Space Products & Innovation
As LEO Popularity Surges, Concern Escalates Over Debris Risk
Starting with Sputnik, humankind has littered low Earth orbit with clouds of debris, with as many as 170,000 objects ranging in size from poppy seeds to defunct satellites of school-bus size whizzing around the planet in uncontrolled orbits. With an historic surge in demand for satellites in low Earth orbit, including plans that could add more than 50,000 spacecraft, and planned space stations, the debris problem could grow exponentially.
Satellite Constellations Weave Growing Global Search and Rescue Safety Net
Satellites have played a pivotal role in search and rescue efforts for more than 40 years. Visionaries from around the world applied space technology to search and rescue efforts on Earth and built an enduring global humanitarian program. Satellite tracking has saved more than 57,000 people worldwide, since the system’s first rescue in 1982. With new equipment in the marketplace, its role keeps growing.
ESA Scientists: Diamonds in the Sky Could Signal Early Supernova
There may be diamonds in the sky. The James Webb Space Telescope’s spectrometry gear identified carbon molecules in dust that formed during the universe’s infancy, but debate rages over just what they could be, the European Space Agency said in July.
International Space Station Experiments Freshen Laundry on Earth
In an ever-expanding space ecosystem, partnerships between the International Space Station and the private sector are growing more frequent. Product development with the assistance of NASA . . .
Born from NASA Space Innovation, Digital Twin Technology Blooms Across Industries
Digital twinning is a technology with roots in the space program that’s now the beating heart of modern business, solving production, supply chain, and delivery problems before they start and giving managers unprecedented insight into operations.
NASA’s EMIT Instrument Detects Massive Methane Emitters
One of NASA’s newest instruments on the International Space Station (ISS) is proving to be a multipurpose climate research tool as it demonstrated a secondary capability to detect methane gas emissions. The Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) mission seeks to better understand varieties of dust and the effects on the climate. The instrument, launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in July 2022, is an imaging spectrometer that gathers data to determine the mineral compositions of arid regions on Earth.
Handheld Bioprinter Could Be a New Tool in an Astronaut’s First Aid Kit
Astronaut safety in space is always a top priority, especially as deep-space missions become a reality and the risk of medical emergencies increases. Alongside traditional 3D printing applications, bioprinting has the potential to support astronauts for medical issues ranging from small abrasions to lifesaving organ transplants.
Rivals Launch Military Satellites Amid U.S.-led Space Defense Drills
A flurry of military and intelligence satellite launches by rival powers this month came as the United States and two dozen partner nations wrapped up the largest global space defense wargame in history.
Russia launched what some leaders have described as a spy satellite for Iran and its own on-orbit snooping satellite Cosmos-2558, which is circling Earth in an orbit conspicuously close to a recently launched U.S. National Reconnaissance Office satellite, a Netherlands researcher confirmed.
Solving Space Junk Problem Could Net Federal Prize
A grand prize could be in the offing for inventors who come up with new methods to prevent orbiting debris or design tools that can clean up space junk, according to recommendations from the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Space Matters: Experts Call for More Governance in LEO
The Wild West regulatory environment in low Earth orbit was ranked as a top threat to space sustainability by a panel of experts convened for Space Symposium 365’s Space Matters webcast Thursday.
Clockwise from top left, panelists former Rep. Robert Walker, Carissa Christensen, former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, and Patricia Cooper.