March 2018
Mapping the dark universe
...) and 25.5-27.0 GHz (K-band) frequency bands for downlink, which are different from the frequencies used for deep space missions to avoid interference. The spacecraft is autonomous for 72 hours of nominal operations and has very stringent pointing...
02 December 2014
Orion service module contract for Airbus
...OMS engine and other thrusters, allowing the Orion to manoeuvre during its future deep space missions to asteroids, the Moon and eventually to Mars. As part of an... hopes of obtaining an ESA astronaut’s seat aboard a future Orion deep-space mission.
30 September 2016
Historic Rosetta mission ends
... Alvaro Giménez, ESA's Director of Science. "Rosetta was on the drawing board even before ESA's first deep-space mission, Giotto, had taken the first image of a comet nucleus as it flew past Halley in 1986. The...
April 2025
Racing to the Moon
... Mengzhou (‘Dream Vessel’) was flight tested as early as May 2020. Intended for deep space missions and to replace the current crew transport for China’s space station, it includes a reusable crew module and an expendable service module. A lander...
May 2026
Mars exploration – the nuclear option
... at around 450 seconds. This means they consume enormous amounts of propellant in a very short time and, for deep-space missions, they are simply too inefficient. Hybrid strategy The design requires no revolutionary propulsion breakthroughs, only the...
May 2020
Mixed reality in the design of space habitats
... contribute significantly to their general well-being. But such a luxury may not be practical on long-term, deep space missions. Mixed reality research In the near future, existing technological innovations such as mixed reality (MR) systems are...
