Category Archives: Space Exploration

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What is a satellite bus? Simply put, it is a distribution network maintaining all service systems of satellites connected to a particular bus. This is the hardcore of the space systems, no matter which particular purpose they serve or in which orbit they are placed. With the space industry growing exponentially and the era of deep space exploration almost upon us, satellite buses have become ever more advanced and complicated. So, lets take a closer look at the typical satellite bus purpose to discover how this technology works now and what we can expect from it in the future.

So, what is a bus on a satellite, exactly? It is a platform that includes:

More complex platforms may also be equipped with life support for crewed missions or guidance and navigation systems for improved maneuvering in space.

The actual type of spacecraft bus will mostly depend on what is a satellite used for, so the equipment may vary slightly from one system to another. When it comes to weight, modern platforms are roughly classified into:

Still, the most important parameter of any given platform is how much payload it can carry. However, it does not mean that heavyweight buses can accommodate more payload. Quite on the contrary, lighter platforms have an increased payload to total spacecraft ratio, which is why essential for deep space exploration and successful mission completion.

The primary satellite bus purpose is to reduce spacecraft production costs by using a serial production standard for all spacecrafts connected to a single platform. Besides reducing the production cost, satellite buses also help to reduce production time. As a result, any deployed payload becomes more reliable through repeated testing, and the spacecrafts lifespan in orbit is increased, too.

Todays buses are highly versatile and have very few restrictions on the type of payload they carry. These platforms are equally effective for meteorological, communication, research, and Earth Observation satellites. The placement orbit has little effect on the platform capabilities here, everything will depend on the manufacturer and the clients particular needs.

The capability and high flexibility of modern satellite buses can, best of all, be seen in the example of currently operational satellite buses. The most prominent ones include:

Besides, more satellite constellations are deployed today to provide broadband Internet connectivity worldwide, and even more companies are launching satellites that monitor natural disasters, track illegal activities, or ensure more precise navigation on the open seas.

The capabilities of satellite buses are already impressive, but the space industry keeps evolving ever more rapidly. This means that, soon enough, we may observe a noticeable increase in the satellite bus power, applications, and capabilities.

The wide adoption of satellite buses will eventually lead to a decrease in space exploration costs both for commercial and government clients. And, as more and more rocket manufacturers are fine-tuning their reusable rocket technology, the number of launches is expected to grow, but the time span between missions will likely decline.

Right now, governments and private companies worldwide heavily invest in interplanetary and deep space exploration missions, which could potentially lead to increased demand for medium and heavy satellite buses. Today, however, light satellite buses enjoy their moment in the light, taking up almost half of the total satellite bus market. However, despite their compact size, their capabilities, ranging from navigation and control to telemetry and imaging, are very impressive.

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Satellite Buses: Types, Purposes, and Impressive Capabilities - Programming Insider

Russias plan to leave the International Space Station (ISS) in the near future is just one step in the evolution of space exploration as it reaches a turning point, experts say.

Despite headlines generated by Tuesdays announcement by the new head of the Russian space agency, experts said they were not surprised. The agency has been saying it plans to leave for years, long before the recent invasion of Ukraine, those observers said though this time it seems Russian President Vladimir Putin is also on board, suggesting the announcement is more than a bluff.

In the words of Marcia Smith, a U.S. veteran policy analyst, all the ISS partners are going to leave after 2024, its just a matter of when.

But with NASA exploring privatizing space, China building its own space station, and Russia investing in space weapons, the Kremlins exit would be a small move at a time of transition in the future of space.

A home base for astronauts and cosmonauts in low-Earth orbit, the ISS is an initiative mostly between U.S. and Russia, with support from international partners. Russia runs one section of the football-field-sized station, with a second run by the U.S. and the other countries.

The outpost was built by launching pieces into space and attaching them in orbit starting in 1998. The first crew arrived on Nov. 2, 2000, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the ISS has been continuously occupied ever since.

The space station has long symbolized international collaboration. The U.S. plans to continue its mission in the ISS for the next eight years, but its future is unclear after that.

NASA is committed to the safe operation of the International Space Station through 2030, and is co-ordinating with our partners. NASA has not been made aware of decisions from any of the partners, though we are continuing to build future capabilities to assure our major presence in low-Earth orbit, said an email statement attributed to NASA administrator Bill Nelson.

