Space

NASA’s 2024 Spinoff, the latest edition of the agency’s annual summary of its technical achievements, highlights 20 new technologies.

Japan reestablished communications with its toppled Moon probe, which successfully touched down—in an unplanned orientation—last week.

Space Systems Command (SSC) has awarded Northrop Grumman a contract to start development of a refueling space tanker.

The latest annual report by NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel’s (ASAP) was released Jan. 25.

A diminutive helicopter sent to Mars to demonstrate the first powered flight beyond Earth completed an unexpectedly long mission on Jan. 25, with 72 sorties.

Astrobotic and JAXA wrestle with landing on the Moon.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office is gearing up for its annual emerging tech development program and has shared some of its priorities for this year.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency says its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) lunar probe has touched down 180 ft. from its planned landing spot.

When astronauts land on the Moon, will taikonauts be there to greet them?

In-space refueling startup Orbit Fab and in-space junk removal startup ClearSpace plan to work together to develop spacecraft refueling technologies.

NASA’s 2023 Moon to Mars Concept Review has identified seven key decisions that need to be addressed as early as possible.

S2 is among the payload cargo planned for launch aboard Northrop Grumman’s 20th NASA-contracted Cygnus resupply mission to the ISS on Jan. 29.

Company leader Marc Bell has rebuffed calls for his resignation.

Scolese has led the NRO since Aug. 5, 2019, as its 19th director and served more than 30 years with NASA.

Startup Albedo has raised a $35 million Series A-1 funding round and plans to use the cash infusion to launch its first operational imagery satellite, Sat-1.

NASA's PACE mission is set to provide higher-resolution insight into complex interactions among the Earth's oceans, atmospheric aerosols and cloud formations.

The Midnight has six of Archer’s proprietary battery packs, each of which contains more than 1,000 cylindrical lithium-ion cells developed by Molicel.

Viasat demonstrated its system using Cranfield University’s National Flying Laboratory Center’s Saab 340B twin-turboprop in January.

JAXA has temporarily powered down its ailing lunar lander so that it has sufficient power to restart the craft once the Sun shines on it at the right angle.

Sierra Space has successfully completed an ultimate burst pressure test of a full-size inflatable space station module, rupturing the structure at 77 psi.

The Dragon Freedom capsule made contact with the orbital lab's U.S. segment Harmony module at 5:42 a.m. EST, initiating a 15-min. docking sequence.

Japan has become the fifth country to soft-land a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon, but engineers are assessing an issue with its power system.

China’s new generation of transport and manned rockets could be ready for launch in 2025-26, according to the Long March 7 chief designer, Xu Lijie.

Astrobotic wrapped up its first space mission with the destructive reentry of its Peregrine lunar lander in Earth’s atmosphere on Jan. 18.