Propulsion

ISRO has successfully carried out two more tests as part of plans to further validate and refine the performance of the propulsion system that would be used to launch India's first human spaceflight mission Gaganyaan. The "hot tests" on Gaganyaan Service Module Propulsion System (SMPS) were conducted at the ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri, in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.The Gaganyaan project envisages demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members to an orbit of 400km for a three days…

Benchmark Space Systems, a Vermont-based developer of in-space propulsion products, has raised $33.2 million in new funding, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Committee. The Series B capital will be used to help the company manufacture at-scale and deliver on the more than 220 propulsion systems in its backlog, Benchmark CEO Ryan McDevitt told TechCrunch. “ was really around, how do we set ourselves up so that we have the capital that we need to go deliver on these contracts?” he said. He…

A fascinating eVTOL project is about to come out of stealth, showcasing a "breakthrough HyperDrive propulsion technology" that MagLev Aero claims is "dramatically more quiet, efficient, safe, sustainable and emotionally appealing to the mass market."Representatives from the Boston-based company have made their way to the Paris Air Show, where they're preparing to reveal a very different approach to electric vertical lift aircraft, drawing on the magnetic levitation technology used in high-speed trains. What we appear to…

A combination of solar power, microwaves, and distilled water has managed to lift Momentus Space’s Vigoride-5 spacecraft thousands of feet above its original orbit, in what is a critical milestone for the California-based startup.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewThe orbital raise was made possible by the company’s Microwave Electrothermal Thruster (MET), which uses distilled water as propellant. Momentus said in a May 8 press release that the MET system lifted the company’s…

A newly proposed propulsion system could theoretically beam a heavy spacecraft to outside the confines of our Solar System in less than 5 years – a feat that took the historic Voyager 1 probe 35 years to achieve.The concept, known as 'pellet-beam' propulsion, was awarded an early-stage US$175,000 NASA grant for further development earlier this year.To be clear, the concept currently doesn't exist much beyond calculations on paper, so we can't get too excited just yet.Still, it's attracted attention not only because of…

With the successful launch of Artemis I behind it, NASA has been doubling down on efforts to make deep space travel – and it’s reported future trips to the Moon and Mars – easier to achieve. We’ve already reported on why the Space Launch System used for the Artemis mission isn’t sustainable, but now NASA has tested a new propulsion tech that could cut down on the fuel needed for those missions. The new tech is called a rotating detonation rocket engine, or RDRE. This propulsion system uses detonations to…

Rotating detonation rocket engine, or RDRE hot fire test at Marshall Space Flight Center. Credit: NASAAs <span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt" data-cmtooltip="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>NASA</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>Established in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government that succeeded the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). It is responsible for the…

The rocket engine test occurred at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Image: NASAAs NASA gears up for a return to the Moon with the Artemis missions, the administration has announced that its researchers have successfully developed and tested a new type of supersonic rocket engine called a rotating detonation rocket engine.The rotating detonation rocket engine, or RDRE, generates thrust with detonation, in whicha supersonic exothermic front accelerates to produce thrust, much the same way a…

Artist’s conception of a spacecraft enabled by nuclear thermal propulsion.Illustration: NASATwo of the most forward-thinking agencies in the United States are joining forces to foster the development of advanced space propulsion. A fireside chat on the new collaboration is scheduled for Tuesday morning, and you can watch it live right here.The 2023 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) SciTech Forum is officially underway in National Harbor, Maryland. The theme for this year’s confab is to “explore the…

This artist’s concept shows the briefcase-sized Lunar Flashlight spacecraft using its near-infrared lasers to shine light into shaded polar regions on the Moon to look for water ice. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechThe mission is characterizing its new “green” propulsion system and developing a modified plan for the briefcase-size satellite’s journey to the Moon.<span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt" data-cmtooltip="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>NASA</div><div…