Boston MA (SPX) Feb 24, 2022
If faced with the choice of sending a swarm of full-sized, distinct robots to space, or a large crew of smaller robotic modules, you might want to enlist the latter. Modular robots, like those depicted in films such as "Big Hero 6," hold a special type of promise for their self-assembling and reconfiguring abilities. But for all of the ambitious desire for fast, reliable deployment in domains ex

Ankara, Turkey (SPX) Feb 24, 2022
Plan-S Satellite and Space Technologies, a Turkish provider of end-to-end satellite solutions for global IoT services, have signed a series of agreements to launch three IoT tech demo satellites onboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 via Exolaunch, a global leader in launch, in-space logistics and deployment services for small satellites. The satellites being built by Plan-S will be launched in the second ha

Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 24, 2022
Before the science team says "OK TO GO!," today's plan involves getting one of the last looks at the rocks right below the Greenheugh Pediment, some observations at the contact between them, and some higher up on Gediz-Vallis Ridge. The rover will collect two APXS measurements on "Galdenoch," one a brushed location and another offset from it, including some MAHLI images (see image) to docu

Bristol UK (SPX) Feb 24, 2022
Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has signed a study contract with the European Space Agency worth one million euros for a payload concept to extract oxygen from Moon rock. For a sustainable habitation on the Moon, humans will need to utilise resources that they find on the Moon rather than transport these resources from Earth; one of these resou

Boston MA (SPX) Feb 24, 2022
This year NASA hopes to return astronauts to the Moon as early as March or April. Strategically, the Moon has something essential for life in space: water. Lunar ice can supply oxygen for human life and hydrogen fuel for deep space travel. But, navigating the dangerous Lunar surface is not for the faint of heart. You wouldn't build a home on sand. Would you? The Moon is no differen

Huntsville AL (SPX) Feb 24, 2022
Under Artemis, NASA plans to return to the Moon using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. This will require lunar surface systems that can deliver continuous, reliable power to support mining and construction, research activities, and human habitation. The newest phase of NASA's Watts on the Moon Challenge offers up to $4.5 million in prizes to de

Riverside CA (SPX) Feb 24, 2022
A chemical used in electric vehicle batteries could also give us carbon-free fuel for space flight, according to new UC Riverside research. In addition to emission reductions, this chemical also has several advantages over other types of rocket fuels: higher energy, lower costs, and no requirement for frozen storage. The chemical, ammonia borane, is currently used for storing the hyd

Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (SPX) Feb 24, 2022
Rocket Lab USA, Inc (Nasdaq: RKLB) has announced the completion of its second orbital launch pad at Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand - the Company's third dedicated pad for its Electron rocket - and confirmed the new pad's first mission will be a dedicated commercial launch scheduled to lift-off within a week's time. Pad B is based within Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, the world's first priva

Orlando FL (UPI) Feb 24, 2022
The crisis over Russia's Ukrainian aggression presents NASA and other space agencies with the most serious diplomatic strain in the 22-year history of the International Space Station partnership, experts said. Russia is a major partner with the United States, Europe, Japan and Canada in the space station's maintenance and operation. Russia provides critical cargo and crew transport,