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Astronomers May Have Found an Interstellar Comet. Here’s Why That Matters.
It’s looking likely that a newly discovered comet is actually an interstellar interloper from beyond our solar system. Since its discovery on 30 August, more and more measurements of C/2019 Q4 (Borisov)—named after the amateur astronomer from Crimea who found it—indicate it isn’t orbiting our Sun. Even NASA now says the comet’s extrasolar origin is promising. If…
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India Just Found Its Lost Vikram Lander on the Moon, Still No Signal
India’s Chandrayaan-2 orbiter circling the moon has spotted the country’s lost Vikram lander on the lunar surface, but there is still no signal from the lander, according to Indian media reports. K Sivan, chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation, said today (Sept. 8) that the Vikram lander was located by Chandrayaan-2 and efforts to restore contact…
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This Month in Space History | September 2019
“It’s not good enough for us to have generations of kids that… look forward to a better version of a cell phone with a video in it. They need to look forward to exploration” – Burt Rutan Mark Your Calendars From the announcement of a new Manned Spacecraft Center to first successful unmanned trip around…
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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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Nuclear Propulsion Could Be ‘Game-Changer’ for Space Exploration, NASA Chief Says
Humanity’s next giant leap could be enabled by next-gen nuclear tech, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said. During the sixth meeting of the National Space Council (NSC) today (Aug. 20), the NASA chief lauded the potential of nuclear thermal propulsion, which would harness the heat thrown off by fission reactions to accelerate propellants such as hydrogen to tremendous…
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Blue Origin files protest over ‘flawed’ Air Force launch procurement
Blue Origin filed a “pre-award” protest with the GAO, arguing that the rules set by the Air Force do not allow for a fair and open competition. WASHINGTON — Blue Origin filed a protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office on Monday challenging the Air Force’s plan to select two providers in the next procurement…
Read MoreReport outlines SpaceX’s plans for Starship launches from KSC
WASHINGTON — SpaceX plans to build facilities at the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A for launches and, eventually, landings of its next-generation launch vehicle, according to a newly released report. An environment assessment prepared by SpaceX, and released by NASA Aug. 1, discusses plans to develop additional facilities at LC-39A, which currently hosts Falcon 9…
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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…
Read MoreThe Aerospace Corporation finds new purpose in space
This article originally appeared in the June 10, 2019 issue of SpaceNews magazine. Founded in 1960 to help the U.S. Air Force develop the first missiles, rockets and satellites, the El Segundo, California-based nonprofit currently finds itself increasingly called upon to help the Defense Department navigate a rapidly evolving commercial space industry. Kevin Bell, vice…
Read MoreThree rules for building a megaconstellation
This article originally appeared in the June 10, 2019 issue of SpaceNews magazine. Six years ago, Planet began launching smallsats for a constellation that today numbers 140, making it the largest commercial satellite system in the world. By the end of this year, Planet may no longer hold that title. OneWeb and SpaceX, which began…
Read MoreThis Month in Space History
This Month in Space History | July 2019 “There are great ideas undiscovered, breakthroughs available to those who can remove one of truth’s protective layers. There are places to go beyond belief.” – Neil Armstrong Arguable the greatest milestone in space history. Fifty years ago, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the moon.…
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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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