Missions
New Horizons reveals Kuiper Belt object is a contact binary
The distant object that NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft flew past Jan. 1 is now taking shape as a body — or bodies — unlike any visited by a spacecraft to date.
Op-Ed | Applying Weeden’s ‘Real Talk and Real Solutions’ to real space robotic threats
We must correct a wrong notion that bringing up robotic threats would raise doubts about the enormous benefits in the development and deployment of commercial robotic servicing spacecraft. Dual-use systems always have the dangerous side, which can be fixed if we do not ignore it.
New Horizons completes flyby of Ultima Thule
NASA’s New Horizons completed a close approach to a small body in the distant Kuiper Belt early Jan. 1, collecting data that may reveal new insights about the formation of the solar system.
New Horizons team looking ahead to another flyby
Even as NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft bears down on one object in the Kuiper Belt, the mission team is already thinking about a second potential flyby in the 2020s.
New Horizons ready for Ultima Thule flyby
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is ready to perform a flyby of the most distant solar system object ever, an event largely unaffected by the ongoing government shutdown.
Chang’e-4 landing to be a step along a road of lunar exploration for China
With its Chang’e-4 spacecraft now orbiting the moon in preparation for the first-ever landing on the far side of Earth’s nearest neighbor, China is poised to reap the prestige and scientific payoffs that are part and parcel of achieving a space first.
NASA opens the floodgates for firms with planetary ambitions
When NASA revealed the names of nine companies eligible for contracts to deliver payloads to the moon on robotic landers, it set off a flurry of activity among firms with related technology.
Air Force to accelerate deployment of anti-jam satellite communications equipment
Navy aircraft carrier strike groups will get the new technology in 2022, about 18 months sooner than previously planned.
Urban planning for the Moon Village
The first thing to remember about Moon Village is that it’s not a village on the moon.
Is the Gateway the right way to the moon?
A year after President Donald Trump formally directed NASA to return humans to the moon in Space Policy Directive (SPD) 1, the agency has developed the outlines of a plan to carry that out, while emphasizing the language in the policy to do so in a “sustainable” manner and with international and commercial partners.
Latest shutdown to curtail NASA activities
A partial government shutdown that started Dec. 22 will once again force NASA to halt most of its non-essential activities and could hinder coverage of spaceflight events planned for the end of the year.
European Space Agency overhauls satellite servicer program
A satellite-deorbiting program the European Space Agency that’s been struggling to gain traction with its member states and industry has been redesigned to be more appealing.
Op-ed | The MILO Institute: a new model for deep space exploration
The MILO Institute’s mission is to augment the work of traditional space agencies by enabling more frequent, affordable and science-driven missions to be flown.
Looking at Apollo 8 from below: the story of cameras 37 and 39
Ever so briefly, the millions of people watching the launch that December morning had a unique view never seen before on television — the five huge F-1 First Stage engines starting up.