(Russia has yet to give written notice as is required a year in advance of its intention to leave the ISS, said Victoria Samson, Washington office director for the Secure World Foundation, a U.S.-based non-profit group focused on space sustainability.)

Meanwhile, NASA is experimenting with commercial orbiting stations.

NASA has said after it ends this ISS program, it will not do another station and itll leave low-Earth orbit to the private sector So were at a transition point, said John Logsdon, founder and former director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University.

Depending on when Russia leaves, there could be challenges in keeping the ISS running. The remaining partners would have to get more familiar with operating the Russian-run section on their own, said Smith.

Jordan Bimm, a historian of science at the University of Chicago, told the Associated Press that its unclear what Russian technology that country will leave operational and what it might disable or remove. The most immediate problem might be how to boost the ISS periodically to maintain its orbit, he said right now, its Russian spacecraft that arrive with cargo and crew members to help align the station and raise its orbit.

In response to a request for interview, the Canadian Space Agency, one partner in the non-Russian section, sent an email statement saying its committed to the safe operation of the International Space Station (and) is aware of press reports but has not been made aware of decisions from any of the partners.

One possibility is that Russia could sell its services to the ISS, said Smith, noting the U.S. previously paid Russia tens of millions of dollars to move crews back and forth from the station.

For its part, Russia has said it plans to build its own station, something critics say is unlikely for lack of funding.

But Russia also has a fast-moving program for counter-space capabilities, Samson says in other words, space weapons. Last November, Russia deliberately shot a missile to destroy one of its own satellites in a test, creating more than 1,500 pieces of debris.

My concern is if Russia doesnt have a healthy outlet for its space interests theyre going to put all their eggs in the basket of counter-space, which I dont think would be good for anyone from a global security viewpoint.

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Russias exit from ISS shows that space exploration is reaching a turning point, experts say - Toronto Star

The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), officially named Danuri, is the Korea Aerospace Research Institute's (KARI) first exploratory space mission outside of Earth's orbit.

Danuri will launch on Aug. 2, 2022, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The launch is scheduled for approximately 7:30 p.m. EDT (2330 GMT). You'll be able to enjoy all the launch action here on Space.com and details on how to watch the launch online will be released closer to the time.

The spacecraft is expected to reach the moon in mid-December. It will then orbit our rocky companion for about a year, taking measurements of the lunar surface and identifying potential landing sites for future missions, according to NASA (opens in new tab). Data collected from Danuri will also help support the planning of NASA's Artemis program.

Related: Where will NASA set up its moon base?

Danuri: Key facts

Launch date: August 2, 2022

Launch vehicle: Falcon 9

Launch site: Cape Canaveral, Florida

Mass: 1,495 lbs (678 kilograms)

Target: Moon

Funding agency: Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI)

Notable firsts: South Korea's first lunar mission

Danuri is a joint mission between KARI and NASA with KARI managing the manufacturing and operation of the orbiter while NASA supports the mission with the development of one of the scientific payloads as well as aiding spacecraft communications and navigation, according to an agreement signed in 2016.

"The KPLO Participating Scientist Program is an example of how international collaborations can leverage the talents of two space agencies, to achieve greater science and exploration success than individual missions," says Dr. Sang-Ryool Lee, the KPLO Project Manager, in a NASA statement (opens in new tab).

"It's fantastic that the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) lunar mission has NASA as a partner in space exploration we're excited to see the new knowledge and opportunities that will arise from the KPLO mission as well as from future joint KARINASA activities," Lee added.

The name Danuri is a combination of two Korean words "dal" which means moon and "nuri" which means enjoy, according to NASA Spaceflight (opens in new tab).

According to the NASA statement, the three main goals of the mission are:

The KPLO will carry six payloads: Five developed by Korean universities and research organizations and one from NASA. They are a Lunar Terrain Imager (LUTI), a Wide-Angle Polarimetric Camera (PolCam), a Magnetometer (KMAG) a Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (KGRS), the Disruption Tolerant Network Experiment Payload (DTNPL) and a highly sensitive camera developed by NASA called ShadowCam (opens in new tab).

NASA's ShadowCam will be used to map reflectance within permanently shadowed regions at the lunar poles to help shed light on the possible presence of frost or ice deposits on the moon's surface. ShadowCam is 800 times more sensitive than the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Narrow Angle Camera on which it's based.

Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab) and Facebook (opens in new tab).

