Lifeboat Foundation

NASA recently asked the scientific community to help come up with innovative ideas for ways to carry out its Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission. This was in response to a report by an independent board that deemed that its US$11 billion (£8.7 billion) price tag was too expensive and its 2040 timeline too far in the future.

In brief, the ambitious plan was to collect rock samples cached inside containers by NASA’s Perseverance rover and deliver them to laboratories on Earth. Perseverance has been exploring Mars’ Jezero Crater, thought to have once hosted an ancient lake, since 2021. The mission would deliver the samples by sending a lander that carries a rocket (NASA’s Sample Retrieval Lander) down to the surface of Mars.

Perseverance would then deliver the cached rock samples to the lander, with small drone helicopters delivered on the lander as a back up. Perseverance’s samples would then be launched into Mars’ orbit using the lander’s rocket. A spacecraft already in Martian orbit, the Earth Return Orbiter, would then intercept these samples and deliver them to Earth.

As autonomous drones soar toward the frontline, bigger countries like China and the U.S. are watching.

China has officially showcased its machine-gun armed robodog drones during a 15-day military exercise with Cambodian forces.

Underwater recon and attack drones are about to enter war zones.

Australia has unveiled ‘Ghost Shark’, an underwater drone that is capable of surveillance, intelligence collection and attacking enemy targets. The U.S. has a ‘Monster Manta’ that can carry a range of payloads, carry out long-range missions. Countries around the world are developing unmanned underwater vehicles for the next war at sea. What about India?

Continue reading “Gravitas: A new underwater warfare, is India prepared?” »

A custom-made drone designed by South Africa-based father-son duo Mike and Luke Bell has set a world record after flying just shy of 300 miles an hour.

The record-making attempt was performed on April 21, but according to the men behind the effort, the project has been in the works for months.

Continue reading “Custom-made drone smashes Guinness World Record with 298 mph flight” »

US defence giant Northrop Grumman has tested an underwater drone that looks like a monster manta ray. The drone is capable of carrying multiple payloads of various sizes, and the machine is autonomous and war-ready.

#us #defence #drone.

Continue reading “US military flaunts massive unmanned ‘Manta Ray’ | WION” »

Researchers take inspiration from Origami to create a lightweight, yet sturdy gripper for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The TY-3R Air-Water Rescue Drone system was designed with maintainability in mind. Four hatches on the drone provide access for maintenance or replace batteries.

Didiok Makings envisions the TY-3R to become an integral tool for emergency responders, law enforcement agencies, and maritime organizations dedicated to safeguarding lives on water. The company has set up an after-sales department and flight test base to provide customers and operators with optimal service and training.

“It’s one of those things where once you have it, all of a sudden, you realize how transformative it can be for your life.”

“Zipline has been on a mission ever since to create the first logistics system that really serves all humans equally and solves that problem at scale,” he adds.

Continue reading “Zipline’s 1M drone deliveries: Tech talks with co-founder Keenan” »