. An illustration depicts the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft as it descended toward the rocky surface of asteroid Bennu. If the spacecraft’s trajectory is on track, the sample capsule is expected to release from OSIRIS-REx 63,000 miles (102,000 kilometers) from Earth on early Sunday.

Persons: REx, Keegan Barber, Bennu, Lockheed Martin, Sandra Freund, OSIRIS, NASA’s, Johnson, ”, Dante Lauretta Organizations: CNN, NASA, Department of Defense's Utah, Goddard, University of Arizona, TAG, Apollo, Lockheed, Lockheed Martin Space, Defense Department’s Utah, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Johnson Space Center, Canadian Space Agency, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency Locations: Utah, Cape Canaveral, Bennu, Houston, Tucson

The sample capsule will parachute into the Utah desert as its mothership, the Osiris-Rex spacecraft, zooms off for an encounter with another asteroid. The asteroid samples will be handled inside nitrogen-purging gloveboxes by staff in head-to-toe clean room suits. ASTEROID AUTUMNThis fall is what NASA is calling Asteroid Autumn, with three asteroid missions marking major milestones. Both the NASA spacecraft and its target — a metal asteroid — are named Psyche. Japan’s first asteroid sample mission returned microscopic grains from asteroid Itokawa in 2010.

Persons: —, ”, University of Arizona’s Dante Lauretta, Rex, Bennu, Lauretta, NASA’s, Johnson, Kevin Righter, Lucy Organizations: NASA, University of Arizona’s, Empire, Defense Department’s Utah, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Apollo, Soviet Union, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Utah, Japan, Bennu, Colorado, Houston, Antarctica, Cape Canaveral , Florida, U.S, China

☆ How NASA has prepared to scoop up an asteroid sample landing in the desert
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —An asteroid sample stowed inside a NASA spacecraft is about to reach Earth after traveling for nearly 2½ years across space. It’s NASA’s first time collecting and returning an asteroid sample from space. Teams have been rehearsing how to retrieve the sample, originally collected from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, when it drops down into the Utah desert on September 24. Keegan Barber/NASAThe mission’s original goal was to retrieve a pristine asteroid sample. The team has also prepared for different landing scenarios, such as a hard landing where the capsule containing the sample opens unexpectedly.

Persons: NASA’s, REx, ”, Nicola Fox, ” It’s, Keegan Barber, Dante Lauretta, OSIRIS, “, Rich Burns, ” Burns, Burns, Sandra Freund, Johnson, Lockheed Martin, Freund, Molly Wasser, Kevin Righter, curation, Christopher Snead, ” Snead, ” Lauretta Organizations: CNN, NASA, Goddard, University of Arizona, Department of Defense's Utah, Department of Defense’s Utah, Goddard Space Flight, Lockheed, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Space, Apollo, Space Center, Canadian Space Agency, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency Locations: Utah, Bennu, Tucson, Salt Lake City, Greenbelt , Maryland, Houston, Johnson

☆ SpaceX to launch the first test payload for a bold new drug development company
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Its research, company officials hope, could lead to better, more effective drugs — and hefty profits. Varda Space industriesHow it worksVarda’s vision is straightforward: The company’s capsule will launch with an experiment already on board. Varda Space IndustriesDrugs in spaceMuch of the legwork for Varda’s drug experimentation can be done on the ground. The exorbitant price tag of drug research is often passed on to consumers in the form of eye-popping prices, which frequently draws critical headlines. “You’ll see like this entire ecosystem coming up to create this fertile ground for commercialization of space,” Bruey said.

Persons: El, Varda, “ It’s, ”, Will Bruey, ” Varda, what’s, Merck, Keytruda, Varda’s, Covid, that’s, Gabe Ramirez, ” Bruey, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, “ I’ve, ” Asparouhov, Asparouhov, “, who’s, You’re, Nicholas Cialdella, Bruey, Jon Barr, Mark Herbert, there’s, Eric Lasker, ” Lasker, Varda isn’t, It’s, Paul Reichert, Merck hasn’t, Reichert, Herbert Organizations: El Segundo , California CNN, Citigroup, Varda Space Industries, SpaceX, Vandenberg Space Force, Big pharma, Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, ISS, Laboratory, Space Station, Rocket, CNN, NASA, Company, Founders Fund, PayPal, Pharmaceuticals, Fortune, Space Industries, US Air Force, Utah Test, pharma, “, Congressional, International Locations: El Segundo , California, California, Los Angeles, Delian, Salt Lake City, ”

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