ACT wins NASA’s funding for thermal control solutions for harsh lunar environments

Advanced Cooling Technologies (ACT) has won NASA funding for thermal control solutions that enable vehicles and other equipment to survive harsh lunar environments without an active power source. The Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based thermal solutions provider said it will use the $5 million NASA Sequential Phase II SBIR Program Award to develop a ‘toolbox’ of heat transport,Read More

1st ViaSat-3 on track to launch in 2022 despite ongoing pandemic-related challenges

The first ViaSat-3 broadband satellite is on track to launch in the first half of 2022 despite ongoing pandemic-related challenges, according to Viasat’s recently appointed chief operating officer Kevin Harkenrider. The high-throughput satellite’s Viasat-built payload has been integrated with a chassis provided by Boeing for tests that will continue into early next year, Harkenrider saidRead More

NASA issues awards for advance development of commercial space stations

NASA issued awards valued at more than $400 million to three groups of companies to advance development of commercial space stations, keeping those efforts on track to succeed the International Space Station by the end of the decade despite skepticism from the agency’s inspector general. NASA announced three funded Space Act Agreements as part ofRead More

OneWeb signs JDA with GDC Advanced Technology

OneWeb, a global communications company powered by Space, has signed a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) with GDC Advanced Technology. The agreement with the world-class aircraft modification and technology company sees the two industry leaders collaborate on the development of a new In-Flight Connectivity terminal that will enable airlines to connect their aircraft, passengers, and crewRead More

UNOOSA selects ‘ClimClam’ team for a free 1 year mission aboard ISS

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and Airbus Defence and Space have selected the winner of their joint opportunity for a free one year mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The climate mission supporting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals will fly on Bartolomeo, the Airbus external payload hosting platform. The winningRead More

Airbus Defense & Space to collaborate with MBRSC on Emirates Lunar Mission

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has signed a MoU with Airbus Defense and Space to collaborate on the Emirates Lunar Mission. It will work in the field of material testing in-situ on the surface of the Moon by means of the material adhesive demonstration (MAD) experiment. The MoU further details other scopes ofRead More

NASA targets launch for 1st Space Launch System mission in early 2022

A top NASA official says the agency will soon set a target launch date for the first Space Launch System mission, but that it’s “more than likely” it will slip into early 2022. Speaking at a Maryland Space Business Roundtable webinar in September, NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana said a firm date for the launchRead More

China heavy-lift rocket to be ready by 2028

China is showcasing a number of elements for future human lunar landing missions at a major airshow and stating that super heavy-lift rocket will be ready by 2028. Two super heavy-lift rockets, the return capsule from a prototype new-generation crew spacecraft, its parachutes and a Chang’e-5 spacecraft were on display at the 13th Zhuhai AirshowRead More

China launches 4 communications satellites in 2 launches within hours of each other

China launched four new communications satellites this week in two launches from different launch sites, within hours of each other, as the country’s intense launch activity continues. First up, a Long March 2C lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, northwest China on Aug. 24. The rocket used a YuanzhengRead More

Mubadala collaborates with BAE Systems to produce RAD510 system on single board computers for space

Mubadala’s GlobalFoundries is collaborating with BAE Systems to produce radiation-hardened RAD510 System on Chip (SoC) single board computers (SBCs) for space. Designed by BAE Systems and manufactured by GlobalFoundries (GF), the radiation-hardened RAD510 System on Chip (SoC) for space-based computing is now entering fabrication. The RAD510 SoC will be the core of a single boardRead More