Tag: Propulsion Systems
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NASA Advances Toward Using Plutonium-238 for Fueling Space Missions
The recent shipment of heat source plutonium-238 from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Oak Ridge National Laboratory to its Los Alamos National Laboratory is a critical step toward fueling planned NASA missions with radioisotope power systems. This shipment of 0.5 kilograms (a little over 1 pound) of new heat source plutonium oxide is the…
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Ursa Major Introduces New Innovative Solution for Solid Rocket Motor Design and Manufacturing
Ursa Major is proud to introduce Lynx, a new approach to designing and manufacturing solid rocket motors (SRM). Lynx redefines a market plagued by a broken supply chain and an overextended industrial base. With Lynx, Ursa Major offers a revolutionary solution to America’s SRM shortage with a faster, more affordable process, leveraging 3D printing to…
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Amazon’s Project Kuiper Protoflight Mission Achieves 100% Success Rate
Amazon started Project Kuiper with the goal of providing fast, affordable broadband to unserved and underserved communities around the world. Within 30 days of sending two prototype satellites into space, Project Kuiper has achieved a 100% success rate for its Protoflight mission, validating key technologies that underpin the network and moving the program another step…
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NASA’s DSOC Experiment Aboard Psyche Transmits First Laser Encoded Test Data
NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment has beamed a near-infrared laser encoded with test data from nearly 10 million miles (16 million kilometers) away – about 40 times farther than the Moon is from Earth – to the Hale Telescope at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California. This is the farthest-ever demonstration…
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Rogue Space Systems Announces Hosted Payload Demonstration Program with RocketStar
Rogue Space Systems Corporation, one of the leaders in the development of in-space services, has announced a new hosted payload demonstration with RocketStar that has the potential to take space propulsion to the next level. This hosting is set to launch RocketStar’s innovative water-based propulsion system into orbit aboard the next-generation Rogue Orbot. “This will…
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Dawn Aerospace Announces the Formation of New Subsidiary Expanding Operations to France
Dawn Aerospace, a space transportation company with offices in the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the USA, announced the formation of a new subsidiary, Dawn Aerospace France SAS, based in Toulouse. This marks another milestone in the company’s expansion, creating a permanent presence in one of the world’s most renowned aerospace hubs. “We are excited to…
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Rogue Space Systems’ Orbital Service Vehicle Successfully Launched on SpaceX Transporter-9
Rogue Space Systems, creator of Orbots, autonomous AI robots that provide in-space infrastructure and services, has announced the successful launch and deployment of its first spacecraft, Barry-1. The satellite was launched on SpaceX’s Transporter-9 mission via Exolaunch on November 11, 2023. Once operational in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Barry-1 will test Rogue’s Scalable Compute Platform…
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Momentus Advances Testing of New Type of Solar Array and Sustainable Spacecraft Thruster
Momentus, a U.S. commercial space company that offers satellite buses, transportation, and other in-space infrastructure services, continues to advance in-space testing of its Microwave Electrothermal Thruster (MET) and recently completed initial in-space testing of its Tape Spring Solar Array (TASSA). MET Testing Continues with Dual-Thruster Firings The MET is the Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle’s (OSV)…
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Sierra Space Tests New Hypergolic Rocket Engine with Continuous Throttling Capability
Sierra Space, one of the leading pureplay commercial space companies building the first end-to-end business and technology platform in space, announced that it successfully tested a new 5,500 lbf. hypergolic rocket engine that promises to become a groundbreaking addition to its engine portfolio. Employing pure hydrazine fuel and MON3 oxidizer in a staged combustion cycle,…
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Andøya Spaceport the First Operational Spaceport in Continental Europe Officially Opens
The launch site operator Andøya Spaceport celebrated the opening of the first operational spaceport in continental Europe, which will become the first launch site of the European launch service company Isar Aerospace. The spaceport is located at Nordmela on the Norwegian island of Andøya and is in the final stages towards operating capability. In an…