News Archive / Author: Joe Latrell

Joe Latrell is a life-long avid space enthusiast having created his own rocket company in Roswell, NM in addition to other consumer space endeavors. He continues to design, build and launch his own rockets and has a passion to see the next generation excited about the opportunities of space exploration. Joe lends his experiences from the corporate and small business arenas to organizations such as Teachers In Space, Inc. He is also actively engaged in his church investing his many skills to assist this and other non-profit endeavors.

Articles By Joe Latrell

• Scientists reveal Cassini’s final view of Titan’s northern hemisphere

  September 21st, 2018

  One year ago, the Cassini spacecraft, which logged over 13 years of observations at Saturn, plunged to its end in the crushing depth's of Saturn's atmosphere. Today, scientists are still studying the data the spacecraft send back to Earth.

• Launched in January, SBIRS GEO-3 reaches operational status

  September 17th, 2018

  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — GEO-3, the latest Geosynchronous Earth Orbit satellite in the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) constellation, has achieved operational acceptance from the U.S. Air Force Space Command.

• And the winners are… NASA announces first astronauts to fly under Commercial Crew Program

  August 3rd, 2018

  HOUSTON — The race to develop new U.S. spacecraft to ferry astronauts to space reached another milestone with the announcement of the first crews that will fly on commercially-produced spacecraft. On Aug. 3, 2018, NASA selected the astronauts who will fly on the first Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crewed Dragon capsules.

• President Trump selects NASA Deputy Administrator

  July 13th, 2018

  On Thursday, July 12 President Donald Trump announced his choice for the NASA Deputy Administrator position. His choice was James Morhard, who is currently serving as Deputy Sergeant at Arms for the United States Senate.

• Juno solves lightning mystery, gets mission extension

  June 15th, 2018

  NASA's Juno probe, which has been in orbit around Jupiter since July, 2016 has provided scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) opportunities for research. One such research paper, recently published in Nature, helps explain the nature of Jupiter’s polar lightning.

• NASA awards WFIRST contract to Ball Aerospace

  May 30th, 2018

  The Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) is starting to become a reality as NASA begins awarding contracts for the construction of key components. Ball Aerospace recently received one of these contracts for the projected $3.2-billion project.

• International Space Development Conference truly is international

  May 30th, 2018

  LOS ANGELES — Attendees from over a dozen countries including Japan, Romania, Turkey, India, and the United States descended on Los Angeles to discuss the latest in space developments at the National Space Society's 2018 International Space Development Conference (ISDC).

• Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity makes second powered flight

  May 29th, 2018

  Within less than two months, The SpaceShip Company has conducted a second test flight of the VSS Unity. This signals an increase in testing as the NewSpace company prepares for its first commercial flights.

• Test photo taken as TESS performs lunar flyby

  May 22nd, 2018

  NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) took an image using one of the four cameras on board the spacecraft. The image is a two-second exposure centered on the Centaurus constellation in the southern sky.

• ULA’s Vulcan rocket upper stage to use RL10 engine

  May 15th, 2018

  United Launch Alliance (ULA) announced it has selected Aerojet Rocketdyne's RL10 engine to power the Centaur upper stage of the Vulcan rocket, which is currently in development.

• SpaceX building BFR at Port of Los Angeles

  May 1st, 2018

  The location where SpaceX intends to build its next rocket, code-named Big Falcon Rocket or BFR, has been revealed. On April 19, 2018, the Los Angeles board of harbor commissioners unanimously approved the Hawthorne, California-based company's use of the Port of Los Angeles for building the super-heavy-lift vehicle.

• NASA shows ‘Gravity’s Rainbow’ image captured by Cassini

  April 25th, 2018

  In a view reminiscent of rainbows on Earth, NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured this image of Saturn's rings. The photo was taken by the spacecraft on Aug. 22, 2009. According to NASA, this natural-color view was created by merging spectral filters of red, green, and blue into the final image.

• Not quite business time: Rocket Lab delays next Electron launch

  April 18th, 2018

  Unusual behavior in a motor controller has prompted the delay of the next flight of Rocket Lab’s Electron launcher. During the wet dress rehearsal for the mission dubbed "It’s Business Time," the pad operations team found the anomaly.

• Ariane 5 returns to flight with launch of two satellites

  April 6th, 2018

  The latest launch of an Ariane 5 rocket took place today at 21:34 UTC (5:34 p.m. EDT) from the company's launch complex in French Guiana. The Ariane 5 lifted off from Guiana Space Center (GSG) carrying two satellites to orbit. Today’s flight saw the release of both the DSN-1/Superbird-8 satellite as well as the HYLAS 4 spacecraft.

• Era ends as Kepler planet hunting satellite runs out of fuel

  March 26th, 2018

  With fuel tanks low and no gas gauge, the Kepler spacecraft is in the final months of operations. The planet hunting satellite was launched in March 2009 and had a planned mission duration was 3.5 years, but the spacecraft has exceeded all expectations and continues to function.