NASA is inviting teams of university students to join the new Human Lander Challenge, a competition in which they will explore solutions that can manage or eliminate rocket engine plume surface interaction. PSI ejects large amounts of regolith particles, limiting visibility and reducing flight safety. It occurs when spacecraft land in areas without infrastructure supporting […]
NASA is awarding 15 learning institutions from across participating United States jurisdictions over $10.8 million in grants this year under the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. EPSCoR is an annual program that seeks to fund research projects with the aim of improving the R&D capacity and research infrastructure of the participating jurisdictions. Currently, EPSCoR […]
A National Space Council official said the U.S. government has taken insights about how to distribute on-orbit activity regulation across different agencies. Speaking at the Satellite 2023 panel discussion on March 15, Diane Howard, the head of the council’s commercial operations, shared that, following multiple public consultations, officials received 61 public comments and 43 written […]
Axiom Space has unveiled a prototype of a spacesuit it designed for astronauts assigned to Artemis lunar missions under a $228.5 million task order NASA awarded in September 2022. At a recent event in Houston, Axiom said the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit spacesuit, equipped with a large helmet bubble, lights and a camera, will be […]
NASA’s Dragonfly mission will carry a spectrometer intended to reveal the chemistry of the surface of Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. Set to launch in 2027 and arrive at its destination in the mid-2030s, a robotic rotorcraft lander will travel to several points on the Titanian surface and collect minuscule samples using the Drill for […]
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has started the first phase of Oversight, which is aimed at enabling military personnel to monitor up to 1,000 targets of interest using satellites. According to Program Manager Lael Rudd at the DARPA Tactical Technology Office, Oversight could reduce the number of operators required to track multiple targets at […]
NASA will award two new space technology research institutes up to $15 million each over five years to explore early-stage technologies that can bring improvements to the space agency’s future Earth science and space missions. The research work focused on advancing quantum sensing technology for climate research and expanding the use of 3D-printed metal parts […]
Irvine, California-based Earth observation data provider ICEYE has secured a NASA blanket purchase agreement to provide the agency with high-resolution synthetic aperture radar Earth observation data in support of the agency’s Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition Program. Under the deal, ICEYE will receive fixed-price BPA calls. Each will be worth up to $7 million and come […]
Texas-based space transportation company Firefly Aerospace has won a $112 million task order under Commercial Lunar Payload Services, NASA’s procurement program for moon-bound research and development payloads from the private sector. CLPS supports the Artemis mission, which is aimed at exploring and establishing a long-term lunar presence. Firefly plans to use a two-stage Blue Ghost […]
A study from NASA’s Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy found that some space debris removal methods are worth investing in because of their ability to clear clutter and reduce risks to satellites. According to the study, ground- and space-based lasers are the best tools to clear debris between 1 and 10 centimeters in diameter. […]
