Intuitive Machines’ first moon mission will come to a premature end due to the spacecraft landing on its side, which altered how the solar panels are positioned in relation to the sun, the company said in an update Tuesday morning. Flight controllers were still working to determine the battery’s remaining life, which could be between […]
Happy Valentine’s Day, space fans: Intuitive Machines, SpaceX target moon mission lift off on Feb 14
Intuitive Machines is ready to go to the moon. The company announced Monday that its first lunar lander has completed all final integration milestones and is now encapsulated in SpaceX’s Falcon 9 payload fairing, where it will stay until launch on February 14. The mission launch window opens at 12:57 a.m. EST; should weather or […]
Orbital Composites and Virtus Solis team up for space-based solar power mission
Advanced manufacturing startup Orbital Composites is teaming up with Virtus Solis Technologies to conduct a space-based solar power demonstration as soon as 2027. The two companies say the mission will be a precursor to an in-space “megawatt-class” solar power installation by 2030, which could mark “a new chapter in renewable energy.” Space-based solar power (SBSP) is […]
Watch SpaceX launch a Northrop Grumman resupply mission to the ISS
SpaceX is teaming up with Northrop Grumman today to deliver more than 8,000 pounds of cargo, fresh food and scientific experiments to astronauts on the International Space Station. The NG-20 resupply mission will take-off from the Space Force’s Cape Canaveral in Florida on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at around 12:07 PM EST. Northrop’s Cygnus […]
Asteroid mining startup AstroForge faces setbacks – and successes – on demonstration mission
Asteroid mining startup AstroForge is racing against the clock to complete its refinery demonstration on orbit after encountering a number of unexpected setbacks before and after launch, the startup said in a candid blog post published today. This demonstration mission may prove to be a case study in the difficulties of putting hardware on orbit […]