NASA has announced the science instruments astronauts will use during the upcoming Artemis III mission to the moon’s surface. The three instruments will gather critical data on the lunar environment, geology and the means for long-term lunar habitation, laying a foundation for future Mars exploration, NASA said. The selected payloads will investigate planetary processes, lunar […]
Three sounding rockets will lift off from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on April 8, the day North America will experience a total solar eclipse. The Atmospheric Perturbations around Eclipse Path sounding rockets, which will be launched at different times, will provide data to determine the effects of the sudden dimming of the sun […]
The Department of Defense has an opportunity to harness private industry’s remote-sensing constellations investment for Ground Moving Target Indication technology, according to Industry executives who joined the Satellite 2024 conference held from March 18 to 21 in Washington, D.C. In search of GMTI capability, the U.S. Air Force and the Space Force have tapped the National […]
The National Reconnaissance Office has issued a broad area announcement seeking innovative proposals to advance its space launch capabilities. The Agile Launch Innovation and Strategic Technology Advancement program is designed to enhance launch technology across multiple areas, including ground operations and on-orbit services, SpaceNews reported. Areas of interest outlined in the BAA include in-space mobility […]
Airbus will develop and build a twin spacecraft for the continuance of the joint space mission of NASA and the German Space Agency geared at monitoring the Earth’s gravity field and climate. The Pasadena, California-based NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory awarded the task for the mission called GRACE-C, which stands for Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment-Continuity. […]
Blue Origin’s Orbital Reef space station completed four testing milestones under a NASA Space Act Agreement awarded to the company in 2021. According to Angela Hart, manager of NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program, the milestones ensure that Orbital Reef can sustain human life and allow researchers to conduct experiments in LEO. Specifically, the […]
The Defense Innovation Unit has selected Blue Origin, Space Logistics and Spacebilt to develop prototypes for its Orbital Logistics Vehicle project, aimed at providing logistics solutions for accessing geostationary and other high orbits beyond low Earth orbit at reduced costs. The initiative strategically leverages commercial technologies and private investment to provide low-cost, responsive solutions that […]
The Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit has tapped Fireplace Aerospace for a trade study on the rapid launch capabilities of the company’s Elytra spacecraft to support missions beyond geosynchronous Earth orbit, or xGEO. The study is part of the DIU’s Sinequone project to prototype commercial launch and orbital transfer capabilities in xGEO where the agency foresees […]
NASA said Leslie Livesay has assumed her role as deputy director of Jet Propulsion Laboratory, taking over from Larry James, who was appointed in September 2013. Livesay is equipped with nearly four decades of experience in autonomous space exploration. She previously served as JPL’s associate director for flight projects and mission success, director for astronomy […]
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has selected Northrop Grumman to research the feasibility of a lunar railroad network. Northrop will identify the necessary groundwork for such a network, establish a list of potential costs and logistical and technological risks, work on prototypes and demonstration models and explore robotics-enabled construction and operation concepts. Chris Adams, […]
