Aerospace and Defense Review : News

The booster was recovered by SpaceX using controlled landing on its seafaring drone ship 'Of Course I Still Love You' in the Atlantic ocean. This makes it possible for SpaceX to test if the launcher can actually be used ten times as intended Elon Musk owned SpaceX took a big leap towards its dream of making the internet available to the consumers. The company launched yet another sixty satellites on its Falcon 9 heavy rockets. Unlike the previous year's batch of satellites, these new ones do not require to be tested. They have been launched to form the constellation that shall provide uninterrupted internet connectivity. SpaceX set another public record with the most number of flights by a Falcon 9 Launcher. This was the Falcon 9's fourth relaunch, lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station . The launch took place on Veterans Day, commemorating military veterans, with SpaceX dedicating the flight to service members. The booster was recovered by SpaceX using controlled landing on its seafaring drone ship 'Of Course I Still Love You' in the Atlantic ocean. This makes it possible for SpaceX to test if the launcher can actually be used ten times as intended. At present, network providers rely on wireless cell towers and routed cables to provide connectivity to customers. This means a lot of remote areas around the world still do not have access to the internet. The other available options are either too expensive or offer prolonged connectivity speeds. Traditional satellite internet providers beam internet coverage from a high orbital perch, with their satellites positioned in geostationary orbit. The long-distance the signal needs to travel makes it slow. SpaceX's Starlink constellation is set to operate at a much lower altitude, which will hopefully solve the problem of slow signals, providing reliable coverage at lower prices. The company believes that in with another six to eight launches of the Starlink constellation satellites, they will be ready to provide satellite internet to the U.S. by mid-2020s. However, SpaceX is not the only company involved in the race. Several other companies, like OneWeb, Telesat, and Amazon, have also ventured into setting up a satellite network . ...Read more

The MILO Institute aims at speed and cost control, seeking to perform missions within five years that cost $200 million or less. The organization was built around the premise that many worthwhile space science missions don’t receive the government backing they need to reach orbit The nonprofit MILO Institute has revealed names of some of the governments and universities across the world signing onto its plan of sharing the costs of deep space science missions across multiple organizations. The MILO Institute, unveiled at the 2018 International Astronautical Congress in Bremen Germany, is a research collaborative led by Arizona State University with support from Lockheed Martin and Lockheed Martin subsidiary GEOShare. The organization was built around the premise that many worthwhile space science missions don’t receive the government backing they need to reach orbit. “There is more compelling space science that should be getting done, that needs to get done but is simply not getting done,” said GEOShare CEO Lon Levin. MILO Institute executive director and CEO of the ASU Research Enterprise (ASURE) David Thomas believes that if organizations pool their resources, more missions could fly and more engineers, scientists and students would have opportunities to participate. Also, the MILO Institute aims at speed and cost control, seeking to perform missions within five years that cost $200 million or less. "A scientific panel will ensure MILO Institute missions perform decadal level science," said Levin. The lunar missions have been scheduled to fly alongside NASA payloads. In case there is enough payload, then the mission could fly alone on the McCandless Lunar Lander. This would provide an opportunity for MILO Institute members to perform compelling science on the surface of the moon at a small fraction of the traditional mission cost. Lockheed Martin was one among the nine countries selected by NASA last year in the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program to bid on task orders to send payloads to the lunar surface. However, Lockheed Martin is yet to get any task order of nature. Besides, the Milo Institute will be inviting members to perform close flybys of asteroids and comets in a mission called NEOShare and travel to Apophis, before 2029 when the asteroid comes within 30,000 kilometers of Earth's surface. Check This Out:- Top Aerospace Manufacturing Solution Companies ...Read more

The first 3D printer to the ISS was launched by Made in Space in 2014, as part of its partnership with NASA. The pioneering machine is now controlled by NASA, while Made in Space retained ownership of the AMF California-based Made in Space is prepared to launch its plastic recycler towards the orbiting International Space Station on board Northrop Grumman's Robotic Cygnus cargo spacecraft . This new recycler will be able to process plastic into feedstock for Made in Space's Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF), a 3D printer available for commercial use. "The Recycler will complete the plastic sustainability life cycle on-orbit by providing astronauts with the ability to convert plastic packaging and trash as well as objects previously fabricated by the 3D printer into feedstock to be reused by the printer," said a Made in Space representative. The first 3D printer to the ISS was launched by Made in Space in 2014, as part of its partnership with NASA. The pioneering machine is now controlled by NASA, while Made in Space retained ownership of the AMF. "The invention will improve the autonomy and sustainability of long-duration space missions, while also helping to reduce the cost and weight of payloads carried from Earth," the representative added. Made in Space also manufactured the valuable optic fibre ZBLAN aboard the ISS multiple times, using a microwave sized machine that was transported to and from the ISS onboard SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule. This machine has the potential to be far more superior than traditional silica-based optic fibre but is equally challenging to produce. The company believes that making ZBLAN in orbit could help kick-start the off-Earth manufacturing economy. As per the company's plans, they will be sending up other gear up to the ISS soon. Recently NASA awarded a USD 73.7 million contract to Made in Space, to launch the first test mission of Archinaut. The Archinaut is a spacecraft that is equipped with robotic arms and a 3D printer. The 3D printer is designed to augment and repair existing satellites as well as build large structures while in orbit. The Archinuat One mission is expected to take off sometime in 2022 on board a Rocket Lab Electron Booster.  Check out:  Top Plastic Tech Companies ...Read more