Projected increase in space travel may damage ozone layer

NASA announces Artemis concept awards for nuclear power on moon

NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are working together to advance space nuclear technologies. The agencies have selected three design concept proposals for a fission surface power system design that could be ready to launch by the end of the decade for a demonstration on the moon. This technology would benefit future exploration under the Artemis umbrella.
The contracts, to be awarded through the DOE's Idaho National Laboratory, are each valued at approximately $5 million. The contracts fund the development of initial design concepts for a 40-kilowatt class fissionpower system planned to last at least 10 years in the lunar environment.
Relatively small and lightweight compared to other power systems, fission systems are reliable and could enable continuous power regardless of location, available sunlight, and other natural environmental conditions.
NASA moves up Lunar Trailblazer launch

NASA has found a new ride for a small lunar orbiter mission that will allow the spacecraft to avoid a two-year wait for its launch.
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UK mulls Starlink expansion plan under new NGSO regulations

The United Kingdom launched a public consultation June 21 under a recently strengthened licensing regime to consider Starlink’s expansion plans.
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Space chief hopes for 'Kennedy moment' from European leaders

Velo3D makes in-kind investment in Plasmos

Propulsion startup Plasmos is testing its first rocket engine thanks to a $250,000 in-kind investment from Velo3D, a metal additive manufacturing startup.
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D-Orbit books Isar Aerospace launch for orbital transfer vehicle

Germany’s Isar Aerospace announced plans June 22 to launch an orbital transfer vehicle no earlier than 2023 for Italian space logistics company D-Orbit.
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A modern space race needs to be built on sustainability
Researchers have called for a more sustainable approach to the UK's National Space Strategy in a new publication from The University of Manchester, On Space.
Based on leading research and expertise on innovative and emerging technologies, experts are calling for sustainability to be at the forefront of humanity's next phase of space exploration. In On Space, experts ask policymakers to con China looks set to build space solar power station
China has made a milestone advance in its effort to build a solar power station in space to convert the sunlight in outer space into an electrical supply to drive the satellites in orbits or transmit power back to the Earth.
A research team from Xidian University has wrapped up the world's first full-chain, system-wide ground verification for space solar power station this month, displayin A Long History of Flowing Water Recorded in Clay-Bearing Sediments on Mars
A region on Mars may have been repeatedly habitable until relatively late in Martian history, says a new paper by Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Catherine Weitz.
Some of the most extensively preserved landforms on Mars created by running water on its surface are found within the Margaritifer Terra region where deposits of clay-bearing sediments have been identified. "The pres 