Tag: NASA
-
How Brutal Is a Satellite Launch? G-Loads, Vibration, Shock, Noise and Vacuum Explained
A satellite is often treated as an exceptionally delicate object on the ground: temperature and humidity are tightly controlled in cleanrooms, lifting speeds are limited, connectors are fitted with protective caps, and optical surfaces cannot be exposed casually. But once sealed inside a payload fairing, it must endure engine ignition, liftoff, transonic flight, maximum dynamic…
-
NASA’s Astronaut Training Hub Prepares for the Post-ISS Era as Commercial Space Stations Near Reality
NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston has long served as the nerve center of American human spaceflight, training astronauts for programs ranging from Gemini and Apollo to the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station (ISS). Now, as NASA and its industry partners prepare for the eventual retirement of the ISS around 2030, the…
-
NASA Backs 18 Visionary Space Concepts, Including a Swarm of 10,000 Femtosatellites for Saturn Exploration
NASA has selected 18 early-stage technology concepts for funding under its 2026 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program, supporting a diverse portfolio of futuristic ideas ranging from lunar cave exploration and Venus-hardened spacecraft to a proposed fleet of 10,000 miniature satellites designed to probe Saturn’s rings. The agency announced on July 29 that the 18…
-
Japan Sets October 20 Launch for Ambitious Mars Moon Sample-Return Mission
Japan has confirmed October 20, 2026, as the launch date for its Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft, setting the stage for one of the most ambitious robotic planetary missions yet attempted by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The MMX spacecraft is scheduled to lift off aboard Japan’s H3 rocket at 4:41 a.m. Japan Standard…
-
JAXA Sets October 20 Launch for MMX Mars Moon Sample-Return Mission
Japan is preparing to take a major step in planetary exploration with the launch of its Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft on Oct. 20, 2026. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said the mission will lift off aboard the No. 10 H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 4:41:03 a.m. local…
-
SpaceX Pushes First Starship Tower Catch Attempt to Later This Year as Reusability Campaign Advances
SpaceX is now targeting its first attempt to catch a returning Starship upper stage with the launch tower “chopstick” arms within the next few months, a shift from earlier expectations that the milestone could occur on the vehicle’s next flight. The updated timeline came from CEO Elon Musk, who said the company’s first Starship tower-catch…
-
Starcloud Secures $250 Million to Expand Orbital Data Center Ambitions Amid Growing Launch Capacity Crunch
Starcloud has raised a $250 million extension to its Series A financing round, giving the orbital computing startup fresh capital as it races to deploy space-based AI infrastructure in an increasingly competitive launch market. The new funding values the company at approximately $2.3 billion and comes just months after Starcloud achieved unicorn status with a…
-
Trump Sets 1,000-Plus Annual Launch Target as White House Rewrites U.S. Space Transportation Policy
The White House is targeting more than 1,000 space launches and reentries from U.S. soil every year by 2030 under a new national space transportation policy signed by President Donald Trump on Aug. 20, 2026. The National Security Presidential Memorandum replaces the previous National Space Transportation Policy issued in 2013 and establishes a commercial-first framework…
-
China Moves Chang’e-7 to Launch Pad for High-Stakes Lunar South Pole Mission
China has moved the Chang’e-7 lunar probe and its Long March-5 Y14 rocket to the launch area at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan, bringing one of the country’s most ambitious lunar exploration missions to the final stage before liftoff. The vertical transfer took place on Aug. 19, 2026, after the spacecraft and launcher…
-
Intuitive Machines’ Maxar Acquisition Gains Momentum With $600 Million Satellite Order and Orbital Data Center Ambitions
Intuitive Machines’ decision to acquire the former Maxar satellite manufacturing business is beginning to look less like a bet on traditional spacecraft production and more like a strategy to build a vertically integrated space infrastructure company. The clearest evidence came in August 2026, when Intuitive Machines disclosed that it had secured a commercial contract worth…