NASA sets up Moon to Mars office
HOUSTON — As preparations for the Artemis 2 mission ramp up, NASA has established a congressionally mandated office to oversee planning for that and future missions to the moon.
Thuraya invests in Astrocast’s LEO constellation
TAMPA, Fla. — Thuraya is providing Swiss small satellite operator Astrocast a $17.5 million financial lifeline in a deal that marks the Emirati company’s first investment in a low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation.
Why will NASA’s Artemis 2 only fly around the moon, not orbit or land?
Artemis 2, which NASA aims to launch in November 2024, will send a crew of four on a test flight that will take them once around the moon and back. But the agency has already placed numerous astronauts on the moon during the Apollo program, so why won’t Artemis 2 orbit the moon or land on the lunar surface?
Extremely flat cosmic explosion dubbed ‘the Cow’ defies explanation
A bizarre object called “the Cow” is the flattest explosion ever detected, and the first example of a rare phenomenon called a fast blue optical transient (FBOT).
NASA policy discourages naming missions after individuals
WASHINGTON — A new NASA policy makes it unlikely future missions will be named after individuals in response to the controversy surrounding the naming of the James Webb Space Telescope.
Japan delays H2A launch in the wake of H3 failure
SEOUL, South Korea – Japan has delayed the launch of a H-2A rocket planned for May to no earlier than August in the wake of the failed inaugural flight of H3 rocket.
Lockheed Martin selected by Australia for military satcom project
WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin was selected as the “preferred bidder” for a multibillion-dollar Australian military project to build military communications satellites and supporting infrastructure.
Astronauts that hibernate on long spaceflights is not just for sci-fi. We could test it in 10 years.
The first hibernation studies with human subjects could be feasible within a decade, a European Space Agency (ESA) researcher thinks.
Four for the moon! NASA names Artemis 2 astronaut crew for 1st lunar mission since Apollo
The Artemis 2 crew will become the 25th through 28th people to voyage to the moon.
Japanese lander enters lunar orbit
WASHINGTON — A lunar lander developed by Japanese company ispace has entered orbit around the moon, setting up a lunar landing attempt by the end of April.
South Korea’s Innospace succeeds in test launch
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean rocket startup Innospace successfully launched a suborbital rocket from Brazil over the weekend, demonstrating a hybrid motor it plans to scale up into a small orbital launch vehicle.
The next space frontier: your backyard
Once upon a time, space was a business of two superpowers. Since the end of the Apollo era, a growing number of state and non-state actors have joined the club, with commercial space recently driving much of the expansion of space activities.
Getting real about space business models
Innovation is happening in space. There is an exciting profusion of new ideas, companies, and funding in the space market. At the same time, we are also seeing pressures as investors seek to better understand their likely returns, driving more rigorous examination of space business models.
Designing a drone that can search for life on other planets
More than 600 miles north of the Arctic Circle is a small island called Devon, home to the Haughton impact crater. Haughton is a cold, dry and windy Arctic desert that is nearly always light in the summer and always dark in the winter. Its average temperature over the year is 1 degree Fahrenheit (minus 17 degrees Celsius).