Latest news on "Space"

The Falcon 9 heavy launch vehicle successfully launched a new batch of 60 mini-satellites into low-Earth orbit on Wednesday, designed to continue the deployment of the Starlink system's global Internet coverage network, developer SpaceX said.

At the end of 2020, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research at the Air Force Research Laboratory awarded 17 grants for quantum information research, two of which focused on the use of quantum computing to overcome problems in navigation without the use of GPS, according to the publication Inside GNSS. Quantum computing and quantum sensors use quantum bits (qubits) to speed up computing processes while performing multiple operations simultaneously, which is beyond the capabilities of modern computers. 

The Americans decided to develop the military direction of nuclear energy. So far, the current President, Donald Trump, has signed a decree on the development of low-power nuclear reactors for the armed forces and space exploration. For the first time in half a century, the United States will use nuclear energy not only in the Navy. About why Washington needs new compact reactors-in the material of RIA Novosti.

Engineers from Switzerland and the Netherlands have developed a new algorithm for quadrocopters that allows them to stay in the air after turning off one propeller. Unlike similar algorithms developed earlier, the new one allows the drone to move controllably, not just hover in place, and also works only with the drone's own sensors, without requiring an external tracking system or GPS. The paper is published in the journal IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, and its preprint is available on the website of the University of Zurich.

The operators of the insight mission came to the conclusion that it is pointless to continue trying to drill the Martian surface. A drill with tools to measure the heat flow from the interior of the red planet could not dive deep enough due to lack of friction with the soil — it was too lumpy.

Billionaire Branson launched 10 satellites from an airplane]

Billionaire Richard Branson finally managed to launch a rocket with 10 satellites from a Boeing 747. His company expects to occupy a niche of such launches and reduce the cost of putting small satellites into orbit.

In total, in order to improve the ground-based complex, about three dozen development works are currently being carried out [/b]

The level of modern ground stations in parts of the Main Test Space Center named after G. S. Titov will grow to 90% in the coming years. This was announced by the head of the center, Major General Sergei Marchuk.

The State Duma of Russia is considering the issue of fines against individuals and legal entities that intend to use the services of the Western satellite Internet. The future law should, first of all, limit access to the Internet using the Starlink services of SpaceX, OneWeb and other foreign satellite systems.

Soyuz-2.1 v quarrels with the creators of space engines

Despite the successful completion of the Soyuz-2.1 v flight and design tests, this light-class launch vehicle did not perform a single launch last year. The situation is aggravated by the struggle between UEC-Kuznetsov and PNO Energomash for orders of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation for the main engine of the first stage.

OneWeb has raised $ 400 million from SoftBank and Hughes Network Systems: this will allow the company to continue deploying the satellite constellation.

NASA will install additional solar panels on top of the existing ones on the ISS. They will partially replace the old ones, which have degraded over time, but due to high efficiency, they will increase the available electric power from 160 to 215 kilowatts. The new batteries are made of a flexible film that is rolled into a scroll for easy transport.

Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Victoria Abramchenko approved a "road map" to improve the system of forest protection from fires, which provides for the use of space and unmanned vehicles, the press service of Abramchenko reports.

Russian scientists have proposed a qualitatively new type of engine for working in outer space. It is based on the principle of plasma excitation using a microwave spark discharge. This unit can be installed on small-format satellites.

The American company Aerojet Rocketdyne assembled the first liquid rocket engine AR1. Perhaps it will be used on the American-Ukrainian carrier from the company Firefly Aerospace.

The Russian Academy of Sciences recommended to postpone the creation of the Yenisei rocket

Russian scientists agreed on the need to postpone the creation of a super-heavy lunar rocket "Yenisei". Earlier, President Vladimir Putin criticized the leadership of Roscosmos for delaying it.

Scientists, engineers and other specialists from several leading Chinese scientific institutions, led by scientists from the Chinese University of Science and Technology in Hefei, have completed the deployment of the world's first and largest integrated quantum communication network, which now combines about 700 fiber-based channels and several satellite channels.

At the end of December, the RD-191 liquid-propellant rocket engine for the Angara launch vehicle was also successfully tested

NPO Energomash (part of Roscosmos) has successfully tested the RD-180 and RD-191 rocket engines designed for the American Atlas launch vehicles and the Russian Angara rockets, respectively. This was reported on Tuesday in the press service of Roscosmos.

The Russian Space Systems Holding (RKS, part of the State Corporation ROSCOSMOS) has completed work on improving the multi-zone scanning devices of the advanced hydrometeorological satellites of the Electro-L, Arktika-M, Meteor-M and Canopus series as part of the development of on-board systems of the Earth remote sensing (ERS) spacecraft.

Competition in the space launch market is getting tougher every year, which pushes developers to various unusual solutions. So, a small private firm SpinLaunch can test its revolutionary method of launching satellites using a centrifuge.

The works, according to the head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin, will become an element of the third stage of construction at the cosmodrome

The construction of the launch pad for the Amur-LNG launch vehicle will be an element of the third stage of construction of the Vostochny cosmodrome. This was announced on Monday by the Director General of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin on his Facebook page.