Science
Stories about the wondrous world of space science.
NASA’s TRACERS Mission Eyes Space Weather’s Bottom-Line Risks
TRACERS, will investigate magnetic reconnection, one of the driving forces behind geomagnetic storms that can disturb Earth’s upper atmosphere, and pose hazards to satellites.
NanoAvionics to Build Korea’s First Venus Observing Sat
The satellites—part of IBS’ CLOVE project—will carry UV and NIR observation instruments developed by IBS to monitor Venus’ cloud structures and atmospheric chemical makeup.
IonQ Buys Capella Space For Quantum Comms Gambit
The all-stock deal valued Capella at $311M, according to SEC filings and yesterday’s $IONQ closing price.
Frontier Flies its Lab-in-a-Box on ATMOS’ Reentry Mission
Frontier Space’s first mission is designed to test key components of its lab-in-a-box bioreactor, which will give future space travelers the ability to grow things like food and medicine in space.
DARPA Eyes Orbital Mission to Map Lunar Water Ice
The program—Lunar Assay via Small Satellite Orbiter (LASSO)—seeks to design, test, build and deliver a spacecraft that can identify regions that are at least 90% probable to have at least 5% water.
Leaked NASA Budget Spotlights Isaacman’s Challenge
President Donald Trump reportedly wants to cut NASA’s budget by $5B, or 20%. The Planetary Society said the cuts would “plunge NASA into a dark age.”
Honda Will Hitch a Ride on Dream Chaser to the ISS
Honda will put its decades of work on hydrogen fuel cell technologies to the test in orbit.
DoD Taps Slingshot to Track Adversaries on Orbit
Using photometric sensors, Slingshot can spot an orbital object’s unique light-based “fingerprint” to help the DoD understand the technology that America’s adversaries are deploying in space.
Varda Conducts First Reentry Mission into Australia
Varda’s second reentry capsule W-2 landed safely in the dust of Southern Launch’s Koonibba Test Range in Australia yesterday.
Inside the Hunt for Lunar Water
The sci fi dreams—and economic boom—that would be fulfilled by establishing a long-term lunar presence all hinge on one thing: the ability to locate, extract, and process water ice on the Moon’s surface.
Auxilium Biotechnologies 3D Prints Medical Devices in Space
During the six-week mission, Auxilium demonstrated how its 3D bioprinter can produce a range of medical devices without the burden of gravity.
AVS Secures ESA Study for Dark Matter Probe Platform
Added Value Solutions (AVS) won an ESA contract to advance the design and development of its satellite platform for the ARRAKIHS dark matter astrophysics mission.
