November 2016
Microgravity and space research: Bringing the commercial market into focus
In the beginning, space missions were directly linked to military projects. Launcher technologies were developed with the goal of transporting nuclear bombs from one continent to another. As ...
May 2017
Recipe for success on flights to Mars
... rocks. Today’s space food eaten aboard the International Space Station (ISS) shares more similarities with military Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), vacuum sealed plastic pouches that must be rehydrated or reheated. Ideally, space food...
November 2017
Reusable air-launch and the space access paradigm
...it has actually stagnated and even regressed. Space is still dominated by government programmes, both civil and military, while communication satellites – a market that is successful because it moves information, rather than material objects, through...
April 2020
Reviving Russia’s space programme
... own satellites, scientists re-ran ancient datasets or accessed American ones. No more weather satellites were launched and military observation missions became infrequent. Even the libraries could not afford to order journals and President Yeltsin...
December 2021
The rise of the UK space economy
... historically attracted the attention of politicians for its ability to enhance national prestige and for its strategic military role, but in recent years it has become increasingly recognised for its contributions to the national economy. Martin...
October 2023
The impact of weather on Ka-band frequencies
... reasons. Satellites provide critical services, such as those used for air traffic control, emergency response and military operations, and are essential for public safety. Thus any interruption or outage can have serious consequences...
