OneWeb has been launching satellites into orbit as part of its plans to deliver global high-speed internet access.

Britain tech company OneWeb launched 36 communications satellites into space

A Russian film crew blasted into space today on a mission to make the world's first movie in orbit. Actor Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shipenko have spent three months training for life onboard the International Space Station. Along with cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, they are set to spend 12 days flying above Earth to film scenes for a feature-length production.

Russian film crew in orbit to make first movie in space

Four space tourists orbiting the Earth in a SpaceX capsule at 17,500 miles per hour talked to movie star Tom Cruise on Friday and provided a live update about life aboard the spacecraft.

The space tourism mission by Elon Musk's SpaceX blasted off from Florida on Wednesday for a three-day voyage that is to end with a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean at 4:06 pm Pacific time on Saturday.

Jared Isaacman, Sian Proctor, Hayley Arceneaux and Chris Sembroski, spoke with Cruise, who is hoping to make a film in space, from the vessel on Friday.

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Rook, Nova, Hanks, and Leo spoke to <a href="https://twitter.com/TomCruise?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TomCruise</a> sharing their experience from space. Maverick, you can be our wingman anytime. <a href="https://t.co/5YTfyRZhrd">pic.twitter.com/5YTfyRZhrd</a>
— Inspiration4 (@inspiration4x) <a href="https://twitter.com/inspiration4x/status/1438896953220378626?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Last year, &nbsp;former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine announced a film project starring Cruise to be shot in zero gravity on board the International Space Station. However, no details have been delivered yet about the project, which would be done in collaboration with SpaceX.

A SpaceX webcast of the launch showed the crew strapped into the pressurised cabin of their gleaming white SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, dubbed Resilience, wearing their helmeted black-and-white flight suits.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/spacex-all-civilian-crew-mission-inspiration4-lifts-off-413368">Also read |&nbsp;SpaceX all-civilian crew mission 'Inspiration4' lifts off, reaches orbit</a>

The crew includes a billionaire e-commerce executive and three other private citizens. This is the first all-civilian crew.&nbsp;

The capsule carrying the crew was perched atop company's reusable two-stage Falcon-9 rocket. The Crew Dragon, fitted with a special observation dome in place of its usual docking hatch, reached orbit almost 10 minutes after the 8:03 pm EDT blastoff.

It marked the debut flight of SpaceX owner Elon Musk's new orbital tourism business, and a leap ahead of competitors likewise offering rides on rocket ships to customers willing to pay a small fortune for the exhilaration - and bragging rights - of spaceflight. 
Isaacman has paid an undisclosed sum to fellow billionaire Musk to send himself and his three crewmates aloft. Time magazine has put the ticket price for all four seats at $200 million.

The mission, called Inspiration4, was conceived by Isaacman mainly to raise awareness and support for one of his favorite causes, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a leading pediatric cancer center in Memphis, Tennessee.

Inspiration4 is aiming for an orbital altitude of 360 miles (575 km) above Earth, higher than the International Space Station or Hubble Space Telescope, and the farthest any human will have flown from Earth since the end of NASA's Apollo moon program in 1972, according to SpaceX.

Four space tourists orbiting the Earth in a SpaceX capsule at 17,500 miles per hour talked to movie star Tom Cruise on Friday and provided a live update about life aboard the spacecraft.

