Space.com
• Mike Wall
The private LINK spacecraft, launched last month on a mission to save a NASA space telescope, has itself encountered trouble. Engineering teams report progress as they work to recover the spacecraft, adding a second layer of operational risk to an already complex in-space rescue effort.
NASA
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The private LINK spacecraft, launched last month on a mission to save a NASA space telescope, has itself encountered trouble. Engineering teams report progress as they work to recover the spacecraft, adding a second layer of operational risk to an already complex in-space rescue effort.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has completed initial tests of a lightweight radar antenna for the proposed SkyFall mission, which would deploy three small helicopters on Mars. The ground-penetrating radar is designed to study the planet’s subsurface from the air and identify deposits of frozen water.
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Ampaire and the Utah Department of Transportation have flown a modified Cessna Skymaster on a three-leg mission along Utah’s I-15 corridor, testing hybrid-electric operations for future cargo service. The demonstrations are part of the U.S. DOT and FAA’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, while Ampaire also plans Grand Caravan conversions for freight and passenger operations.
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Jessica Meir and Anil Menon spent 6.5 hours outside the International Space Station on Aug. 6 installing mounting hardware for new rollout solar arrays. The upgrade is intended to provide additional power for the station, according to NASA.
NASA and Roscosmos will continue exchanging astronaut seats between Russian Soyuz and U.S. Crew Dragon spacecraft. The agreement does not yet include Boeing’s Starliner, leaving the crew-transport arrangement limited to the two currently participating vehicles.
Voyager Technologies remains optimistic about Starlab’s prospects but is seeking changes to NASA’s commercial space station request for proposals. The company wants certain requirements relaxed, highlighting the tension between NASA’s program objectives and industry’s ability to deliver commercially viable orbital infrastructure.
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NASA selected Lunar Outpost’s proposal to advance Starweave, an autonomous robotic swarm software platform, under the agency’s Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity. The effort adds to NASA’s work on coordinated robotic systems for future lunar operations, though the announcement provides no details on funding, schedule or mission assignment.
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