NanoAvionics' built satellite for Aurora Insight to fly on SpaceX's Transporter 1 mission
Tuesday, 19 January 2021 02:51
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NanoAvionics, a leading nanosatellite bus manufacturer and mission integrator, has announced that the first of two nanosatellites, built and integrated for US radio frequency spectrum and wireless data provider Aurora Insight, will be part of SpaceX's "Transporter 1" rideshare launch onboard a Falcon 9.
The nanosatellite, nicknamed "Charlie", forms one half of the two-satellite mission con Florida's Space Coast the Number 1 Launch Site in the World in 2020
Tuesday, 19 January 2021 02:51 Write a comment
Historical launches like the return to crewed space flight and Mars2020 helped propel Florida's Space Coast to their busiest launch year in decades, putting the region on the top of the list for launch activity in the world.
In 2020, 31 successful attempts flew from Florida's Space Coast surpassing the record in 1966 of 29 successful launches out of 31 orbital attempts and two suborbital a Analyzing different solid states of water on other planets and moons
Tuesday, 19 January 2021 02:51 Write a comment
Just like on Earth, water on other planets, satellites, and even comets comes in a variety of forms depending on multiple factors such as pressure and temperature. Aside from the gaseous, liquid, and solid states we are accustomed to, water can form a different type of crystalline solid called clathrate hydrate.
Although they look similar to ice, clathrate hydrates have actually small wate China's space station core module, cargo craft pass factory review
Tuesday, 19 January 2021 02:51 Write a comment
The core module of China's planned space station has passed a factory review, along with the project's Tianzhou-2 cargo craft and the core module mission products of the space application systems, the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) said Thursday.
The completion of the factory review, conducted by experts at China's manned space program, means the construction project of the Solar activity reconstructed over a millennium
Tuesday, 19 January 2021 02:51 Write a comment
What goes on in the sun can only be observed indirectly. Sunspots, for instance, reveal the degree of solar activity - the more sunspots are visible on the surface of the sun, the more active is our central star deep inside. Even though sunspots have been known since antiquity, they have only been documented in detail since the invention of the telescope around 400 years ago.
Thanks to tha Biden’s Defense nominee embraces view of space as a domain of war
Monday, 18 January 2021 23:47 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for defense secretary Lloyd Austin told lawmakers Jan. 19 that China is the United States’ “most concerning competitor” and in written testimony identified space as a growing national security concern.
NASA explores solar wind with new view of small sun structures
Monday, 18 January 2021 21:06
Former U.S. Air Force secretary Heather Wilson joins Maxar’s board of directors
Monday, 18 January 2021 20:13 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — Former secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson has joined the board of directors of Maxar Technologies, the company announced Jan. 19.
Wilson currently is president of the University of Texas El Paso.
Testing the waters: Analyzing different solid states of water on other planets and moons
Monday, 18 January 2021 19:35 Write a comment
Just like on Earth, water on other planets, satellites, and even comets comes in a variety of forms depending on multiple factors such as pressure and temperature.
SLS Green Run static fire cut short by “intentionally conservative” test limits
Monday, 18 January 2021 18:55 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — A static-fire test of the Space Launch System core stage ended early Jan. 16 when a hydraulic system for one its four engines hit an “intentionally conservative” limit during the test.
In a Jan.
Halted rocket test could stall NASA moon shot, redo possible
Monday, 18 January 2021 18:53 Write a comment
Redwire acquires Oakman Aerospace
Monday, 18 January 2021 16:29 Write a comment
SAN FRANCISCO – Private equity firm Redwire has acquired Oakman Aerospace, a Littleton, Colorado firm known for digital engineering and spacecraft development. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The acquisition announced Jan. 19 is the latest sign that Redwire is continuing to move rapidly to establish a multifaceted space company.
Keep this surface dirty
Monday, 18 January 2021 15:15 Write a comment
Image:
A ‘do not touch’ directive applies to both a Matisse painting and this Matiss experiment on board the International Space Station.
Designed to test the antibacterial properties of hydrophobic (or water-repelling) surfaces on the Station, the sample holders of the upgraded Matiss-2.5 experiment have done their work for roughly a year on board and are now back on Earth for analysis.
Bacteria are a big problem in space as they tend to build up in the constantly-recycled atmosphere of the Space Station. For the six astronauts living in humanity’s habitat in space, keeping the Station clean is an important
The first CubeSat with a Hall-effect thruster has gone to space
Monday, 18 January 2021 14:00 Write a comment
Student-led teams aren't the only ones testing out novel electric propulsion techniques recently. Back in November, a company called Exotrail successfully tested a completely new kind of electric propulsion system in space—a small Hall-effect thruster.
Hall effect thrusters themselves have been around for awhile. However, they have been limited in their practicality, primarily because of their size. Normally they are about the size of a refrigerator and require kilowatts of power, making them impractical for any small satellites.
That's where Exotrail's novel system shines. It is about the size of a 2 liter bottle of soda (or pop if you're from that part of the world), and only requires around 50 watts of power. This makes the propulsion system ideal for satellites ranging from 10 to 250 kg.
The demonstration system launched aboard a PSLV rocket on November 7th, and completed its first in flight maneuvers using the Hall effect thruster in December. With those tests successfully completed the team plans further testing to prove how useful these thrusters can be for collision avoidance, orbital maintenance, and intentional deorbiting.