Deep Space
Stories about missions throughout solar system and beyond.
Inversion Space Wins NASA Contract to Study Aerocapture Flight
NASA announced today it awarded Inversion a contract to study a new method of interplanetary travel which uses a planetary body’s atmosphere to slow incoming spacecraft looking to enter into orbit.
Fermi Explorer Wants to Reach Another Star for $15M
The Starcloud cofounders announced the Fermi Explorer mission, launching humanity’s first mission to Alpha Centauri by 2029, on a $15M budget.
Roman Space Telescope Begins Its Journey to L2
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launched at 7:26 am ET on Sunday from KSC aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, starting its journey to Lagrange Point 2 and beginning a lengthy commissioning period.
ESA taps Aalyria to build deep-space network hub
ESA has tapped Aalyria to build a network-operations center that allows spacecraft to share data reliably across the solar system.
AstroForge Completes its DeepSpace-2 Spacecraft
DeepSpace-2 will aim to demonstrate the company’s ability to rendezvous with an asteroid and set the stage for future asteroid mining missions before the end of the decade.
Opportunities Beyond the Moon Opened by CLPS
NASA said it intends to launch monthly uncrewed missions to the Moon starting next year. That’s good news for more than just Moon-focused companies.
Czech Radiation Chips on Artemis II Bring ISS Experience
With the sun at solar maximum, HERA serves as an instant warning system if a solar flare emerges.
Mars Rover Drives with the Help of Anthropic AI
AI is everywhere these days—even on Mars.
Engineers at JPL announced Friday that they had successfully used Anthropic’s AI model, called Claude, to map a 450-meter Martian path for NASA’s Perseverance rover.
New Glenn Launches ESCAPADE, a NASA Mission to Mars
After a five-year gap in new missions focused on Mars, NASA is on its way back.
Yesterday afternoon at 3:55pm, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket launched for the second time, carrying its first NASA mission—the Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers project, better known as ESCAPADE.
Venus Exploration Hangs in the Balance
Earth’s sulfuric, fiery, evil twin has been the subject of study for a long line of spacecraft over decades. But—while Venus remains a fascinating subject for planetary science and a candidate in the search for life away from home—there’s going to be a gap in our up-close study. The last spacecraft studying Venus up close, Japan’s Akatsuki orbiter, is officially out of commission.
UK Funds Design Review of New Autophage Spacecraft
Reality is starting to look a lot like science fiction.
Dragonfly Mission Progresses Despite Cost Overruns
NASA is developing on a nuclear-powered rotorcraft, called Dragonfly, to explore Saturn’s moon Titan. How’s it going? Depends on who you ask.
Duffy Selects 20-Year NASA Vet as His Number Two
By promoting Kshatriya, Duffy is following through on his commitment to “move away” from Earth sciences in favor of greater space exploration.