Explore the scientific experiments onboard Danuri with the NASA Space Science Coordinated Archive (opens in new tab). Read about the mission in more detail (opens in new tab) with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI).

If you fancy taking a moon-lit tour of our rocky companion for yourself, our ultimate guide to observing the moon will help you plan your next skywatching venture whether it be exploring the lunar seas, mountainous terrain, or the many craters that blanket the landscape. You can also see where astronauts, rovers and landers have ventured with our Apollo landing sites observing guide.

Kanayama, L. (2022, May 28). Kari names KPLO as it begins communication testing. NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved July 26, 2022, from http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2022/05/kplo-name-testing/

NASA. (n.d.). Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO). NASA. Retrieved July 26, 2022, from http://www.nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=KPLO

Opening of a New Chapter for Korea-US Space Cooperation Signing of Korea-US Lunar Probe Implementation Agreement (December 30). Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). (2016, December 31). Retrieved July 26, 2022, from http://www.kari.re.kr/cop/bbs/BBSMSTR_000000000031/selectBoardArticle.do?nttId=5999&pageIndex=1&mno=sitemap_02&searchCnd=&searchWrd=

Talbert, T. (Ed.). (2021, March 31). NASA selects nine scientists to join Korea pathfinder Lunar Orbiter. NASA. Retrieved July 26, 2022, from http://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-selects-nine-scientists-to-join-korea-pathfinder-lunar-orbiter-mission

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Danuri: Facts about the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) - Space.com

The first breathtaking images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have been arriving this month and last week we got its inaugural scientific discovery a galaxy thats 13.5 billion years old. In these photos, we see the infant light of distant space. We are time traveling to the dawn of existence itself, seeing the universe as it was long before even the earliest life forms were here. Golden, blue, and iridescent hues contrast with an abyss of darkness; the pentagonal points of stars and the swirling spirals of nebulae show us the cosmos in technicolor. Each magnificent frame is brimming with celestial marvels any of these myriad dots may hold entire unknown civilizations, past, present, and future. There are infinite mysteries to explore.

As I eagerly awaited the first photos from the JWST, I thought about how different this endeavor feels from other technological achievements. We are unabashedly standing in wonder in a way we rarely get to do a collective human triumph that has been sorely missing from our experience.

The JWST is the largest telescope ever sent into space. A giant mirror that collects light from the cosmos, it was launched from French Guiana in December and unfurled itself like a massive golden honeycomb amid the stars. It traveled nearly a million miles before settling into position on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun. In its new home orbit, JWST is in constant communication with its joint international mission team of NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, and the European Space Agency.

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The JWST was made real by the work of more than 20,000 people over two decades, standing on the shoulders of many who came before. Its deployment had 344 single points of failure had any one of them failed, it could have ended the entire mission. This technological miracle has ushered in the next frontier of deep space exploration.

Not all of our inventions have lived up to their promise or served a greater humane purpose. Today, some of our technology is threatening to overwhelm us. Digital tools are leveraged by tyrants to expand unprecedented surveillance states. Social media is atomizing us, exacerbating polarization, amplifying the most extreme and vitriolic voices, and spreading hate and disinformation like wildfire as we scroll screens and feeds mired in context collapse. Autonomous weapons systems with the capacity to annihilate, like drone swarms, are on the market. Giant technology companies brandish untold power as quasi-kingdoms without adequate regulation or ethical guardrails.

However, the JWSTs manifestation of human brilliance was not built to be a tool of power, profit, or persuasion for the wealthiest and most powerful. It doesnt measure our esteem in follower counts. It cannot be utilized to track our movements, and it will not discriminate on the basis of race or sex. It will not skew elections, nor is it designed to sell us something.

The JWST is an international scientific mission with no overt motive other than the reward of wisdom. It only transports humans metaphorically; we are not central to its findings. Its purpose is to enlighten, to enhance our knowledge, to shine a spotlight on the deepest recesses and corners of solar systems, to allow us to study planets and the climates of galaxies unknown to us not to validate our own greatness, but rather to revel in what is beyond us. To convey to us the vastness of time and space, and, in turn, to impress upon humanity how very small our place is within it. To keep us humble, and in awe.

With a $10 billion price tag, years of delays, and a controversial namesake, the JWST did not come into being unencumbered by struggles or tumult. Its no panacea. But it still gives a glimpse as to what our technology could be at its finest, a faint outline of what we might be: co-inhabitants of our tiny, pale blue dot; floating through time and space; tethered together on our only home. Imperfect, limited, and flawed, but part of something bigger than ourselves.

