Space Symposium adopts hybrid live and virtual format
Wednesday, 28 April 2021 15:08
SAN FRANCISCO – The 36th annual Space Symposium will follow a hybrid model, streaming keynote remarks, presentations, panel discussions from the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs Aug. 23-26 to virtual attendees around the world.
Currently, the Space Foundation is preparing for 50% occupancy in meeting rooms with total attendance of nearly 6,000 people including attendees, exhibitors, media and support staff.
Op-ed | Competition delivers the goods and the crew for all NASA commercial space services
Wednesday, 28 April 2021 15:01
On April 23, SpaceX launched a crew of international astronauts to the Space Station. This marks the third human spaceflight success for the firm’s Crew Dragon Capsule, developed under NASA’s Commercial Crew program. The amazing accomplishments of this program and of its predecessor, Comercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS), which funded development of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and the cargo version of Dragon, depended not only on great engineering by SpaceX and other NASA vendors, but also upon the power of system redundancy and market competition.
ESA Explores a fictional asteroid impact
Wednesday, 28 April 2021 14:00
Once every two years, asteroid experts around the globe meet up and pretend an asteroid impact is imminent. Why? To prepare for the likely – but plausible – scenario in which this comes true.
Senate Commerce Committee advances Nelson nomination to lead NASA
Wednesday, 28 April 2021 13:56
WASHINGTON — Bill Nelson is one step closer to being NASA’s next administrator after his former colleagues on the Senate Commerce Committee voted to advance his nomination.
The committee, meeting in executive session April 28, favorably reported his nomination on a voice vote and without debate.
Max Polyakov buys Dragonfly Aerospace to fill out integrated space strategy
Wednesday, 28 April 2021 13:04
TAMPA, Fla. — Serial entrepreneur Max Polyakov has made the next step in his vertically integrated space strategy, acquiring South African small satellite specialist Dragonfly Aerospace for an undisclosed sum.
Dragonfly mainly builds high-resolution cameras for spacecraft but plans to produce small satellites that could be launched by Firefly Aerospace, which Polyakov owns through his Silicon Valley-based investment vehicle Noosphere Ventures Partners.
Scientists don spacesuits to explore Hawaiian lava tubes as if they were on Mars
Wednesday, 28 April 2021 11:18
Imagine trying to pick up a pebble or scrape microbes off a cave wall in a bulky spacesuit with puffy gloves on, under a time constraint because you don't want to run out of oxygen. That's what the analog astronauts do daily at the HI-SEAS moonbase habitat in Hawaii as they prepare for future missions to the moon and Mars, says Michaela Musilova of the International MoonBase Alliance (IMA) and director of HI-SEAS, the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation.
Musilova will present the latest on her team's research on Hawaiian lava tubes, and the challenges of trying to do research in spacesuits, this week at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly 2021.
HI-SEAS is an analog lunar and Martian habitat and research station located high on the volcano Mauna Loa, on Hawaii's Big Island.
US, Israel expand cooperation to the space domain
Wednesday, 28 April 2021 10:34
Responsible Space Behavior for the New Space Era
Wednesday, 28 April 2021 10:34
Fooling fusion fuel: How to discipline unruly plasma
Wednesday, 28 April 2021 10:34
Spotting cows from space
Wednesday, 28 April 2021 10:34
Intuitive Machines’ first lunar lander mission slips to 2022
Wednesday, 28 April 2021 10:27
WASHINGTON — The first lunar lander mission by Intuitive Machines, which had been scheduled for launch late this year, has been delayed to early 2022 by its launch provider, SpaceX.
Intuitive Machines had planned to launch its Nova-C lander on the IM-1 mission in the fourth quarter of this year on a SpaceX Falcon 9, carrying a combination of commercial and NASA payloads.
Forest measuring satellite passes tests with flying colours
Wednesday, 28 April 2021 08:53
With challenges imposed by the Covid pandemic, engineers building and testing ESA’s Biomass satellite have had to come up with some clever working methods to keep on track whilst adhering to safety rules. The result is that the satellite structure is not only complete, but has also undergone a series of demanding tests to ensure it will withstand the rigours of liftoff – all bringing the launch of this extraordinary forest carbon mapping mission one step closer.
Setting sail for sustainable space
Wednesday, 28 April 2021 08:20
Space is getting crowded. Old satellites, rocket bodies and fragments of both are leaving little space for new satellites to reside in that is free from debris.
The risk of collision with debris and even functioning satellites is increasing, especially in low-Earth orbit, putting many of Earth’s climate, ocean and land monitoring missions in harm’s way.
ESA is working alongside private business to clean up space by developing new missions and technologies that will remove debris from orbit. No space agency or business could solve the debris problem alone, but if it becomes
China to launch Heavenly Harmony space station core module
Wednesday, 28 April 2021 08:03
Space debris: feel the burn
Wednesday, 28 April 2021 06:44
It might be counter-intuitive, but designing satellites to better fall apart is one of the key strategies to combat space debris. Developed by ESA’s Clean Space initiative, the approach is called ‘Design for Demise’ and involves making sure that derelict satellites will break up and burn up fully as they reenter the atmosphere.