Category Archives: Advanced Technology

Thursday / 7 November 2013

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VASIMR Plasma Rocket Technology Ideal For Lunar Cargo Delivery

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Ad Astra Rocket Company Working To Raise US$100M To Build Prototype Of Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket For Testing At ISS; Founder & 7-Time Shuttle Astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz Says Already Raised $30M From Private Investors; Cites Lunar Cargo Transport As One Of Many Potential Uses For The Technology, Working As Tug Boat Between LEO & LLO, VASIMR Could Deliver Twice As Much Payload To Lunar Surface As Chemical Propulsion

Image Credit: Ad Astra Rocket Co

Wednesday / 6 November 2013

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Morpheus Set To Resume Lunar Landing Technology Demonstrations

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New Morpheus Vehicle To Arrive KSC 12 Nov; Will Conduct Dry Run, Wet Run & Test Readiness Review In Early Dec; 3 Free Flight Operations & First Flight Campaign In Mid Dec; Craft Will Then Help Test Key Technologies Such As In-Space Propellant Transfer; Team Hopes To Scale Up 500-kg Payload Lander So It Is Able To Land Habitat With Crew On Moon

Image Credit: NASA

Friday / 1 November 2013

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GLXP Teams Progressing

GLXP News

Italia (Italy) Contractors Working On Final Refinement Of Lunar Lander Design With Special Attention On Propulsion Subsystem; AngelicvM (Chile) Planning Research Center In Curacavi, Will Sponsor 2014 Global Aerospace Summit In Abu Dhabi; Puli (Hungary) Hosting 2nd Campaign To Raise Funds To Test 1 of 2 Rovers On Slopes Of Mauna Kea, Hawai`i

Image Credit: Italia, AngelicvM, Puli

Wednesday / 30 October 2013

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ESA Innovating Advanced Robots To Support Future Lunar Exploration

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European Space Agency Releases Video Depicting Various Lunar Rovers / Robots It Is Designing / Developing; Moon Rover With Multifunctional Wheels (Prototype Already Developed); Concept Teleoperator Robot, Forklift, Bulldozer To Assist Astronauts In Construction Of Moonbase; ESA Positioning Itself As Key Contributor To Future International Human / Robotic Moon Missions

Image Credit: ESA

Wednesday / 23 October 2013

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LunarSail Project Completes First Round Of Funding

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ARES Institute Raises Over US$15K Via Kickstarter Campaign; Mission To Demonstrate Ability Of Spacecraft To Navigate Itself Into Lunar Trajectory & Lunar Orbit With Solar Sail; Spacecraft Will Utilize CubeSat Design, Volume ~1000 Cubic Cm; Applying For Low-Cost / No-Cost Launch Under NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative, Due Date For CLI Proposals 26 Nov 2013; Project Leader Matthew Travis Says Mission Achievable For Under $100K

Image Credit: lunarsail.com

Friday / 18 October 2013

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Stanford On The Moon:
Human Moon Missions

SOM 2013

SOM 2013 Reunion Conference: Human Moon Missions – A Center For 21st Century Leadership, Friday 18 Oct; Talks Given By Visionary Entrepreneurs Advancing Cislunar Travel & Commerce, Moon South Pole As Destination Of Importance / Discovery; (L To R) SOM Alumni Club & ILOA Steve Durst, Golden Spike Co Alan Stern, Moon Express Adrian Adamson, Shackleton Energy Co Jim Keravala, Interorbital Systems Randa Milliron; Over 100 Stanford Alumni To Participate

Image Credit: SOM, ILOA, GSC, Shackleton, NASA

Tuesday / 15 October 2013

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LADEE Settling Into Lunar Orbit,
Preparing Communications Demonstration

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Lunar Atmosphere & Dust Environment Explorer Now In 250-Km Near-Circular Equatorial Orbit; Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration To Begin 17 Oct, LADEE To Link Up With Ground Stations In New Mexico, California & Canary Islands, Achieve Downlink Speed 622Mbps / Uplink Speed 20Mbps, Technology Could Revolutionize Deep Space Communication; Around 11 Nov Probe Will Drop To ~50Km Altitude For 100-Day Science Mission

Image Credit: NASA

Friday / 4 October 2013

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GSC: Enabled Opportunities & Robotic Mission Synergies

GSC Conference 3-4 Oct

Golden Spike Company Lunar Workshop 2nd Day Includes Talks (L – R) On Lunar Exploration Orbiter To Study Environment & Mobile Payload Element To Assist Lander Missions (Ralf Jaumann), Lunar Lander Capabilities (Diego De Rosa), Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle (Steven Chappell), Modular Heat Flow Probes To Understand Moon Interior, Origin & Structure (Seiichi Nagihara), Lunar Drills (Kris Zacny), Next Steps (Alan Stern)

Image Credit: GSC, TTU, DLR, ESA

Wednesday / 25 September 2013

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GLXP Team Partners With NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

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Moon Express (ME) Signs Reimbursable Space Act Agreement With NASA Marshall Space Flight Center To Test ME Guidance, Navigation & Control Flight Software On ‘Mighty Eagle’ Lander; ME Reimbursing MSFC For Cost Of Providing Test & Technical Support; 1st Test Flight With ME Software Successfully Completed; ME CEO Bob Richards Says Team Hopes To Land Its Craft On Moon Late 2015

Image Credit: NASA, ME

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 6-9 Sep 2013

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Launch Of Last Scheduled NASA Moon Mission As Lunar Experts Flock To NewSpace Companies

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LADEE Launch — 6 Sep, 23:27 EDT, Wallops Island VA, Via Minotaur 5 Rocket — Promises To Provide Spectacular Show To East Coast USA Viewers; US$248M-Mission Will Test New System For Ultra-Fast Optical Data Transmission — 600 Mbit/s, Unravel Mysteries Of Lunar Atmosphere / Dust Environment, Premiere Common Spacecraft Bus; Next Flight Of The Bus Likely On Moon Express (ME) GLXP Mission NET 2015; ME Announces Paul Spudis New Chief Scientist, Jack Burns Added To Science Advisory Board

Image Credit: NASA, Moon Express