Our estrangement from the natural world and each other is our most existential danger. Our planet is our temple our sacred and only home. To acknowledge the immensity of the universe around us is not just to admire a thing of beauty; this humility is also essential for our species granting us an understanding of our place and our responsibility to each other and the world around us. The JWST gives me hope that together we can imagine the possibilities and make good on a plan for securing a livable future. It shows me what we are capable of, however short we often fall.

This article was updated on July 27 to delete an incorrect reference to the size of the telescope.

Flynn Coleman is a human rights attorney who has had fellowships at Harvard and Yale and is the author of A Human Algorithm: How Artificial Intelligence is Redefining Who We Are. Follow her on Twitter @FlynnColeman.

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The James Webb Space Telescope is giving humanity what we need right now - The Boston Globe

Hyundai Motors robotics vision unveiled at 2022 CES in Jan. (Hyundai Motor)

Through this joint research, they will not only develop technologies needed to make mobility for moon surface exploration but also come up with specific strategies and methods to operate such mobility on the harsh environmental and geographical conditions of the moon, according to Hyundai Motor.

The moon has millions of large and small craters on its surface caused by collisions with meteorites, comets, and asteroids.

In addition, the moon is exposed to the radiation of the universe, which makes its weather more extreme. The moon has temperatures between 130 degrees Celcius and minus 170 degrees Celcius and is exposed to fine yet sharp dust.

The South Korean carmaker lined up its renowned robot-development team at Hyundai Robotics Lab, as well as those that have expertise in making equipment needed for space exploration.

Hyundai Motor and Kia hope to take the lead in securing mobility-related future technologies through this joint research and development and actualize their mobility vision.

At CES 2022, the carmaker unveiled its plans for next-generation robotics dedicated to expanding human reach beyond limitations.

This can be seen as our first step to achieving our robotics vision. By preemptively preparing for the future that will someday come to us, we will put effort into making Korea lead the technology of the space era, and further expand the realm of mobility experience to contribute to human progress, said an official from Hyundai Motor and Kia.

Hyundai Motor and Kia expect the joint research to kick off in August at the earliest.

The government-funded research institutes to take part in this joint research are Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute and Korea Automotive Technology Institute.

By Hong Yoo (yoohong@heraldcorp.com)

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Hyundai Motor to join moon surface exploration - The Korea Herald

In October 2003 satellite controllers lost track of hundreds of spacecraft for days after a major solar storm hit Earth. Experts worry that with the increase in the number of satellites and debris orbiting the planet in the nearly twenty years since, the next big solar storm could throw the near-Earth space into chaos for weeks.

The U.S. Space Surveillance Network (SSN) currently tracks about 20,000 objects larger than 4 inches (10 centimeters) in low Earth orbit, the region of space at altitudes below 620 miles (1,000 kilometers). Some of these objects are operational satellites, but most are defunct spacecraft, spent rocket stages and debris fragments created in collisions. SSN experts use radar measurements to maintain a catalog that enables them to keep tabs on where these objects are in space and project their trajectories into the future. When two objects, for example a piece of space debris and a satellite, look set to get dangerously close to each other, the satellite operator receives a warning. In some cases, they conduct avoidance maneuvers to prevent a crash.

But there is a catch. The positions of those objects are not always accurate and this uncertainty increases during solar storms, sometimes to a point where accurate collision predictions are impossible.

"In the largest storms, the errors in the orbital trajectories become so large that, essentially, the catalog of orbital objects is invalidated," Tom Berger, a solar physicist and director of the Space Weather Technology Center at the University of Colorado, Boulder, told Space.com. "The objects can be tens of kilometers away from the positions last located by radar. They are essentially lost, and the only solution is to find them again with radar."

Related: Wild solar weather is causing satellites to plummet from orbit. It's only going to get worse.

This uncertainty is a result of changes in density of Earth's thermosphere, the upper layer of the atmosphere at altitudes of 60 to 370 miles (100 to 600 km). Thin gasses at those altitudes interact with particles emitted by the sun in coronal mass ejections (CMEs), large eruptions of magnetized plasma from the sun's upper atmosphere, the corona. These interactions heat up the thermosphere and make it swell. The denser gasses from lower altitudes move higher up where satellites suddenly experience stronger drag, which changes their speed and pulls them toward Earth.

