Space Exploration Technologies

Europa and Enceladus are the Perfect Targets for a Lightsail Mission

There's always a need for new technologies or for novel uses of existing technologies to lower the cost of space…

6 months ago

Solar Sails Could Reach Mars in Just 26 Days

A recent study submitted to Acta Astronautica explores the potential for using aerographite solar sails for traveling to Mars and…

6 months ago

Mini-Subs Could One Day Ply the Seas Under Europa’s Ice

The most promising places to look for life in the Solar System are in the ocean moons Europa and Enceladus.…

7 months ago

The Outer Space Treaty was Signed in 1967. Can it Handle the Future of Space Exploration?

In a recent study submitted to the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society for the 8th Interstellar Symposium special issue,…

7 months ago

A Robot With Expandable Appendages Could Explore Martian Caves And Cliffs

Plenty of areas in the solar system are interesting for scientific purposes but hard to access by traditional rovers. Some…

8 months ago

Could Puncturing A Satellite’s Battery Help It Deorbit Faster?

A few years ago, there was a panic about lithium-ion batteries that exploded and could do things like take down…

8 months ago

An Improved Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator Could Dramatically Reduce The Weight Of Interplanetary Missions

Radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) are the power plants of the interplanetary spacecraft. Or at least they have been for going…

8 months ago

Graphene Could Be A Game Changing Material In Space – With A Bit More Research

Graphene has long been put forward as a wonder material. Undeniably, it has astounding properties - stronger than steel, a…

8 months ago

A Rocket-Powered Spaceplane Completes a Successful Test Flight

Access to space is getting easier and more accessible as more and more platforms are coming online that can significantly…

12 months ago

Tiny Spacecraft Using Solar Sails Open Up a Solar System of Opportunity

Some parts of the solar system are exceptionally hard to reach. Despite the interesting scientific data we could collect from…

12 months ago