On October 20, 1975, 134 days after its June 8 launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome, the Soviet space probe Venera 9 approached to within 1600 km of the surface of the planet Venus. The probe released its principal payload, a 2.4 m diameter aluminum sphere containing a 2 m, 660 kg surface lander. The spacecraft bus (2.8 m, 3500 kg), carrying the probe’s propulsion system and fuel supply, solar array, antennae, control systems, and instrumentation, made two brief orbit insertion burns, achieving ...| UF Astraeus Space Institute
Astronauts traveling to Mars will face many challenges, but one of the most serious is muscle loss during long space missions. A new study led by University of Florida researcher Siobhan […]| UF Astraeus Space Institute
Rachael Seidler, a professor of applied physiology and kinesiology who focuses on astronaut health, has been named director of the University of Florida Astraeus Space Institute. “Dr. Seidler has proven […]| UF Astraeus Space Institute
One year after his pioneering flight aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, University of Florida space biologist Rob Ferl, Ph.D., is still processing what it meant — not just for his […]| UF Astraeus Space Institute
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAugust 15, 2025 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The University of Florida (UF), through a coalition of space-focused initiatives including the Astraeus Space Institute, the In-Space Biomanufacturing Innovation Hub […]| UF Astraeus Space Institute
University of Florida plant molecular biologist Anna-Lisa Paul has been named a recipient of the Southeastern Universities Research Association’s (SURA) 2025 Distinguished Scientist Award, recognizing her groundbreaking contributions to space […]| UF Astraeus Space Institute
Hannah Roberts, a Ph.D. student conducting research in the University of Florida’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, recently represented UF in a prestigious collaboration with the U.S. Air Force Academy and […]| UF Astraeus Space Institute
New research on the rocks collected by China’s Chang’e 5 mission is rewriting our understanding of how the moon cooled. Stephen Elardo, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Geological Sciences with […]| UF Astraeus Space Institute
Peter Alexandrov, M.D., a University of Florida emergency medicine physician and member of the Astraeus Space Institute, recently completed a two-month rotation with VAST, a private space company hoping to […]| UF Astraeus Space Institute
LAKE NONA, Fla. — Representatives from four Florida universities, including Florida Institute of Technology, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, and the University of Florida as the lead institution, along with research institutions and federal agencies, gathered last week for a key meeting of the Center for Science, Technology, and Advanced Research in Space, known as C-STARS, to discuss its evolving role in shaping the low Earth orbit econ...| UF Astraeus Space Institute