Four space tourists orbiting the Earth in a SpaceX capsule at 17,500 miles per hour talked to movie star Tom Cruise on Friday and provided a live update about life aboard the spacecraft. The space tourism mission by Elon Musk's SpaceX blasted off from Florida on Wednesday for a three-day voyage that is to end with a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean at 4:06 pm Pacific time on Saturday. Jared Isaacman, Sian Proctor, Hayley Arceneaux and Chris Sembroski, spoke with Cruise, who is hoping to make a film in space, from the vessel on Friday. Rook, Nova, Hanks, and Leo spoke to @TomCruise sharing their experience from space. Maverick, you can be our wingman anytime. pic.twitter.com/5YTfyRZhrd — Inspiration4 (@inspiration4x) September 17, 2021 × Last year, former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine announced a film project starring Cruise to be shot in zero gravity on board the International Space Station. However, no details have been delivered yet about the project, which would be done in collaboration with SpaceX. A SpaceX webcast of the launch showed the crew strapped into the pressurised cabin of their gleaming white SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, dubbed Resilience, wearing their helmeted black-and-white flight suits. Also read | SpaceX all-civilian crew mission 'Inspiration4' lifts off, reaches orbit The crew includes a billionaire e-commerce executive and three other private citizens. This is the first all-civilian crew. The capsule carrying the crew was perched atop company's reusable two-stage Falcon-9 rocket. The Crew Dragon, fitted with a special observation dome in place of its usual docking hatch, reached orbit almost 10 minutes after the 8:03 pm EDT blastoff. It marked the debut flight of SpaceX owner Elon Musk's new orbital tourism business, and a leap ahead of competitors likewise offering rides on rocket ships to customers willing to pay a small fortune for the exhilaration - and bragging rights - of spaceflight. Isaacman has paid an undisclosed sum to fellow billionaire Musk to send himself and his three crewmates aloft. Time magazine has put the ticket price for all four seats at $200 million. The mission, called Inspiration4, was conceived by Isaacman mainly to raise awareness and support for one of his favorite causes, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a leading pediatric cancer center in Memphis, Tennessee. Inspiration4 is aiming for an orbital altitude of 360 miles (575 km) above Earth, higher than the International Space Station or Hubble Space Telescope, and the farthest any human will have flown from Earth since the end of NASA's Apollo moon program in 1972, according to SpaceX.

SpaceX tourists talk to Tom Cruise from orbit

The race to reach the space seems to be high on agenda for billionaires now as after Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson and Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos, another entrepreneur is all set to ride into space this week. &nbsp;

E-commerce firm Shift4 Payments founder and chief executive Jared Isaacman will lead three fellow spaceflight novices on a three-day trip to space. They will reach Earth's orbit onboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.&nbsp;The three travel mates have been selected specially.

Watch:&nbsp;Electric luxury concept cars steal the show in Munich

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If the mission is successful, it will begin a new era of commercial space tourism. Several companies are already eying for customers, who are willing to pay a small fortune to experience the supersonic flight, weightlessness and the visual spectacle of space. &nbsp;

The SpaceX rocket ship will be blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida and splashdown in the Atlantic at the end. The flight will carry its four passengers where no all-civilian crew has gone ever before, into Earth’s orbit. This astro-tourist team, will make history in achieving this feat. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasas-mars-rover-collects-first-planetary-samples-for-return-to-earth-412509" hreflang="en">NASA's Mars Rover collects first planetary samples for return to Earth</a>

The 38-year-old tech mogul seems to have spent a presumably exorbitant amount of money to be a part of the trip. &nbsp;&nbsp;

With a 24-hour targeted launch window, the vehicle will blastoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center atop one of Musk's reusable Falcon 9 rockets.&nbsp;The orbital outing, which is being dubbed as Inspiration4, was conceived by Isaacman. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The race to reach the space seems to be high on agenda for billionaires now as after Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson and Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos, another entrepreneur is all set to ride into space this week.

The race to reach the space seems to be high on agenda for billionaires now as after Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson and Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos, another entrepreneur is all set to ride into space this week. E-commerce firm Shift4 Payments founder and chief executive Jared Isaacman will lead three fellow spaceflight novices on a three-day trip to space. They will reach Earth's orbit onboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. The three travel mates have been selected specially. Watch: Electric luxury concept cars steal the show in Munich × If the mission is successful, it will begin a new era of commercial space tourism. Several companies are already eying for customers, who are willing to pay a small fortune to experience the supersonic flight, weightlessness and the visual spectacle of space. The SpaceX rocket ship will be blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida and splashdown in the Atlantic at the end. The flight will carry its four passengers where no all-civilian crew has gone ever before, into Earth’s orbit. This astro-tourist team, will make history in achieving this feat. Also Read: NASA's Mars Rover collects first planetary samples for return to Earth The 38-year-old tech mogul seems to have spent a presumably exorbitant amount of money to be a part of the trip. With a 24-hour targeted launch window, the vehicle will blastoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center atop one of Musk's reusable Falcon 9 rockets. The orbital outing, which is being dubbed as Inspiration4, was conceived by Isaacman. (With inputs from agencies)

Pace to reach space shoots up as SpaceX set to launch billionaire into orbit

February 14 in History: From Pulwama terror attacks to creation of YouTube

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nasa-spacex-hope-for-manned-mission-to-international-space-station-in-early-2020-255078">SpaceX</a> today launched 60 mini-satellites into orbit, the third batch to do so, in the company's bid to build a constellation of spacecraft to facilitate the creation of a global internet system.

