Tag: Cislunar space
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U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman Says Military Must Prepare for Contested Cislunar Space
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on September 16, 2026, that U.S. forces must prepare to operate in contested environments extending to cislunar space. Speaking at the Air & Space Forces Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, he described the modern battlefield as spanning “from the…
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Antares Wins $161 Million Space Force Award to Advance Orbital Nuclear Reactor
Antares has received a $161 million Strategic Breakthrough award to conduct a ground demonstration of its R1-S nuclear reactor and integrate the system with a spacecraft for flight certification, the company announced September 11. The award, issued through the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration, moves Antares…
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China Launches International Earth-Moon CubeSat Constellation to Support Future Lunar Bases
China has formally launched the International Earth-Moon CubeSat Constellation Big Science Program, which aims to deploy 30 CubeSats across cislunar space in six batches. The preliminary schedule targets the completion of all launches and deployments around 2030. The satellites will conduct space-environment monitoring, gamma-ray burst observations and lunar-resource surveys, generating data intended to support future…
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China Achieves First Two-Way High-Speed Earth-Moon Laser Communications
China has achieved two-way high-speed laser communications between Earth and the Moon for the first time, establishing a bidirectional optical link across more than 400,000 kilometers and marking a major expansion of the country’s space laser communications capabilities into cislunar space. The Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization of the Chinese Academy of Sciences…
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NASA Extends Starling Mission After Demonstrating GPS-Free Autonomous Satellite Navigation
NASA has extended its Starling spacecraft swarm mission through at least 2028 after a successful in-orbit demonstration of a navigation system that allows satellites to determine their position without relying on the Global Positioning System (GPS), marking a significant step toward greater spacecraft autonomy for future lunar and deep-space operations. The technology, known as Fast…
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AiRanaculus Wins NASA Contract to Advance Lunar Communications Technologies
Networking technology company AiRanaculus has secured a US$5 million contract from NASA to further develop communications technologies designed for future lunar and cislunar missions. The award, announced on 25 June under NASA’s Civilian Commercialization Readiness Pilot Program (CCRPP), will support the advancement of the company’s CLAIRE and INSPiRE platforms over a 24-month development programme. Advancing…
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True Anomaly Completes Mission X-3 Tests, Advances Jackal Orbital Vehicle Toward Space Force Missions
True Anomaly has successfully completed all objectives for its Mission X-3 flight test campaign, marking a major milestone for the company’s autonomous orbital vehicle, Jackal, and clearing the final steps toward full operational commissioning. Mission X-3 represents the third and most advanced self-funded demonstration mission conducted by the Colorado-based aerospace company. The campaign focused on…
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Impulse Space Raises $500 Million to Expand In-Space Transportation Business
Impulse Space has raised $500 million in a Series D funding round, bringing the company’s total funding to more than $1 billion since its founding five years ago. The California-based company said the new capital will support hiring, expand vehicle development programs and help meet growing demand for in-space transportation services. Growing Demand for Space…
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Voyager Technologies Invests in Max Space to Develop Expandable Lunar Habitats
U.S. space and defense company Voyager Technologies has made a multi-million-dollar strategic investment in Max Space to advance the development of expandable lunar habitats, the companies said. Voyager said the funding will support internal research and development focused on space habitats for long-duration lunar and deep-space missions, as well as accelerated engineering, manufacturing scale-up and…
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Voyager Technologies Invests in Max Space to Develop Expandable Lunar Habitats
U.S. space and defense company Voyager Technologies has made a multi-million-dollar strategic investment in Max Space to advance the development of expandable lunar habitats, the companies said. Voyager said the funding will support internal research and development focused on space habitats for long-duration lunar and deep-space missions, as well as accelerated engineering, manufacturing scale-up and…