Propulsion

Intuitive Machines’ first lunar lander officially lost power today after spending seven days on the moon. The lander made history for being the first American hardware to reach the lunar surface since 1972 and the first privately built spacecraft to land on the moon. But the lander, called Odysseus, will be remembered for another reason: its propulsion system. That propulsion system, which uses a combination of cryogenic liquid oxygen and liquid methane, could unlock new capabilities in space and de-risk future…

Spacetech startup Spacefields, which designs and builds dual-use rocket propulsion systems, has raised $800,000 (Rs 6.5 crore) in a seed round led by HVB 88 Angels and O2 Angels Network. This is the first round of institutional and external fundraise at the company.The startup – supported by the governments of India, Karnataka, Odisha and incubated at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru – custom-designs and manufactures turnkey solid rocket propulsion systems for aerospace, defence and space…

Even is not immune to . The agency says it's cutting around 530 employees from its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California amid budget uncertainty. That's eight percent of the facility's workforce. JPL is laying off about 40 contractors too, just weeks after imposing a hiring freeze and . Workers are being informed of their fates today."After exhausting all other measures to adjust to a lower budget from NASA, and in the absence of an FY24 appropriation from Congress, we have had to make the difficult decision to…

First image of Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander in space. Credit: AstroboticAstrobotic’s Peregrine lander experienced a propulsion issue soon after launch. NASA is assessing the impact on the mission’s scientific objectives and remains committed to supporting Astrobotic in resolving the issue.Carrying NASA science planned for the Moon, United Launch Alliance successfully launched its Vulcan rocket and Astrobotic’s lunar lander early Monday morning. Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander experienced a propulsion issue after the…

Spacetech startup Bellatrix Aerospace on Thursday said it will start commercialising its proprietary propulsion systems that help satellites generate the thrust for a transfer and stabilisation into orbit.The company achieved a significant milestone with the launch of its propulsion systems – Rudra and Arka – on board the national space agency’s PSLV C-58 launch vehicle on January 1. This gives the company its first space qualification.Elevate Your Tech Prowess with High-Value Skill CoursesOffering…

ATHENA, developed by ESA and IENAI Space, uses tiny emitter arrays on a silicon wafer to provide scalable and efficient propulsion for small satellites like CubeSats. Credit: IENAI SpaceATHENA, a new electrospray propulsion system by ESA and IENAI Space, offers innovative, scalable propulsion for small satellites, with the final product expected by next year.A palm-sized propulsion option for future space missions: each one of these seven emitter arrays etched onto this silicon wafer using micro- and nano-technology…

Helicity Space has closed a $5 million seed funding to accelerate development of a technology that could finally unlock fast, efficient travel in deep space. That technology is fusion propulsion, which has long been the domain of science fiction. The startup says that they have discovered a way to use plasma jets for fusion reaction. The project is the brainchild of plasma physicist and Helicity co-founder Setthivoine You; he and the other two co-founders, CEO and former banker Stephane Lintner and former…

Detonation and shock waves traversing the linear combustion chamber. Credit: Venkat Raman Combustors that drive propulsion systems are often volumetric in nature, typically in the form of cylinders, and convert chemical to thermal and mechanical energy through oxidation of fuels. This deflagrating combustion approach is now beginning to be challenged by detonation-based combustion that utilizes shock waves to accelerate the…

Achieving a major milestone, ISRO on Thursday announced that the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft's Lander Module has successfully separated from the Propulsion module that was propelling it all these days in space.The Lander Module comprising the lander (Vikram) and the rover (Pragyan) is now ready to be lowered into an orbit that takes it closer to the Moon's surface. The soft landing on the Lunar south pole is scheduled on August 23."Thanks for the ride, mate! said the Lander Module (LM). LM is successfully separated from the…

As NASA shifts its gaze back to the Moon and sets its sights on Mars and beyond in the coming decades, the agency is rethinking the means by which we’ll get there. After previously announcing a collaboration between NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for a nuclear-powered rocketintended for long-distance space travel, the two agencies have now selected Lockheed Martin to develop a demonstration.Samsung Galaxy Fold 5: Hands-on first Impressions of Samsung's Big-Screen Flagship FoldableThe…