The satellites were launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 02.19 GMT. The separation from a Falcon 9 rocket was successful on the stretch between Australia and Antarctica.&nbsp;

<img alt="SpaceX" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ec59621b-e6b5-4315-8936-3e2bc08a5531" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%283%29_27.jpg" /> 
Image:&nbsp;This NASA photo obtained December 17, 2019 shows the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship as it approaches the International Space Station as both spacecraft orbited 257 miles above the Sahara on December 8, 2019. Courtesy: AFP

The launch was filmed by a camera on the rocket. The total number of satellites part of American company Starlink's network now stands at 180.&nbsp;

However, this figure could eventually shoot up to 42,000, which will result in more crowded skies.

According to the Satellite Industry Association, 21,000 satellites currently orbit the planet.

SpaceX was created by Elon Musk, the Chief Executive of Tesla. The company intends to control the internet market from space.

Other companies are also attempting to break into this new market, including OneWeb, a London-based start-up along with interest from US retailer Amazon, with ''Project Kuiper'' in the works.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nasa-spacex-hope-for-manned-mission-to-international-space-station-in-early-2020-255078">NASA,&nbsp;SpaceX hope for manned mission to International Space Station in early 2020</a>

Earlier, Musk asserted his will to control three to five per cent of the global internet market. This will be valued at $30 billion a year, which is roughly ten times what SpaceX earns from space launches. According to the company, this money will be renavigated into rocket and spaceship development.

Musk had also shown interest in colonising Mars.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/spacexs-mars-rocket-prototype-rattles-nerves-of-nearby-residents-in-texas-flight-test-246144">SpaceX</a>, so far, has received authorisation to launch 12,000 satellites from the US, with plans to launch 30,000 more. 
 
(With inputs from AFP)

SpaceX today launched 60 mini-satellites into orbit, the third batch to do so, in the company's bid to build a constellation of spacecraft to facilitate the creation of a global internet system.

SpaceX today launched 60 mini-satellites into orbit, the third batch to do so, in the company's bid to build a constellation of spacecraft to facilitate the creation of a global internet system. The satellites were launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 02.19 GMT. The separation from a Falcon 9 rocket was successful on the stretch between Australia and Antarctica. Image: This NASA photo obtained December 17, 2019 shows the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship as it approaches the International Space Station as both spacecraft orbited 257 miles above the Sahara on December 8, 2019. Courtesy: AFP The launch was filmed by a camera on the rocket. The total number of satellites part of American company Starlink's network now stands at 180. However, this figure could eventually shoot up to 42,000, which will result in more crowded skies. According to the Satellite Industry Association, 21,000 satellites currently orbit the planet. SpaceX was created by Elon Musk, the Chief Executive of Tesla. The company intends to control the internet market from space. Other companies are also attempting to break into this new market, including OneWeb, a London-based start-up along with interest from US retailer Amazon, with ''Project Kuiper'' in the works. Also read: NASA, SpaceX hope for manned mission to International Space Station in early 2020 Earlier, Musk asserted his will to control three to five per cent of the global internet market. This will be valued at $30 billion a year, which is roughly ten times what SpaceX earns from space launches. According to the company, this money will be renavigated into rocket and spaceship development. Musk had also shown interest in colonising Mars. SpaceX, so far, has received authorisation to launch 12,000 satellites from the US, with plans to launch 30,000 more. (With inputs from AFP)

SpaceX launches third batch of mini-satellites into orbit

Chandrayaan 2 inching closer to Moon, completed final manoeuvre in Lunar orbit.

Chandrayaan 2 completed final maneuver in Lunar orbit

Chandrayaan-2: Journey so far

ISRO injects EMISAT missiles in its Orbit

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission, launched on Wednesday, will "hunt for planets around some of the closest and brightest stars" read NASA's tweet.&nbsp;

The first-of-its-kind mission will aim at finding worlds beyond our solar system, including some that could support life.