Berger, who described his concerns in a paper called Flying Through Uncertainty, published in 2020 in the journal Space Weather, is not alone in having concerns about the effects of a major solar storm.

"When we get a very big event and we see an intense heating of the [upper] atmosphere, satellites are not going to be where they're supposed to be," Bill Murtagh, the program coordinator of the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), told Space.com.

"There's going to be some extraordinary drag on those spacecraft and it's not going to be uniform at a given location at a given height. It's going to vary over time with the extraordinary dynamics of [the solar storm]. It's certainly going to be a challenge during one of these big events."

Fortunately, such powerful solar storms don't happen that often. Since the so-called Halloween storms in October 2003, Earth has enjoyed a period of rather mild space weather. In 2012, however, our planet was just nine days away from being hit by a CME that would have sparked a solar storm of the century.

Still, the relatively low frequency of these events is no solace to space safety experts, who dread what would happen if we were to lose control of the orbital positions of satellites in today's increasingly busy space environment. When the Halloween storms of 2003 hit, Berger said, there were only about 5,000 tracked objects in low Earth orbit, and despite the loss of control over the situation, no collisions were reported. But the number of objects in this vulnerable region of space has increased four times since 2003, and with it the risk of orbital crashes.

"A typical satellite operator may now be spending 30 to 50% of their time dealing with collision alerts," said Berger. "Low Earth orbit satellite operators receive about one warning per day now. About one per week is serious enough to analyze in greater detail, and about every few weeks they have to maneuver to reduce the probability of the collision. It wasn't like that in the past."

With the enormous uncertainty about positions of satellites and debris objects in the aftermath of a major solar storm, spacecraft operators might just "throw up their hands," keep their fingers crossed and wait for the Space Surveillance Network to retrace the objects piece by piece, Berger said.

Most modern satellites are equipped with GPS receivers, which will enable the operators to maintain some knowledge of the satellites' positions (although solar storms can cause GPS blackouts and significant inaccuracies in the position readings). But debris objects dont have GPS and can only be located with radar. Even with the increased investment into new tracking radars and the emergence of commercial players in the field of debris monitoring in recent years, it might take weeks to fully restore today's much larger catalog, said Berger.

During those weeks, spacecraft operators are not likely to sleep well, and it's not just about the risk of damage to any single spacecraft. For several years now, the space safety community has been ringing the alarm bells about the growing amount of debris in low Earth orbit. This debris, together with the increase in the number of operational satellites over the past decade (a result of the advent of mega-constellations such as SpaceX's Starlink), threatens the sustainability of orbital operations.

Experts think that the early stages of the so-called Kessler syndrome, an unstoppable cascade of collisions that can render the orbital environment so unsafe that it would be unusable, are already underway.

A few unlucky strikes during a period of chaos in the wake of a powerful solar storm may easily tip the scale. And then? In the worst case, a scenario akin to the plot of the 2013 Oscar-winning movie Gravity could unfold while the world would watch on helplessly.

"Without significant improvements in [space traffic management] and space weather forecasting technology, there is a real risk that we will reach exponentially increasing levels of cascading collisions that could render the [low Earth orbit] domain unusable for decades or possibly centuries," Berger and his colleagues wrote in their 2020 paper, adding that such a situation would have "devastating consequences for weather forecasting, space-based intelligence, and space commerce.

A solar storm with the power to cause all that will certainly come. One day. Berger hopes that if we avoid one for at least the next five years, the space weather forecasting community will be able to improve their models of the upper atmosphere to account for the changes in drag caused by space weather events. Such models, in turn, would enable spacecraft operators (and the Space Surveillance Network), to keep track of things in space with a sufficient level of reliability even in the middle of the most powerful geomagnetic upheavals caused by solar storms.

Last year, NOAA introduced what they call the Whole Atmosphere Model, which extends the regular weather-forecasting model up to the altitude of about 370 miles (600 km). So far, the lack of measurements at these altitudes limits the accuracy and reliability of the model's output, Tzu-Wei Fang, a space weather scientist at NOAA, admitted to Space.com in an earlier interview.

In the meantime, as the sun wakes up after a lengthy sleepy period and produces more sunspots, solar flares and CMEs, spacecraft operators are already feeling the pinch. In February, SpaceX lost 40 brand new Starlink satellites after launching into what has been described as a rather mild geomagnetic storm. The European Space Agency reported earlier this year that its Swarm satellites, which measure Earth's magnetic field from the altitude of about 270 miles (430 km), have been sinking ten times faster since December 2021 than in all the previous years since their launch in 2013.

