Commercial Space Grooms LEO Markets
NASA Gives Boost to “Hybrid” Circulators, Launching mmWave Systems to New Heights
For both space and terrestrial mmWave applications, new hybrid designs enable maximum use of bandwidth while maintaining high isolation. When it comes to mmWave systems, science can only progress as far as compatible hardware will allow. This portion of the electromagnetic spectrum will unlock enormous potential for design engineers with the promise of vastly superior…
Momentus Completes All Regulatory Milestones for Inaugural Mission
U.S. commercial space company Momentus, that also plans to offer transportation and other in-space infrastructure services, announced that it has received a favorable determination from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of its application for payload review in support of the company’s inaugural flight of the Vigoride orbital transfer vehicle on the upcoming SpaceX Transporter-5 mission…
Inflatable Space Habitats Use Sensors Embedded in Webbing for Structural Health Monitoring
By Ted Fetterman Future human space exploration requires a safe living environment for astronauts. That is why a robust structural health monitoring (SHM) process is imperative to ensure equipment safety, particularly for the inflatable habitat structures that are the most cost-efficient solution to the astronauts’ living space needs. A novel approach is moving away from…
GMV Provides Core Software for German Armed Forces’ SSA Center
The German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) has recently awarded a contract to Atos and OHB DC to supply the “Space Situational Awareness Center Expansion Stage 1” (Weltraumlagezentrum, WRLageZ, Ausbaustufe 1) to the German Federal Armed Forces. This system, located in Uedem, will enable the German Armed Forces to…
Winners Announced for Lunar Exploration with a Miniaturized Payload Prototype Challenge
HeroX, the open marketplace for crowdsourced solutions, announced the winners of the “Honey, I Shrunk the NASA Payload, the Sequel” Challenge. The Challenge sought designs for miniature payload prototypes that could be sent to the Moon to help fill gaps in lunar knowledge. he first “Honey, I Shrunk the NASA Payload Challenge” launched on April…
st Bid to Catch, Recover Booster With Helicopter’>Rocket Maker Fails in 1st Bid to Catch, Recover Booster With Helicopter
Space company Rocket Lab failed May 3 in its first bid to catch and recover a launched rocket by a helicopter in midair off New Zealand, but said the attempt provided valuable data that will feed its effort to make the rocket model reusable. Long Beach, California-headquartered Rocket Lab’s two-stage Electron booster lifted off at…
Rocket Lab Deploys 34 Satellites and Catches Rocket Booster Returning from Space with Helicopter
Rocket Lab deploying 34 satellites to orbit Monday, May 2. Rocket Lab has now deployed a total of 146 satellites to orbit with the Electron launch vehicle. The mission also saw Rocket Lab complete a mid-air capture of the Electron booster with a helicopter for the first time. After launching to space, Electron’s first stage…
MetOp-SG-B Weather Satellite Scatterometer Flies Through Tests
The flight model of the Scatterometer Antenna Subsystem (SAS) of the MetOp Second Generation meteorological satellites has been officially delivered after four months of extensive testing at the Airbus facility in Madrid. It will now be transferred to Airbus in Friedrichshafen, Germany, where it will be integrated into the satellite along with the other instruments….
Rocket Lab Secures Multi-Launch Contract with HawkEye 360, Confirms First Launch Planned from Virginia
Rocket Lab announced it has been selected by Virginia-based HawkEye 360 to launch three Electron missions for the radio frequency geospatial analytics provider. The first of the three missions is scheduled to be Rocket Lab’s inaugural Electron mission from Launch Complex 2 on Wallops Island, Virginia, ushering in an era of Rocket Lab launches from…
Boryung, Axiom Space and Starburst Aerospace Announce First Annual Care In Space Challenge
Global aerospace accelerator and advisory firm Starburst announced that applications have opened for the first annual CIS (Care in Space) Challenge. The global challenge, led by Boryung in collaboration with Axiom Space and Starburst, will identify and provide commercialization support for emerging technologies and solutions that optimize human health for space travel and habitation and/or…
Rocket Lab to Attempt First Mid-Air Helicopter Capture of the Electron Rocket During Next Mission
Rocket Lab USA, Inc (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab”), a leading launch and space systems company, has announced today that during its next Electron launch, a commercial rideshare mission currently scheduled in April 2022, the company will attempt a mid-air helicopter capture of the Electron launch vehicle for the first time. The “There and Back Again”…
Unison Industries Signs Agreement with Blue Origin for BE-7, BE-3U and BE-4 Ignition Systems
Unison Industries announced a long-term agreement with Blue Origin to design, manufacture, test and support ignition systems for Blue Origin’s BE-7, BE-3U and BE-4 engines. The BE-4 engine, the world’s most powerful liquid oxygen/liquified natural gas engine, powers Blue Origin’s New Glenn and United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan launch vehicles. Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle is…
