* Astronomy

Keeping the power on in space
 
All space missions have one inescapable dependency: the electricity flowing through their systems to keep them alive. Take away its power and a spacecraft is nothing more than space debris - an eventuality the space power professionals strive to avoid.
 Next week sees more than 250 experts come together at an ESA-organised conference on power systems. The Ninth European Space Power Conference (ESPC) will take place on 6-10 June in Saint Raphaël on France's Côte d'Azur, jointly organised by ESA and the French space agency, CNES.
 Read more