Slider Archives

New congress names Space Committee leaders

With Republicans reclaiming a narrow majority in the U.S. House, leaders have spent January determining who will get gavels on the committees and subcommittees that set military and civil space policy and spending levels. In the Senate, Democrats kept control, leaving most of their top leaders o… Thank you for your interest in The Space…

International Space Station damage triggers apparent detente

A micrometeorite the width of a pencil tip sliced through a Soyuz spacecraft docked at the International Space Station at nearly 16,000 mph, wrecking a radiator for the spacecraft’s computers and delaying the return of three astronauts in orbit by months, officials from NASA and Russian space agency Roscosmos said during a rare joint news conference Wednesday.

“Space Matters” panel examines U.S. policy, government space spending for Wednesday episode

Led by former Rep. and Moon Walker Associates CEO Bob Walker, Space Matters convenes former NASA administrator and former Rep. Jim Bridenstine, BryceTech CEO and founder Carissa Christensen, and Constellation Advisory President and Founder Patricia Cooper to provide unparalleled analysis into space programs and the regulatory and business environment.

Artemis I Mission Highlights

NASA’s Artemis program is off to a successful start after Orion splashed down safely on Dec. 11, 2022. Launched on the inaugural Space Launch System (SLS) flight in November, the Orion spacecraft had several key milestones along its 25-day lunar flyby.

New Leader Takes Space Force Helm as Dangers in Orbit Loom

Pentagon leaders emphasized the growing importance of missions in orbit Wednesday as they welcomed the second general to command the Space Force. The new chief of space operations, Gen. Chance Saltzman, pledged to get his young service ready for war.

November Space Council Meetings Could Shape Commercial Regulations

The National Space Council asked for comment on new commercial space systems and how the commercial space sector could be regulated during a pair of online meetings set for November. The council wants input from industry and the public. The move is part of a Biden Administration push to deal with issues including crowded orbits and the safety of space tourists.

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.

U.S. Defense Strategy Document Pledges Commercial Space Protection

In a first-of-its-kind shift in stated strategy, the Biden Administration pledged, in a document that outlines Pentagon plans, to protect growing American commercial interests in space while advancing military space capabilities and international cooperation in orbit. Military space has returned to the spotlight in recent years after a slump that accompanied the end of the Cold War.

Earth Observation Satellites Contribute to Hurricane Ian Tracking Effort

As Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida on Sept. 28, 2022, people around the world were viewing images and videos of the destruction the storm was causing. But arguably the people with the best view of the storm were the astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) who could see the entire system outside their window.

Alongside astronauts, Earth observation (EO) satellites have been watching the storm develop, relaying data to operators like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), who can then share predictions with the public.

First Images, Data from James Webb Space Telescope Reveal Early Universe

The James Webb Space Telescope’s first images delivered a look at the universe as it appeared 13.1 billion years ago. Among the results: evidence of water vapor in the atmosphere of a planet 1,000 light years from Earth.