SpaceX, after the loss of its satellites, agreed to provide NOAA with data about the drag experienced by their satellites to help finetune the forecasting models. Such cooperation between satellite operators and agencies, according to Berger, may provide a useful way forward.

"The profusion of satellites with GPS, like Starlink, in this sense could be a benefit," said Berger, whose team cooperates with NOAA on the development of the models. "The GPS gives you precise orbital data, which we can use to infer the density of the upper atmosphere. These data points would help us to push our model into agreement with the actual conditions, just like it's done with normal weather models. If we make sure that the model continually tracks the actual conditions, we can hopefully extend the predictions out to six to 12 hours into the future with a decent level of accuracy."

Murtagh, however, warns that a powerful solar storm can come at any time and with little advance warning. The Halloween storm of 2003, during which tens of satellites got temporarily lost, arrived as the sun's 11-year cycle of activity was waning and heading toward a minimum.

"The sun was really unremarkable [prior to the storms]," Murtagh said. "We had no idea what was going to happen just one week later."

Although the sun has been pelting Earth with CMEs at regular intervals since the beginning of time, it's only been rather recently that humankind became dependent on technologies that are vulnerable to such outbursts.

The two most extreme solar storms in known history both happened before the era of space exploration started. The so-called Carrington Event of 1859 famously triggered auroras that were visible all the way to the Caribbean and knocked out telegraph networks all over Europe and America.

The so-called New York Railroad Storm in May 1921, set afire multiple telegraph hubs all over the world, including one at the Grand Central Terminal railway station in New York.

Both of these storms were up to an order of magnitude more powerful than the Halloween storm of 2003.

"If something like the 1921 storm occurred today, it could have a very serious impact on orbital operations for weeks, not just hours or days," said Berger. "And because we know that we're going to get hit by a major storm at some point, we need to be doing the research to improve the models and make sure they can forecast the changes that happen in these geomagnetic storms better than they can now."

Follow Tereza Pultarova on Twitter @TerezaPultarova. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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Satellites can get lost in major solar storms and it could take weeks to find them - Space.com

Representative Image (Courtesy: PIB)

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Overview Effect

Astronauts have experienced the Overview Effect in almost 100 percent of cases where they return with a new sense of obligation and responsibility to do more for their home planet, to protect it. Experts say in this way, space tourism can be beneficial.

Scientific Research

The recent space tourism flights were not long enough or with a big enough sample size of travellers, to determine the impact of space on humans, their physiology, as well as psychology. However, with more people going to space and potentially longer spaceflights, we will learn more about this important aspect if space tourism can indeed become a regularity like taking a flight and touring Europe.

Space tourism will also lay the basic groundwork for understanding if it would be possible to colonise the moon and other planets and if yes then under what conditions?

Problems with sustainable space tourism

Another very concerning issue on space travel remains on the lawful regulation of the ventures. Who is in charge? Will it be the selected few billionaires who will be regulating space travel? Would the policies be made as per them? What would then be the laws regarding space pollution, exploration, experimentation, etc?

Currently, it is only three companies who are offering space tourism commercially and space travel being at the mercy of these three billionaires is certainly an unsettling thought.

ISRO, is a government-regulated space agency, providing a little relief here. However, according to minister Jitendra Singhs announcement, ISRO will be involved in developing the indigenous technology for space tourism and it is unclear whether it will indeed be taking up the mantle itself or will it be outsourced.

Having considered all the possibilities, safety remains one of the top but uncomfortable concerns regarding space travel. Even though enhanced safety parameters are not employed across the world, the risks will always be there. But it should not be a real concern for the actual enthusiasts as the risk factor is as good as when you drive a car.

Environmental cost

While space exploration is inarguably one of the most important aspects of human evolution. Learning about the universe is what gives humanity a purpose. Beyond that, such explorations can also teach us on how to save our home planet. Having said that, the environmental cost for leisure space tourism might not be the one we are willing to pay. Carbon footprint will increase many times and it can also contribute to depleting the ozone layer.

Is it worth it?