Equipped with 4 cameras, TESS will hover across the entire sky for unknown worlds.&nbsp;

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How many worlds exist outside our solar system? <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASA_TESS</a> launched from planet Earth today at 6:51pm ET to hunt for planets around some of the closest & brightest stars. TESS will use 4 cameras to search nearly the entire sky for unknown worlds. More: <a href="https://t.co/5hUW3XhaTo">https://t.co/5hUW3XhaTo</a> <a href="https://t.co/xuH5q0wqN9">pic.twitter.com/xuH5q0wqN9</a>
— NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/986762078852698113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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“We are thrilled TESS is on its way to help us discover worlds we have yet to imagine, worlds that could possibly be habitable, or harbor life,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “With missions like the James Webb Space Telescope to help us study the details of these planets, we are ever the closer to discovering whether we are alone in the universe.”

TESS is on a mission to find thousands of new exoplanets orbiting nearby stars. According to NASA, the spacecraft will begin its work after approximately 60 days of check-out and instrument testing.

The spacecraft, during its two-year survey mission, will map the southern sky during its first year of observations and the northern sky during the second year covering nearly 85 percent of the sky.

NASA TESS lifted off at 6:51 pm EDT on Wednesday mounted on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, US. 
&nbsp;

TESS is on a mission to find thousands of new exoplanets orbiting nearby stars

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission, launched on Wednesday, will "hunt for planets around some of the closest and brightest stars" read NASA's tweet. The first-of-its-kind mission will aim at finding worlds beyond our solar system, including some that could support life. Equipped with 4 cameras, TESS will hover across the entire sky for unknown worlds. How many worlds exist outside our solar system? @NASA_TESS launched from planet Earth today at 6:51pm ET to hunt for planets around some of the closest & brightest stars. TESS will use 4 cameras to search nearly the entire sky for unknown worlds. More: https://t.co/5hUW3XhaTo pic.twitter.com/xuH5q0wqN9 — NASA (@NASA) April 19, 2018 × “We are thrilled TESS is on its way to help us discover worlds we have yet to imagine, worlds that could possibly be habitable, or harbor life,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “With missions like the James Webb Space Telescope to help us study the details of these planets, we are ever the closer to discovering whether we are alone in the universe.” TESS is on a mission to find thousands of new exoplanets orbiting nearby stars. According to NASA, the spacecraft will begin its work after approximately 60 days of check-out and instrument testing. The spacecraft, during its two-year survey mission, will map the southern sky during its first year of observations and the northern sky during the second year covering nearly 85 percent of the sky. NASA TESS lifted off at 6:51 pm EDT on Wednesday mounted on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, US.

NASA TESS launch: One-of-its-kind mission to hunt for new, habitable planets

People will soon be able to witness 16 sunrises a day and be able to float in space, all in a span of four years. How? Orion Span announced on Thursday that they are building the first ever luxury "space hotel" to cost a space tourist a whopping $9.5 million.&nbsp

Orion Span made the announcement at the Space 2.0 Summit in San Jose, California on Thursday (April 05), unveiling their plans for “Aurora Station.” Orion Span says it plans to launch the initial Aurora Station module into a low-Earth orbit, at an altitude of 200 miles (322 km), in 2021.

Scheduled to welcome its first guests in 2022, Aurora is a planned modular space station, capable of hosting six people at a time.The hotel will orbit Earth every 90 minutes, which means guests will see around 16 sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours.

While a $10 million trip is outside the budget of most people's two-week vacations, Orion Span claims to offer an authentic "astronaut experience".

The Aurora Station is planned as a 35-by-14-foot module, or roughly the interior volume of a Gulfstream G550 private jet, reports say. It will hold up to six guests at a time plus two crew members. &nbsp

They have already started reservations with an $80,000 deposit - which is fully refundable - where the guests are told to undergo a three-month long training court, half online and half at the company's space in Houston, Texas.&nbsp

According to Orion Span, guests will be able to take part in “research experiments such as growing food while in orbit” and keep touch with people on Earth via high-speed Internet.

The hotel will also be equipped with a virtual reality “holodeck”.

“Arriving at Aurora Station on a partner spaceflight, you’ll be warmly greeted with an experience that blows your mind,” reads a statement on the Orion Span website.

