Space News
Why Astronomers Worry About the Brightness of SpaceX’s Starlink Satellite Megaconstellation
SpaceX is planning to launch the second installment of its Starlink megaconstellation on Monday (Nov. 11), and astronomers are waiting to see — well, precisely what they will see. When the company launched its first set of Starlink internet satellites in May, those with their eyes attuned to the night sky immediately realized that the objects were…
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Boeing offers SLS-launched lunar lander to NASA
WASHINGTON — Boeing announced Nov. 5 that it has submitted a proposal to NASA to develop a lunar lander that could be launched in a single piece on a Space Launch System rocket. The company said its “Fewest Steps to the Moon” proposal, submitted for NASA’s Human Landing Services program, minimized the number of launches…
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The 1st Human on Mars May Be a Woman, NASA Chief Says
When NASA sends humans to the moon for the first time in more than half a century, one lucky astronaut will go down in history for becoming the first woman on the moon. Then it won’t be long before we see the first woman on Mars, and she just might beat the first man there,…
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Op-ed | The space industry: A closer look at the new ecosystem
“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Those immortal words belong to history. But in the long story of human evolution, 50 years is only the blink of an eye, hardly of import when measured against the rhythm of civilizations. Fifty years is significant when measured in a human life span, affecting…
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Why NASA’s Annoyed About Elon Musk’s Giant Rocket
SpaceX has never flown a person into space in its first spacecraft, the Crew Dragon. But already Musk is showing off his big, shiny Starship — and NASA is bristling. SpaceX has never flown a person into space in its Crew Dragon, its first crew-capable spacecraft. But already the company is showing off its much…
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#Incognito – #NASA
“The most important thing we can do is inspire young minds and to advance the kind of science, math and technology education that will help youngsters take us to the next phase of space travel.” – John Glenn Mark Your Calendars October brings the first artificial satellite and John Glenn’s return to space 36 years…
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World Space Week 2019 | The Moon: Gateway to the Stars
Happy World Space Week In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly passed as resolution recognizing October 4th-10th as World Space Week. This year’s theme is “The Moon: Gateway to the Stars.” The annual week long celebration is dedicated to “the contributions of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition.” An international…
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SpaceX Finishes Assembling New Starship Prototype (Photo)
We can now take the full measure of SpaceX’s latest Starship prototype. The company has mated the top and bottom halves of the Starship Mk1 vehicle at its South Texas facilities, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said today (Sept. 27). “Starship halves being joined,” he posted on Twitter, along with a photo of the sleek silver Mk1.…
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Can satellite megaconstellations be responsible users of space?
For many in the space industry, so-called “megaconstellations” of communications satellites are the next big thing. Such systems have the potential to provide services from tracking planes and ships to offering broadband internet access more effectively than existing satellite systems or terrestrial alternatives. They offer a feel-good story about connecting the world as well as…
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Space station gets a new docking port in key upgrade for Boeing and SpaceX visits
Two NASA astronauts floated outside the International Space Station early Wednesday and helped attach a second docking port for commercial crew ships being built by Boeing and SpaceX. They also routed and connected cables to expand the lab’s external wireless network and provide backup power to the station’s robot arm. in the station’s Quest airlock, astronauts…
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NASA warns commercial crew delays create uncertainty in ISS operations
ATLANTA — As NASA praises the increased amount of research being performed on the International Space Station, the station’s manager cautions that uncertainty about commercial crew vehicles may disrupt station operations in the year ahead. In an opening keynote at the ISS Research and Development Conference here July 30, Kirk Shireman, NASA’s ISS program manager,…
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Maxar to install NASA pollution sensor on commercial satellite
SAN FRANCISCO — Maxar Technologies plans to install a NASA sensor to monitor air pollution over North America on a commercial communications satellite scheduled to travel to geostationary orbit in 2022, NASA and Maxar announced July 22. Maxar executives are speaking with multiple customers about flying the payload but have not yet signed a contract…
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NASA selects Titan drone for next New Frontiers mission
MIAMI — NASA announced June 27 it will send a spacecraft to Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, to fly across its surface to study how life there, and on the early Earth, could have developed. The agency said it selected Dragonfly as the next mission in its New Frontiers line of medium-class planetary science…
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NASA to seek proposals for Gateway logistics
ORLANDO — NASA will issue a formal call for proposals later this summer for cargo transportation services for its lunar Gateway, seeking to model that effort on the space station’s commercial cargo program. NASA released a draft request for proposals (RFP) for its Gateway Logistics Services program June 14, seeking industry comment by July 10.…
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Capella Space gets ready for primetime as constellation operator
SAN ANTONIO – Capella Space is expanding its staff and placing bulk orders as it begins making the transition from research and development startup to satellite constellation operator. San Francisco-based Capella launched the first small U.S. radar satellite in December 2018. Capella has not published any imagery from that satellite, a technology demonstration called Denali.…
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