Aerial mapping company Bluesky produced a prototype map showing where it may be unsafe or even illegal to fly Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly referred to as drones. Bluesky combined expertise in flight planning and 3D aerial mapping with various geographic datasets to come up with the concept of a UAV Flight-Restriction Map for the United Kingdom (UK).
Searching for Underground Energy Sources from Space
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).
Marine Plankton Brighten Clouds over Southern Ocean
New research using NASA satellite data and ocean biology models suggests tiny organisms in vast stretches of the Southern Ocean play a significant role in generating brighter clouds overhead. Brighter clouds reflect more sunlight back into space, affecting the amount of solar energy that reaches Earth's surface, which in turn has implications for global climate.
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.
NASA's New Blue Marble
This Blue Marble image is the first fully illuminated snapshot of Earth captured by the DSCOVR satellite, which will capture and transmit full images of Earth every few hours. The information will help examine a range of Earth properties, such as ozone and aerosol levels, cloud coverage, and vegetation density, supporting a number of climate-science applications.