The National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced that its researchers, together with industry partners, have developed a remote-sensing mapping system set to aid astronauts exploring the Moon’s South Pole and other inhospitable environments. The new scanner, called the Kinematic Navigation and Cartography Knapsack, presents astronauts with a technology that uses light detection and ranging laser light […]
Ball Aerospace has awarded Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory a contract to build two space-based radios for NASA’s Solar Cruiser mission. Ball Aerospace, the prime contractor for Solar Cruiser, will provide a small satellite for the mission. SDL will provide its Iris radios, which are software-defined telecommunications subsystems that are designed for areas beyond […]
NASA has announced Joseph Pelfrey as the new deputy director of the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The center specializes in developing propulsion technologies, science instruments and engineering solutions for the agency’s spaceflight missions. As deputy director, Pelfrey will help lead an organization made up of nearly 7,000 on-site or near-site personnel and […]
The U.S. Space Force said the multibillion-dollar missile warning and tracking architecture included in its fiscal year 2023 budget request is designed to maintain existing programs while new capabilities are being developed. Gen. John Raymond, chief of space operations at the Space Force and a 2022 Wash100 winner, said during the Space Symposium event that […]
Travis Langster, vice president and general manager of Comspoc, will step down from his role to serve as the Department of Defense’s director of space policy. He will hold a new position in the office of John Hill, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for space and missile defense. The purview of Hill’s office covers […]
Pittsburgh-headquartered Ansys announced that it will collaborate with Northrop Grumman to develop, test and deliver a Deep-Space Advanced Radar Capability for the Space Force as part of efforts to enhance orbit awareness. Specifically, the joint effort seeks to support the USSF’s Space Systems Command in constructing an array of ground-based radars, Pennsylvania Business Report said […]
NASA will return the Space Launch System to the Vehicle Assembly Building from Launch Complex 39B for various repairs. The move will further delay the rocket’s launch. According to the agency, the SLS needs to receive upgrades at an off-site supplier of gaseous nitrogen after leaks were discovered at the launch pad. The agency will […]
Virginia-headquartered Northrop Grumman announced that its cryocooler technology onboard the James Webb Space Telescope has successfully cooled the probe’s Mid-Infrared Instrument to its operational cryogenic temperature. The development brings the JWST, which launched in 2021, a step closer to full operational status, Northrop said Wednesday. Northrop said the spacecraft’s cryocooler is an advanced machine that […]
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has extended by five years funding for the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory‘s Center for Geospace Storms, citing the importance of expanding human knowledge of space weather. CGS is one of three research organizations selected to enter Phase II of NASA’s Diversify, Realize, Integrate, Venture, Educate Science Center initiative, the […]
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced that it has awarded a contract to Tennessee-headquartered Jacobs Technology to provide the Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California with support services for ground-based aerospace test facilities. The period of performance will include a 24-month base period, with three separate 12-month option periods, NASA said Tuesday. In […]
