July 2020
Key technologies for space exploration
... for the Operational Fires* (OpFires) programme, a joint DARPA/US Army programme that seeks to develop an advanced booster capable of delivering a variety of payloads at a variety of ranges. In this case, SNC applied the VORTEX injection approach...
September 2020
Tackling space debris - a global priority
..., spacecraft designers in the USA and Europe introduced measures to ensure that residual propellants in their rocket boosters could be eliminated to prevent debris generation from explosions. This was the only debris mitigation activity of any...
September 2021
Near space - the air-space boundary question, astronauts and space tourism
... prisoners due to malfunctioning space vehicles. Crew of New Shepard’s first human flight and their recovered booster. As spaceflight technology developed, so did the number of travellers into space. At first, in addition to military test pilots...
January 2022
Earth - no longer humanity’s only home
... of increasingly ambitious proving-ground missions. The hardware is fully assembled at the Kennedy Space Center and the booster fully tested and ready to fly. It is time to fly! The private sector also recognised the need for...
January 2023
China’s space ambitions fuel defence spending and global innovation
... 2019. However, iSpace had its third consecutive launch failure in 2022. It wants to pursue reusable first-stage boosters that can land vertically, like those from SpaceX. So does LinkSpace (founded in 2014), although it also hopes...
May 2024
Spaceflight revolution on a shoestring
... transport as soon as is practicable, proven technology should be used. The new launcher will therefore need two stages - a booster and an orbiter - because single-stagers require advanced new air-breathing engines which are currently at the...
