Manned Systems

Spacecraft

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Podcasts
RF & Microwave Electronics

The Army's Vision for Space and Satellite Communications

Col. Pete Atkinson, Principal Space Advisor for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, discusses the Army’s space vision at AUSA 2024.

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Podcasts
RF & Microwave Electronics

The Future of Space Mobility

Kevin Lausten, President of Morpheus Space, is the guest on this episode of Season 5 of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast.

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Podcasts
Data Acquisition

Developing a Data-Driven Digital Strategy for Space Force Operations

Dan Laubach, Raft LLC's Senior Director of Programs, is the guest on episode 2 of season 5 of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast.

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INSIDER
Propulsion

Pangea Aerospace to Design Next Generation Rocket Engine for European Space Agency

Pangea Aerospace has been tasked by the European Space Agency (ESA) to design and identify de-risking technologies for a Very High Thrust rocket engine for...

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Sensors/Data Acquisition

Designing Next-Generation Carbon Dioxide Removal Technology for Better Life in Space

The International Space Station (ISS) is made livable in great part thanks to a system that captures and removes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air. The...

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RF & Microwave Electronics

Stanford Engineers Conduct Groundbreaking In-Orbit Test of Satellite 'Swarm' Navigation

Someday, instead of large, expensive individual space satellites, teams of smaller satellites – known by scientists as a “swarm” – will work in...

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Manned Systems

Starliner to Perform Uncrewed Return Flight From International Space Station This Week

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is scheduled to make an uncrewed return flight to Earth on Friday, Sept. 6, while the two astronauts who flew the...

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Articles
Software

Microchip’s New Microprocessor to Enable Generational Leap in Spaceflight Computing

Microchip is launching a new class of microprocessors that the company claims will provide a generational leap in the computational performance of spacecraft avionics. Read on to learn more about it.

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INSIDER
Sensors/Data Acquisition

ESA to Test Canadian Startup's Diamond Quantum Sensors in Space

SBQuantum, a Sherbrooke, Canada-based startup developing quantum diamond magnetometers capable of providing accurate readings from space, announced a pair of new contracts this...

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INSIDER
Electronics & Computers

This Laser Clock Could Transform Satellite Navigation Accuracy

A new laser clock from the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) has achieved a record level of accuracy for optical clocks with gas cells:...

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Articles
Photonics/Optics

Space Lasers: Aiming Towards Next Leap in Global Communications

Space lasers are transforming the world. Not the far-off future of science fiction, but the universe of how data and communications flow today — everywhere from deep space missions to countless applications here on earth, including consumer internet services, military operations, and banking transactions. Read on to learn more.

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News
Software

Space Docking and Satellite AI Research

Can electro adhesive forces help ease the process of docking in-orbit satellites? A team of industry and University of Colorado Boulder researchers is determined to find out.

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INSIDER
Manned Systems

SpaceX to Develop ISS Deorbit Vehicle for NASA

NASA has selected SpaceX to develop and deliver the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle that will provide the capability to deorbit the International Space Station (ISS) and ensure avoidance of risk to...

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RF & Microwave Electronics

Space Lasers: Aiming Towards Next Leap in Global Communications

Space lasers are transforming the world. Not the far-off future of science fiction, but the universe of how data and communications flow today — everywhere from deep space...

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INSIDER
Design

How Sandia’s New Digital Engineering Tool Helps Reimagine Design of Radar Systems

In a whirling geopolitical landscape of new nuclear weapons, hypersonic weapons, drones and satellites, the U.S. is hustling to test new kinds of radars...

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Articles
Electronics & Computers

How SpaceVPX is Influencing the Design of Next Generation Spacecraft Avionics

SpaceVPX is an embedded computing standard based on bridging the VMEBus International Trade Association (VITA) OpenVPX standards to space applications. OpenVPX is a set of embedded computing system standards that are widely used in safety critical aerospace and defense platforms such as vehicles and weapons.

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Application Briefs
Manned Systems

Final Delta IV Heavy Rocket Launched

This launch marks the end of an era as it is the final Delta IV Heavy rocket and the end of the Delta program. The NROL-70 mission puts into orbit a national security payload that will deliver critical space-based information to our nation’s warfighters, intelligence analysts, and decision makers.

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Articles
Photonics/Optics

NASA’s Optical Communications Demo Transmits Data Over 140 Million Miles

This achievement provides a glimpse into how spacecraft could use optical communications in the future, enabling higher-data-rate communications of complex scientific information as well as high-definition imagery and video in support of humanity’s next giant leap: sending humans to Mars.

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Design

ESA’s Future Low Earth Orbit Cargo Return Service Spacecraft

The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a new €25 million contract with Thales Alenia Space to demonstrate a complete cargo delivery service to and from space stations in...

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Manned Systems

Boeing Starliner Launch Delayed to Test Helium Leak Repair

Boeing, NASA and United Launch Alliance (ULA) are targeting a May 21 launch date for the crewed flight test of the Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS).

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Manufacturing & Prototyping

Three Companies to Lead Development of Artemis Lunar Terrain Vehicles

NASA has selected three different companies to lead the development of capabilities for the lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) that astronauts intend to use to travel around the...

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RF & Microwave Electronics

Three Companies to Build New Multi-Orbit Logistics Prototype Spacecraft

Utilizing commercial technology to facilitate greater in-space mobility for the Department of Defense (DoD), the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is working with three...

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Aerospace

This Avionics Computer Enables Image Data Processing, Payload Control for NASA IM-1 Mission

Aitech provided a complete avionics computer system to Intuitive Machines for the IM-1 Mission, that successfully landed on the Moon on February 22,...

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Aerospace

Virgin Galactic Reports on Pin Detachment From Recent Spaceflight

During a routine postflight review of its most recent space flight, “Galactic 06,” Virgin Galactic determined that an alignment pin detached from the launch pylon of its...

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Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Peregrine Spacecraft Suffers Propellant Leak After Successful Rocket Launch

Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander suffered a failure within its propulsion system after deploying from the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket on...

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Articles
Manufacturing & Prototyping

How to Select the Right Silicone for Space Applications

Selecting the right silicone manufacturer with a proven track record of extensive experience in the application and customization of space-grade silicones is as important as considering the materials’ function, purity and process requirements when choosing a silicone for space applications.

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Application Briefs
Power

RS-25 Rocket Engines

Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies company, recently completed installation of all four RS-25 main engines on the core stage of NASA’s second Space Launch System (SLS) exploration rocket, binding them to a common destiny: launching humans beyond low Earth orbit for the first time in more than five decades.

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Application Briefs
Aerospace

Air Force Receives First Joby eVTOL

The U.S. Air Force received its first electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft from Joby Aviation six months ahead of the expected 2024 delivery date. The delivery was completed during a September ceremony at Edwards Air Force Base.

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Mechanical & Fluid Systems

RAMFIRE Project Develops, Tests 3D-Printed Aluminum Rocket Engine Nozzle

NASA recently built and tested an additively-manufactured – or 3D printed – rocket engine nozzle made of aluminum, making it lighter than conventional nozzles and...

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