“Every 90 minutes we complete an orbit, meaning you’ll see day and night over Earth hundreds of times during your 12-day stay, with ample opportunity to photograph your hometown from space.”

Gusts will take part in research experiments like growing food in the orbit which they can then take home. They will also be able to do live video chats with people back on Earth through high-speed wireless internet access.&nbsp

Reports say that the longer-term plan for the company is to expand Aurora Station from just one module to many, with a variety of potential uses.

Orion Span made the announcement at the Space 2.0 Summit in San Jose, California on Thursday (April 05), unveiling their plans for 'Aurora Station'

People will soon be able to witness 16 sunrises a day and be able to float in space, all in a span of four years. How? Orion Span announced on Thursday that they are building the first ever luxury "space hotel" to cost a space tourist a whopping $9.5 million. Orion Span made the announcement at the Space 2.0 Summit in San Jose, California on Thursday (April 05), unveiling their plans for “Aurora Station.” Orion Span says it plans to launch the initial Aurora Station module into a low-Earth orbit, at an altitude of 200 miles (322 km), in 2021. Scheduled to welcome its first guests in 2022, Aurora is a planned modular space station, capable of hosting six people at a time.The hotel will orbit Earth every 90 minutes, which means guests will see around 16 sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours. While a $10 million trip is outside the budget of most people's two-week vacations, Orion Span claims to offer an authentic "astronaut experience". The Aurora Station is planned as a 35-by-14-foot module, or roughly the interior volume of a Gulfstream G550 private jet, reports say. It will hold up to six guests at a time plus two crew members. They have already started reservations with an $80,000 deposit - which is fully refundable - where the guests are told to undergo a three-month long training court, half online and half at the company's space in Houston, Texas. According to Orion Span, guests will be able to take part in “research experiments such as growing food while in orbit” and keep touch with people on Earth via high-speed Internet. The hotel will also be equipped with a virtual reality “holodeck”. “Arriving at Aurora Station on a partner spaceflight, you’ll be warmly greeted with an experience that blows your mind,” reads a statement on the Orion Span website. “Every 90 minutes we complete an orbit, meaning you’ll see day and night over Earth hundreds of times during your 12-day stay, with ample opportunity to photograph your hometown from space.” Gusts will take part in research experiments like growing food in the orbit which they can then take home. They will also be able to do live video chats with people back on Earth through high-speed wireless internet access. Reports say that the longer-term plan for the company is to expand Aurora Station from just one module to many, with a variety of potential uses.

Now, book your luxury 'space hotel' for $9.5 million

A dark, reddish and cigar-shaped object that zipped through our solar system from outer space last month is nothing like any cosmic body seen before, say scientists who have classified it as the first interstellar asteroid.

Last month the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawai&#39;i picked up a faint point of light moving across the sky.

It initially looked like a typical fast-moving small asteroid, but additional observations over the next couple of days allowed its orbit to be computed fairly accurately.

The orbit calculations revealed beyond any doubt that this body did not originate from inside the solar system, like all other asteroids or comets ever observed, but instead had come from interstellar space.

Although originally classified as a comet, observations from revealed no signs of cometary activity after it passed closest to the Sun in September. The object was reclassified as an interstellar asteroid and named &#39;Oumuamua.

The name, which was chosen by the Pan-STARRS team, is of Hawaiian origin and reflects the way this object is like a messenger sent from the distant past to reach out to us, researchers said.

The asteroid is up to 400 metres long and highly- elongated - perhaps 10 times as long as it is wide.

That aspect ratio is greater than that of any asteroid or comet observed in our solar system to date, scientists said.

While its elongated shape is quite surprising, and unlike asteroids seen in our solar system, it may provide new clues into how other solar systems formed.

When the &#39;Oumuamua was spotted, it had already passed its closest point to the Sun and was heading back into interstellar space, researchers said.

European Southern Observatory (ESO)&#39;s Very Large Telescope (VLT) was immediately called into action to measure the object&#39;s orbit, brightness and colour more accurately than smaller telescopes could achieve.

Combining the images from various telescopes, astronomers led by Karen Meech from Institute for Astronomy in the US found that &#39;Oumuamua varies dramatically in brightness by a factor of ten as it spins on its axis every 7.3 hours.

&quot;This unusually large variation in brightness means that the object is highly elongated: about ten times as long as it is wide, with a complex, convoluted shape,&quot; said Meech.

