Lifeboat Foundation

“This platform can be for manufacturing, human habitation, military applications, and whatnot.”

In-space manufacturing will form a massive part of the future of space exploration as it massively reduces the cost of launching otherwise fully-built structures to orbit and beyond.

Not only that, one of its co-founders says it could be compatible with SpaceX’s in-development fully reusable Starship rocket, which could eventually take humans to Mars.

Continue reading “A startup is building an in-space manufacturing platform that could attach to Starship” »

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect a schedule change for the launch.

A rocket scheduled to lift off in Virginia — that could be visible above at least a portion of New Jersey — has been rescheduled.

Rocket Lab USA’s first Electron rocket’s launch has now been moved, and will not happen earlier than Sunday, Dec. 18, officials announced Thursday night. A specific date and time was not announced.

SpaceX has offered its most dramatic view yet of a space vehicle’s engine test, placing a camera directly above the blast.

An alloy made of almost equal amounts of chromium, cobalt and nickel resists fracturing even at incredibly cold temperatures, which could make it useful for building spacecraft.

The Orion spacecraft will host a trio of astronaut-like payloads that will help NASA learn how best to protect real astronauts during future crewed Artemis missions to the Moon.

A gel made of a protein found in human cells can capture particles travelling at supersonic speeds without destroying them on impact, suggesting the material could be used in body armour or for collecting space debris.

The mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) is the peaceful exploration and use of space for the benefit of everyone. We watch over Earth, develop and launch inspiring and unique space projects, train astronauts and push the boundaries of science and technology, seeking answers to the big science questions about the Universe.

We are a community of scientists, engineers and business professionals from all over Europe working together in a diverse and multinational environment.

This page addresses some of the most frequently asked questions about becoming an ESA astronaut. If your question is not answered below, it may be answered in the Astronaut Applicant Handbook or vacancy notices.

If everything goes to plan, double SpaceX Falcon 9 launches are set to liftoff just minutes apart between 4 and 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 16.

Orbital Reef is one of NASA’s in-development successors for the ISS.

Sierra Space, the company developing a new space station called Orbital Reef alongside Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin, just blew up a small prototype for an inflatable astronaut habitat, a recent press statement (Dec .13) reveals.

The company conducted what it calls the “ultimate burst pressure test” (UBP) as part of the development of Orbital Reef, which is one of several privately-developed successors to the International Space Station that have been funded by NASA.

Continue reading “Watch a space habitat prototype for Orbital Reef explode into pieces in dramatic video” »