NASA’s Mars Ascent Vehicle team has tested the first- and second-stage solid rocket motors needed to allow the MAV to launch from another planet. The MAV is being developed under the Mars Sample Return Program, managed by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It is expected to launch in June 2028 and bring back Martian soil samples […]
A new version of a Senate bill requiring NASA to launch a program addressing the increasing amount of orbital junk is now advancing to full Senate consideration after it was approved by a voice vote during a Senate Commerce Committee executive session. In his remarks at the session, Sen. John Hickenlooper, the lead sponsor of […]
The U.S. Air Force Test Center has awarded a $22.6 million contract to Sierra Space to advance the design of the VR35K-A upper-stage engine. The Broomfield, Colorado-based company previously worked with the Air Force Research Laboratory and Sierra Nevada Corp. on the engine, including the completion of a critical design review in August 2022, SpaceNews […]
The 2024 edition of NASA’s Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage competition is seeking collegiate ideas to improve lunar and Martian operations. Sponsored by the Moon to Mars Architecture Development Office, RASC-AL is inviting undergraduate and graduate students to propose solutions to one of four themes. One deals with building a framework for a […]
Astrobotic will showcase its renewable power generation and distribution solution for systems on the lunar surface. The LunaGrid-Lite demonstration effort will be performed under a $34.6 million NASA Tipping Point partnership. As part of the mission, an Astrobotic 6U CubeRover carrying a spool of cable and an Astrobotic Griffin lunar lander equipped with solar arrays […]
NASA could postpone an announcement of opportunity for the New Frontiers series of planetary science missions due to a debt-ceiling agreement that caps non-defense spending in fiscal year 2024 to previous-year levels. The AO is scheduled for November and will commence a competition leading to mission selection in 2026 and a launch sometime in the […]
Argentina has become the 28th country to sign the Artemis Accords, led by the United States. The accords aim to promote sustainable space exploration by adhering to best practices and responsible behavior norms. Daniel Filmus, Argentina’s minister of science, technology and innovation, signed the accords on behalf of his country in Buenos Aires on Thursday […]
Columbia University New York has secured a potential $30 million contract to operate the Socioeconomic Data and Application Center. SEDAC is a distributed active archive center operated by Columbia University’s Center for International Earth Science Information Network. It synthesizes Earth science and socioeconomic data and information to help decision-makers and other users identify issues and […]
The Artemis launch team at NASA engaged in an exercise on July 20 where they simulated the loading of cryogenic rocket propellant onto the Space Launch System. During the actual launch, the process would begin nine hours before liftoff because the fuels — liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen — are super-cooled and need to be […]
NASA has picked 11 American companies for technology development partnerships in projects to support long-term lunar and space exploration. The projects were chosen from the agency’s sixth Tipping Point opportunity, with joint funding by NASA and the industry partners. The agency is expected to contribute $150 million to the partnerships, while each company will contribute […]