&quot;We also found that it has a dark red colour, similar to objects in the outer Solar System, and confirmed that it is completely inert, without the faintest hint of dust around it,&quot; she said.

These properties suggest that &#39;Oumuamua is dense, possibly rocky or with high metal content, lacks significant amounts of water or ice, and that its surface is now dark and reddened due to the effects of irradiation from cosmic rays over millions of years. It is estimated to be at least 400 metres long.

Preliminary orbital calculations suggested that the object had come from the approximate direction of the bright star Vega, in the northern constellation of Lyra.

However, even travelling at a breakneck speed of about 95,000 kilometres per hour, it took so long for the interstellar object to make the journey to our Solar System that Vega was not near that position when the asteroid was there about 300,000 years ago.

&#39;Oumuamua may well have been wandering through the Milky Way, unattached to any star system, for hundreds of millions of years before its chance encounter with the Solar System.

Astronomers estimate that an interstellar asteroid similar to &#39;Oumuamua passes through the inner Solar System about once per year, but they are faint and hard to spot so have been missed until now.

It is only recently that survey telescopes, such as Pan- STARRS, are powerful enough to have a chance to discover them.

Observations from revealed no signs of cometary activity after it passed closest to the Sun in September and was henceforth reclassified as an interstellar asteroid and named 'Oumuamua'

A dark, reddish and cigar-shaped object that zipped through our solar system from outer space last month is nothing like any cosmic body seen before, say scientists who have classified it as the first interstellar asteroid. Last month the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawai'i picked up a faint point of light moving across the sky. It initially looked like a typical fast-moving small asteroid, but additional observations over the next couple of days allowed its orbit to be computed fairly accurately. The orbit calculations revealed beyond any doubt that this body did not originate from inside the solar system, like all other asteroids or comets ever observed, but instead had come from interstellar space. Although originally classified as a comet, observations from revealed no signs of cometary activity after it passed closest to the Sun in September. The object was reclassified as an interstellar asteroid and named 'Oumuamua. The name, which was chosen by the Pan-STARRS team, is of Hawaiian origin and reflects the way this object is like a messenger sent from the distant past to reach out to us, researchers said. The asteroid is up to 400 metres long and highly- elongated - perhaps 10 times as long as it is wide. That aspect ratio is greater than that of any asteroid or comet observed in our solar system to date, scientists said. While its elongated shape is quite surprising, and unlike asteroids seen in our solar system, it may provide new clues into how other solar systems formed. When the 'Oumuamua was spotted, it had already passed its closest point to the Sun and was heading back into interstellar space, researchers said. European Southern Observatory (ESO)'s Very Large Telescope (VLT) was immediately called into action to measure the object's orbit, brightness and colour more accurately than smaller telescopes could achieve. Combining the images from various telescopes, astronomers led by Karen Meech from Institute for Astronomy in the US found that 'Oumuamua varies dramatically in brightness by a factor of ten as it spins on its axis every 7.3 hours. "This unusually large variation in brightness means that the object is highly elongated: about ten times as long as it is wide, with a complex, convoluted shape," said Meech. "We also found that it has a dark red colour, similar to objects in the outer Solar System, and confirmed that it is completely inert, without the faintest hint of dust around it," she said. These properties suggest that 'Oumuamua is dense, possibly rocky or with high metal content, lacks significant amounts of water or ice, and that its surface is now dark and reddened due to the effects of irradiation from cosmic rays over millions of years. It is estimated to be at least 400 metres long. Preliminary orbital calculations suggested that the object had come from the approximate direction of the bright star Vega, in the northern constellation of Lyra. However, even travelling at a breakneck speed of about 95,000 kilometres per hour, it took so long for the interstellar object to make the journey to our Solar System that Vega was not near that position when the asteroid was there about 300,000 years ago. 'Oumuamua may well have been wandering through the Milky Way, unattached to any star system, for hundreds of millions of years before its chance encounter with the Solar System. Astronomers estimate that an interstellar asteroid similar to 'Oumuamua passes through the inner Solar System about once per year, but they are faint and hard to spot so have been missed until now. It is only recently that survey telescopes, such as Pan- STARRS, are powerful enough to have a chance to discover them.

Unique cigar-shaped object is first interstellar asteroid

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