The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will integrate for testing in its Martian moons mission spacecraft a spectrometer that NASA delivered on Thursday. According to the agency, the instrument’s review board has evaluated and certified the Mars-moon Exploration with Gamma Ray and Neutrons instrument and approved its delivery to JAXA in the fall of 2023 after a […]
A test version of the Space Launch System universal stage adapter has arrived at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center for validation procedures. The adapter is a critical component that will connect the upgraded exploration upper stage to the Orion spacecraft for the SLS rocket’s advanced Block 1B configuration, NASA said. The Block 1B variant will make its […]
Five individuals have received NASA’s Development and Advancement of Lunar Instrumentation grants, a program under the Lunar Discovery and Exploration Program that aims to develop technologies useful in future flight opportunities. Hao Cao of the University of California, Los Angeles, is among the awardees. Cao and his team are developing a miniaturized, low-power, ultra-scalable fluxgate […]
A more powerful version of the Space Launch System rocket for future Artemis missions is in store for NASA. The SLS Block 1B uses the same core stage and solid rocket as the original SLS but features a more powerful second stage called the exploration upper stage. The EUS, which replaces the interim cryogenic propulsion […]
The Biden-Harris administration is requesting over $25 billion for NASA in the fiscal year 2025 budget to continue its work on better understanding the planet and space. Bill Nelson, administrator of the U.S. space agency, said the White House’s budget proposal will help ensure that the United States remains a leader in space exploration, scientific […]
Science Applications International Corp. announced that it has secured a $444 million contract for the U.S. Space Force’s Digital Transformation, Acquisition, Modernization and Modification initiative. The contract targets upgrades within Space Systems Command and Space Launch Deltas 30 and 45, SAIC said. The contract tasks SAIC to modernize space launch range instrumentation to boost launch […]
The Department of the Air Force’s AFWERX and the U.S. Space Force’s SpaceWERX have selected eligible applicants for their Strategic Funding Increase program for 2024. STRATFI is designed to help small businesses overcome challenges between development and full production. A small business benefits from the program as it receives support from a partner government organization, […]
L3Harris Technologies has selected Maxar Space Systems to design and produce Maxar 300 spacecraft platforms for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer program. The Maxar 300 spacecraft features flexible and scalable electrical and data interfaces for various payloads; configurable telemetry, tracking and command; inter-satellite link support; solar arrays and batteries; and chemical or […]
Orion Space Solutions, an Arcfield subsidiary, has announced the launch of its Rapid Revisit Optical Cloud Imager satellite to demonstrate the spacecraft’s capabilities to support Space Systems Command’s weather forecasting function. The electro-optical/infrared weather system cubesat was sent into orbit aboard the SpaceX Transporter-10 rideshare mission launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base on March 4. […]
NASA has concluded a full-duration hot fire test for the RS-25 engine to help power the Space Launch System rocket for future Artemis missions. During the test, operators fired the engine for 10 minutes at power levels between 80 percent and 113 percent, allowing testers to study power outputs and capabilities within and beyond the […]
