The vast distance between Earth and the Red Planet poses a significant challenge, as do the radiation and thermal issues spacecraft will experience on the journey. Still, the prospect of harnessing commercial innovation to reduce the cost of studying Mars is too enticing to ignore.
WASHINGTON — Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft successfully landed in New Mexico early Sept. 7, completing the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission but without any crew on board.
WASHINGTON — The European Space Agency successfully deorbited the first of four Cluster space science satellites Sept. 8, performing a first-of-its-kind “targeted reentry” over the South Pacific.
WASHINGTON — A multibillion-dollar NASA mission to a potentially habitable moon of Jupiter has been cleared to begin final preparations for an October launch after resolving concerns about electronics on the spacecraft.
Moog Inc. (NYSE: MOG.A and MOG.B), a worldwide designer, manufacturer, and integrator of precision motion control components and systems, announces the development of its newest space computer to support the next-generation of on-orbit computing needs. The innovative Moog Cascade Single Board Computer (SBC) is the latest advancement of high-speed, radiation-hardened space computers for multi-mission, bus/payload applications for all orbital regimes.
HELSINKI — Thailand has signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation on the China-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).
As humanity embarks on a new era of space exploration, of establishing permanent human bases on the moon and Mars, sustainability must become the bedrock of our exploration efforts beyond Earth. With the NASA-led Artemis program, private lunar exploration initiatives and the China-led upcoming International Lunar Research Station, our return to the moon and push towards Mars are set to define the 21st century. However, as we chart these new territories, the environments of the moon and Mars are at risk of irreversible alteration by human activity. We must adopt sustainability as a core principle in space exploration to safeguard their pristine environments and, by extension, our own future on Earth.
WASHINGTON — Intuitive Machines says it is organizing a coalition of organizations that will offer to take over a NASA lunar rover mission, launching it on one of the company’s landers.
WASHINGTON — A NASA payload will hitch a ride to the moon on Blue Origin’s first lunar lander mission, scheduled to launch as soon as next March.
WASHINGTON — Legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate would create a new center devoted to protecting astronomy from interference caused by satellite constellations even as existing efforts involving organizations and companies make progress.
WASHINGTON — U.S. defense contractor Northrop Grumman plans to lay off 550 full-time employees at its space business facilities in Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach, California, marking another round of job cuts in the sector.
HELSINKI — A Chinese Long March 6A rocket’s upper stage has fragmented into a cloud of over 700 pieces of space debris, adding to concerns about long-term orbital safety.
WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab launched a Capella Space radar imaging satellite Aug. 11 on a mission that illustrated the flexibility offered by, but also the challenges facing, small launch vehicles.
WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin is buying smallsat manufacturer Terran Orbital, months after the company dropped earlier plans for an acquisition.