Space

In the coming months, Europe’s space community will have to admit it must prepare to pay a high price for a major strategic error.

Life support in space holds lessons for the Earth

European business, general aviation sectors cite hurdles to space-based approaches

Out-of-autoclave hydrogen cryotank could trim costs, boost performance

A version of this article appears in the June 30 edition of Aviation Week & Space Technology.

U.K. is leading the way in space-based precision landings

Flight-Control advances promise big savings

U.S. voters will determine spaceflight future in 2016

International Space Station partners are beginning to discuss expanding use of the orbital outpost to test “extensible” technology for the long trek to the surface of Mars, with a new pressurized module and year-long tours for as many as a dozen crew members among the topics under consideration.

European joint venture could scrap solid-fueled Ariane 6 design and give Germany larger role

NanoRacks and Astrium North America are preparing to deploy a $5 million privately funded accommodation for commercial payloads outside the International Space Station, as the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (Casis) continues its effort to promote commercial activities on the orbiting laboratory.

‘Rationales’ for human space exploration run from the scientific to survival

Mars is the near-term exploration goal; here are some of the hurdles in the way

Fleet of planetary probes is paving the way for humans to Mars, and pushing deeper

Spacecraft to transport humans to Mars take shape amid uncertainty over their route

Computer-code model is shaping human-spaceflight developments

Darpa-backed membrane optics may deliver deep-space video

How much cost data is needed for commercial space contracts?

Does the U.S. need a new rocket engine?

With Skybox, Google extends its aerospace reach and imaging capabilities

New rocket engine program will likely pit kerosene against methane

Countries around the world pursue space solar-power projects

Launch pad abort trials are first key test for spacecraft that could first carry humans in 2016

Boeing and Sierra Nevada Corp. are in the midst of key tests and final critical design reviews (CDR) as NASA prepares to award Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts under the second phase of its plan to certify a U.S.-developed means of transporting astronauts to the International Space Station starting in 2017.

Many all-electric satellites are in the works, but sales remain slow