Data from the European Space Agency (ESA) GOCE gravity satellite are being used to improve models of Earth's geology, indicating the potential locations of subsurface energy sources.
NASA's Kepler Mission Discovers Bigger, Older Cousin to Earth
NASA's Kepler mission has confirmed the first near-Earth-size planet in the habitable zone around a sun-like star. This discovery and the introduction of 11 other new small habitable-zone candidate planets mark another milestone in the journey to finding another Earth.
ESA Hands Over Control of MSG-4 Weather Satellite
On July 26, 2015, the European Space Agency (ESA) handed control of Europe's last Meteosat Second Generation weather satellite, MSG-4, to the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT).
Pix4Dmapper and DJI Phantom Used in Debris Search of Airplane Collision
July 27, 2015 — Late Tuesday morning on July 7th, a U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet and a small single-engine Cessna 150 collided mid-air over South Carolina - forcing the jet pilot to eject and sending the two Cessna pilots to their deaths. The situation was grim....
NASA Aircraft Assists in Drone Medical-Supply Delivery Research
Some underserved Virginia patients were among the first to be officially helped by an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), more commonly known as a drone, during research flights to a medical clinic in Wise County during July 2015.
Planet Labs to Acquire BlackBridge
On July 15, 2015, BlackBridge, a provider of satellite imagery and geospatial solutions, entered a definitive agreement for Planet Labs to acquire the RapidEye suite of core offerings. Planet Labs designs, builds and operates a fleet of Earth-imaging satellites.
Next-Generation European Weather Satellite Launched
Europe successfully launched its next-generation Meteosat weather satellite on July 15, 2015, from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The MSG-4 will rise into geostationary orbit 36,000 kilometers above the equator, providing up-to-date weather coverage over Europe and Africa every 15 minutes, and rapid scan imagery over Europe every five minutes.
FireWatch Uses Space-Age Cameras
The German forest-fire detection effort has a new and more-effective input after installing a series of FireWatch cameras developed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). More than 150 such cameras, based on technology used on space missions, have been installed in five German states.
Japan's New Weather Satellite Provides Whole-Planet View
Japan’s Himawari-8 weather satellite was launched on Oct. 7, 2014, and began operation on July 7, 2015. The satellite is in a geostationary orbit  22,000 miles from Earth, allowing for a full global view at twice the resolution of similar weather satellites. The...
Research Institute Spins Off New Surveillance Sensor Office
The Sensor Systems research effort at the University of Dayton Research Institute has grown significantly since its inception in 2007. A group of 32 full-time researchers focused on research and development for sensors for surveillance applications have been spun off as the Sensor Accelerated Processing and Exploitation (Sensor APEX) office.