In short Yes! Space travel is certainly worth it, there are no two ways about that. However, there are many situations that need to be dealt with currently as well as pre-emptively to ensure that space tourism works towards providing survival of the human race beyond this planet and a future for our existence. However, regular leisure trips do not seem like a good idea in the interest of our planet, home to eight billion people.

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How practical is space tourism as India too explores to venture in this area - Times Now

The search for life beyond Earth has been the ultimate goal of deep space exploration and while our gaze remains fixed on Mars, another world is teeming with possibilities. A world that has Moon with its own oceans, bodies with their own magnetic field, and a size that bewilders our imagination.

Jupiter, the fifth planet in our solar system, has its own system that is characterised by its Moon, unique environment, and surface features that present a riot of colours in images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. When the Juice mission arrives in this system, it will uncover the secrets that could make Jupiter a potential candidate for long-term exploration and even a target for future interplanetary missions.

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission, being developed by the European Space Agency, will launch in April 2023 on an Ariane-5 rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. The destination will be the humongous Jupiter system that will be uncovered layer by layer in a series of 35 Jovian moon flybys.

This 'family portrait' shows a composite of images of Jupiter, including it's Great Red Spot, and its four largest moons. From top to bottom, the moons are Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. (Photo: ESA)

When the Juice mission arrives in the Jovian system in the early 2030s, it will be prime to look at the planets and the Moon in the system that has long been a source of curiosity for astronomers the world over. The spacecraft, which is equipped with 85 square meter solar wings, will make detailed observations of the giant gas planet and its three large ocean-bearing moons Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa.

The spacecraft will use remote sensing, geophysical, and in situ instruments to characterise these moons as both planetary objects and possible habitats while also exploring Jupiters complex environment in-depth, and studying the wider Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giants across the Universe.

Also Read | Humans could live in caves on the Moon

The Galilean Moons, four large moons of Jupiter Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto -- have long been speculated to have conditions that could one day support life. The Juice mission will provide measurements to determine the positions of the Galilean moons with unprecedented accuracy. The European Space Agency has said that the mission will give insight into energy exchanges between the giant planet and its natural satellites, and between the satellites themselves, providing information on the past evolution of the orbits and even the origin and formation of Jupiter and the moons themselves.

While Jupiter remains a big part of the exploration, Juice will also look to deep dive into Ganymede, the largest moon in the Solar System larger than Pluto and Mercury. It will find answers to why it is the only Moon to have an intrinsic magnetic field.

The biggest mission goal will, however, remain to find if life ever appeared in the Jovian system? Do any of the Galilean moons have the building blocks needed for life?

"By studying the Galilean moons hidden oceans, magnetism, heating processes, tidal effects, orbits, surface activity, cores and compositions, atmospheres, and space environments, Juice will investigate whether the conditions necessary for life could ever have emerged on Ganymede, Europa or Callisto," ESA has said.

Also Read | Jupiter shines like knight in test image captured by JWST

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The secrets of Jupiter: Europe's Juice mission to find if life ever existed on distant world - India Today

L3Harris Hardware on Axiom

L3Harris

L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) will provide a critical communications radio to Axiom Space for its planned commercial space station. The S-band radio will mirror the functionality that exists on the International Space Station (ISS) for NASAs Common Communications for Visiting Vehicles.

The L3Harris C/TT 520 S-band radio will serve as the common data link between Axioms space station called Axiom Station as well as its docking vehicles, enabling audio, video and telemetry data at varying data rates and communications ranges. L3Harris radios have performed this role on the ISS for visiting vehicles during all phases of rendezvous, docking and mated operations since 2018.

Our tremendous record of flawless communication transmissions in the harshest environments is a testament of the dedication to our customers and their mission and makes the C/TT 520 the perfect choice for Axiom Station, said Kristin Houston, President, Electro Optical, L3Harris.

Axiom Station is currently being constructed, with its first section planned for launch in late 2024 ahead of the ISS decommissioning in 2031.

Numerous NASA programs have relied on L3Harris expertise and technology from early spacecraft through the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Space Shuttle, ISS and previous Mars missions. L3Harris has supported deep space exploration with work on the Hubble Space Telescope, and now the James Webb and Nancy Grace Roman space telescopes. In addition, the company supports space-based weather forecasting on U.S. and international satellites and has navigation technology on every U.S. GPS satellite.

About L3Harris TechnologiesL3Harris Technologies is an agile global aerospace and defense technology innovator, delivering end-to-end solutions that meet customers mission-critical needs. The company provides advanced defense and commercial technologies across space, air, land, sea and cyber domains. L3Harris has more than $17 billion in annual revenue and 47,000 employees, with customers in more than 100 countries. L3Harris.com.

Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect managements current expectations, assumptions and estimates of future performance and economic conditions. Such statements are made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and future trends to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Statements about the value or expected value of orders, contracts or programs and about technology capabilities are forward-looking and involve risks and uncertainties. L3Harris disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

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Future Commercial Space Station Will Use L3Harris Technology - Space Ref

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Combining cutting-edge technology with additive manufacturing redefines the limits set within traditional manufacturing and delivers innovation in places you might not expect

Innovation With the Additive Advantage_1

Sung Park, material processes engineer at Northrop Grumman, using additive manufacturing technology to create parts with advanced materials.

Innovation With the Additive Advantage_2

Northrop Grumman is at the forefront of innovative additive manufacturing processes. One process called direct metal laser sintering uses a laser to melt powdered metal into intricate parts.

FALLS CHURCH, Va., July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- While companies across the world rise to the challenges affecting supply chains, a transformation in technology and innovation is shifting the manufacturing paradigm. Additive manufacturing (AM), more commonly known as 3D printing, is an innovative process where objects are created one layer at a time. Shapes and designs that were once thought impossible and too complex are now possible to produce. The range of design is expanded, and its potential is limitless.

Combined with powerful technology, analysis tools and new materials, Northrop Grumman is reshaping how it approaches design and manufacturing processes, like using 3D printing to support missions in new ways, said Matt Bromberg, corporate vice president, global operations, Northrop Grumman.

Northrop Grumman has been at the forefront of adopting this compelling design and build method. AM delivers agility, consolidation and savings on lead-times, costs and resources. Products are produced faster and cheaper through its capabilities. Northrop Grumman continues to innovate using AM and has helped facilitate this transformation across several platform-types, ranging from radio frequency sensors, engines, hypersonic weapons and aerospace structures.

3D Printing in Action

From 3D printing rocket motors to using advanced materials to produce aircraft parts, the company uses AM across the enterprise.

Northrop Grumman has also advanced AM applications to space. For NASAs Artemis I mission, Northrop Grumman designed twin solid rocket boosters to propel the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. In 2020, Northrop Grumman shipped 10 rocket motor segments from Promontory, Utah, to the Kennedy Space Center, where the motor segments were assembled into two separate solid rocket boosters. The assembly of these boosters relied in part on 3D printing and computer modeling to modify heritage component designs from the shuttle program and to create new components that are compatible with heritage assembly ones in use.

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In 2019, Made In Space (MIS) selected Northrop Grumman to support NASAs Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) demonstration of the autonomous robotic manufacturing and assembly platform, Archinaut. The objective of Archinauts flight demonstration mission is to construct two 10-meter solar arrays, on orbit, to power a small Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) satellite. Once on orbit, Archinaut will employ its extended structure AM capabilities and advanced robotics to manufacture and assemble the satellites power generation system.

Demonstrating additive manufacturing in space will open up new doors in the design and construction of space structures that to date have been limited by the volume of a launch vehicle, said Richard Stapp, vice president and chief technology officer, Northrop Grumman. Effectively building structures in space is one of the next big steps in our continuous journey of space exploration.

Investing in the Transformation of Manufacturing

Northrop Grumman has invested more than $70 million in AM with more than 5,000 AM parts currently integrated into the companys aeronautic platforms, all produced by small- and medium-sized suppliers and partners. The company also currently collaborates with several universities and colleges.

In 2019, Northrop Grumman awarded the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) Foundation a $150,000 grant to support AM in the Academys Division of Engineering & Weapons. The grant funded the growth of the USNA MakerSpace, a student-faculty 3D printing laboratory, and its associated engineering programs.

Advancements in additive manufacturing are enabling the rapid development of next-generation materials and hardware with reduced life-cycle costs and cycle times to give our warfighters the tactical advantage against emerging threats in complex combat environments, says Larry Ferranto, vice president, maritime/land systems and sensors operations, Northrop Grumman. Investing in educational programs like this helps to develop critical manufacturing capability in future military leaders and further strengthens our important partnership with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d7b3d97c-22ef-4cc1-97e1-84eadd259825

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/82983ff6-7436-4f64-815c-a187dc8d4e08

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Innovation With the Additive Advantage - Yahoo Finance