[ad_1] Here’s the kicker: it’s also more powerful. NASA says the safer fuel offers about 50 percent better performance, so you can either go farther on the same fuel or reduce the amount of fuel you need to carry on a given mission. That could be particularly useful for missions to the Moon and Mars, […]
Category: Space
NASA opens the International Space Station to commercial ventures
[ad_1] “Providing expanded opportunities at the International Space Station to manufacture, market and promote commercial products and services will help catalyze and expand space exploration markets for many businesses,” the agency said. Private astronauts will be granted missions of up to 30 days to work on commercial projects, and we might see products manufactured in […]
China launches a rocket from a ship for the first time
[ad_1] While the US and Russia worked with other countries on the Sea Launch platform (which wound down in 2014), China is the only nation to have launched a rocket from sea using a platform and tech it fully owns, according to TechCrunch. The launch, however, took place from a private cargo ship. SpaceX, meanwhile, […]
Paul Allen’s Stratolaunch is reportedly shutting down
[ad_1] Stratolaunch was founded by Paul Allen in 2011 in an effort to develop an air launch to orbit system. It started showing signs of trouble in January this year, a few months after Allen passed away, when it announced that it was scaling back its operations. The company decided not to push through with […]
Most of SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites are already on track
[ad_1] The first batch of 60 Starlink internet satellites has been orbiting Earth for about a week, and now SpaceX has released a status update on the mission. According to a spokesperson, “all 60 satellites have deployed their solar arrays successfully, generated positive power and communicated with our ground stations.” The statement didn’t directly mention […]
NASA picks first commercial landing partners for return to the Moon
[ad_1] Every partner will provide “end-to-end” services like integration, launch and operations. And while each of the companies has proposed flying particular equipment, NASA will decide the exact payloads for each flight before the end of the summer. The possible devices will cover everything from general science through to human landing-oriented tasks like identifying the […]
An army of temps put a man on the moon
[ad_1] Ghost Work: How to Stop Silicon Valley from Building a New Global Underclassby Mary L. Gray and Siddharth Suri Our celebrated “titans of technology” — the Zuckerbergs, Dorseys, Pages and Brins — achieved their lofty positions with the help of countless contract workers. The internet wouldn’t, simply couldn’t, function as it does today without […]
SpaceX just launched a Falcon 9 loaded with Starlink internet satellites
[ad_1] After a pair of scrubbed launch attempts last week, SpaceX’s first rocket loaded with 60 Starlink satellites has successfully taken off from Cape Canaveral. One hour and two minutes after the 10:30 PM ET launch the satellites begin deployment, heading toward their operational altitude of 550km above the Earth. The 227kg units will use […]
SpaceX sues over ‘wrongly awarded’ Air Force rocket contracts
[ad_1] The firm also pointed to other criteria that it thought should have put it out front, including its ability to lower costs and offer vehicles that are “commercially viable.” Rivals, SpaceX argued, would have to “rely exclusively” on government contracts and thus drain taxpayer money. ULA was even going to rely on Russian rocket […]
NASA’s Astrobee cube robot completes first hardware tests in space
[ad_1] The robot and one of its companions, Honey, flew to the station on April 17th. When in service, the Astrobee robots will effectively become spaceborne Roombas — they’ll test how well robots can handle day-to-day maintenance and assist the crew. Ideally, future robots will take care of this drudgery so that humans can focus […]