Op-ed | Not all space capabilities should reside in Space Force
Wednesday, 23 December 2020 20:00We are approaching a watershed moment in the future of the U.S. Space Force. Will all space systems be consolidated into the new service, or will the other services retain some capabilities and personnel? The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act requires the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the service chiefs to report on the space-related missions and expertise that should remain within each service.
Foust Forward | A tale of two launch vehicle programs
Wednesday, 23 December 2020 18:01There was no clearer set of contrasts between how SpaceX and NASA approach launch vehicle development than the dueling tests the two performed in early December of Starship and Space Launch System, respectively.
It was hard to miss the Dec.
Japanese spacecraft's gifts: Asteroid chips like charcoal
Wednesday, 23 December 2020 15:06Beyond exits: Entrepreneurs look back on forming and selling space startups
Wednesday, 23 December 2020 14:34In recent commercial space acquisitions, founders largely have remained with the businesses they established or moved on to form new space companies. Two exceptions are Roccor co-founder Doug Campbell and Scott Larson, who co-founded UrtheCast and Helios Wire.
Firefly Aerospace's debut Alpha launch set to demonstrate Space Electric Thruster System
Wednesday, 23 December 2020 07:49Space Electric Thruster System (SETS), a Noosphere Ventures aerospace company, will undergo field testing in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) as part of the debut launch of the Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket, which is scheduled for the beginning of 2021 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, U.S.A. "The goal of the first SETS mission is to demonstrate and confirm the space worthiness and perfo
Voyager Space Holdings to buy all of Nanoracks
Wednesday, 23 December 2020 07:49Voyager Space Holdings has announced its intent to acquire a majority stake in XO Markets and its largest subsidiary Nanoracks. Nanoracks is the world's leading provider of commercial space services, offering low-cost, high-quality solutions to the most pressing needs for satellite deployment and basic and educational research in more than 30 nations worldwide. As part of the transaction,
Long March 8 rocket makes maiden flight
Wednesday, 23 December 2020 07:49Five days after China concluded its historic 23-day Chang'e 5 lunar mission, Chinese space engineers made a new achievement with the debut flight of the country's newest carrier rocket. The Long March 8, the latest in China's Long March launch vehicle fleet, lifted off at 12:37 pm on Tuesday from a coastal launchpad at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China's Hainan province.
GomSpace signs a three-party cooperation contract to develop science and technology activities with the Colombian Air force and CODALTEC
Wednesday, 23 December 2020 07:49GomSpace has signed the second FACSAT-2 contract to support advanced science and technology activities to enhance the satellite capabilities of the Colombian Airforce. The contract and collaboration consist of a three-party agreement between CODALTEC / Colombian Air Force ("FAC") and GomSpace to continue the FACSAT-2 satellite mission and associated intensive virtual technology transfer program.
NTU Singapore scientists invent glue activated by magnetic field
Wednesday, 23 December 2020 07:49Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), have developed a new way to cure adhesives using a magnetic field. Conventional adhesives like epoxy which are used to bond plastic, ceramics and wood are typically designed to cure using moisture, heat or light. They often require specific curing temperatures, ranging from room temperature up to 80 degrees Celsiu
Arianespace will orbit CSO-2 satellite for CNES and DGA on behalf of the French Ministry of Defense
Wednesday, 23 December 2020 07:49For its 10th and final launch of the year - and the fifth in 2020 with the Soyuz medium launcher - Arianespace will send the CSO-2 Earth observation satellite, intended for defense and security applications, into Sun-synchronous orbit. CSO-2 will be launched for the French CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales) space agency and the DGA (Direction generale de l'armement) defense procurem
Lockheed Martin set to takeover Aerojet Rocketdyne
Wednesday, 23 December 2020 07:49Lockheed Martin has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AJRD) for $56 per share in cash, which is expected to be reduced to $51 per share after the payment of a pre-closing special dividend. This represents a post-dividend equity value of $4.6 billion and a total transaction value of $4.4 billion including the assumption of net cash.
DARPA selects teams to capture potable water from air
Wednesday, 23 December 2020 07:49DARPA recently awarded five contracts and selected one Government partner to develop technology to capture potable water from the air in quantities sufficient to meet critical DoD needs, even in extremely dry climates. GE Research, Physical Sciences Inc., Honeywell International Inc., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Texas at Austin, and U.S. Naval Research Laboratory were ch
NASA, UN sign Memorandum of Understanding on Peaceful Uses of Space
Wednesday, 23 December 2020 07:49NASA and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) pledging cooperation in areas of science and technology to support the peaceful use of outer space. The MOU, signed Thursday, Dec. 17, brings together NASA's wealth of publicly available Earth observation data and dynamic exploration opportunities with UNOOSA's unique positio
Ultracold atoms reveal a new type of quantum magnetic behavior
Wednesday, 23 December 2020 07:49A new study illuminates surprising choreography among spinning atoms. In a paper appearing in the journal Nature, researchers from MIT and Harvard University reveal how magnetic forces at the quantum, atomic scale affect how atoms orient their spins. In experiments with ultracold lithium atoms, the researchers observed different ways in which the spins of the atoms evolve. Like tippy balle
Compressive fluctuations heat ions in space plasma
Wednesday, 23 December 2020 07:49New simulations carried out in part on the ATERUI II supercomputer in Japan have found that the reason ions exist at higher temperatures than electrons in space plasma is because they are better able to absorb energy from compressive turbulent fluctuations in the plasma. These finding have important implications for understanding observations of various astronomical objects such as the images of