Washington DC (SPX) Apr 13, 2021
DARPA has awarded contracts for the first phase of the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) program. The goal of the DRACO program is to demonstrate a nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) system above low Earth orbit in 2025. The three prime contractors are General Atomics, Blue Origin, and Lockheed Martin. Rapid maneuver is a core tenet of modern Department of Defense (D

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Apr 13, 2021
The search for life on other planets has received a major boost after scientists revealed the spectral signatures of almost 1000 atmospheric molecules that may be involved in the production or consumption of phosphine, a study led by UNSW Sydney revealed. Scientists have long conjectured that phosphine - a chemical compound made of one phosphorous atom surrounded by three hydrogen atoms (P

Munich, Germany (SPX) Apr 13, 2021
There are many questions surrounding the elementary particle neutrino, in particular regarding its mass. Physicists are also interested in whether besides the "classic" neutrinos there are variants such as the so-called sterile neutrinos. The KATRIN experiment has now succeeded in strongly narrowing the search for these elusive particles. The publication appeared recently in the journal Physical

Washington DC (SPX) Apr 13, 2021
he Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is pleased to announce that the US Army Geospatial Center (AGC) has raised its membership in OGC to Principal level. As a Principal Member of OGC, AGC will participate across OGC activities and serve in OGC's Planning Committee to help OGC advance geospatial interoperability and open systems. "It's great to see the US Army Geospatial Center upgradi

London, UK (SPX) Apr 13, 2021
In-Space Missions, the Hampshire-based company that designs, builds and operates satellites and plans space missions for clients all over the UK and internationally, has expanded into state-of-the-art new premises and announced plans to create some 200 new high-skilled jobs. In-Space has expanded into dedicated 500m2 offices in Alton, Hampshire in the UK to support its growing team and bus

Beijing, China (SPX) Apr 13, 2021
Clouds play a key role in balancing incoming and outgoing solar and thermal radiation. This is a critical process in the earth-atmosphere system. Monitoring cloud height, particle size, particle concentration, etc. are integral to understanding climate dynamics and global climate change. These physical attributes determine the radiative forcing effect of a cloud, or how much incoming radia

SAN FRANCISCO — Orbital Sidekick announced a $16 million Series A funding round April 13 led by Singapore investment giant Temasek that clears the way for the company to complete development of its first constellation of hyperspectral imaging satellites.

WASHINGTON — A test flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital vehicle, scheduled for as soon as April 14, will be a dress rehearsal for long-awaited crewed flights.

Blue Origin said April 12 that it will perform “astronaut operational exercises” before and after the flight of the vehicle at the company’s West Texas test site.

WASHINGTON — The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency selected Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin to develop competing spacecraft concepts for a demonstration of nuclear thermal propulsion, the agency announced April 12.

Under a program called DRACO, short for demonstration rocket for agile cislunar operations, DARPA wants to demonstrate nuclear thermal propulsion technology — using a nuclear reactor to heat up rocket fuel to generate thrust.

TAMPA, Fla. — Northrop Grumman’s MEV-2 satellite servicer successfully docked April 12 with Intelsat’s in-orbit 10-02 spacecraft.

The maneuver was completed at 1:34 p.m. Eastern, marking the first time a satellite servicer has docked with an in-service commercial satellite in geosynchronous orbit (GEO).