Tag: Zephyr S

JUICE Prepares to Explore Jupiter’s Moons

Reuters reported that JUICE – which stands for JUpiter ICy Moons Explorer – “is one of the most important space missions of 2023.” Its aim “is to explore Jupiter’s moons to see if any can be lived on by humans.” The European Space Agency project team “behind JUICE held a major review this week and concluded the mission was ‘go for launch.’” JUICE will take “eight years to get to the giant planet Jupiter – where it will explore three of its moons.” The six-ton spacecraft “will make fly-bys, which means a close approach for observation without landing, of the moons Callisto, Ganymede and Europa.” It will then “settle permanently around Ganymede in late 2034.” The aim of the mission “is to find out if any of the moons are habitable and can support life.”
Full Story (Reuters)

Zephyr UAV Sets New Record for Longest Uncrewed Flight

SPACE reports that Airbus’ Zephyr S “took off from the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground on June 15, 2022 and has since been flying patterns over the Yuma Test Range and Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.” Since June 15, the UAV has “been in the air above the Sonoran Desert for 42 days, breaking its own record for longest uncrewed flight.” The flight “has now broken Zephyr’s previous record of 25 days, 23 hours that it set in August 2018.”
Full Story (SPACE)

US Army Behind Zephyr HAPS Flight

Aviation Week reports that the US Army reports “it is behind an ongoing test flight of Airbus’ Zephyr high-altitude pseudo-satellite (HAPS), which has broken the record for longest-duration uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) mission. An Army statement dated July 21 announced the Zephyr had flown 36 days.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)