Phys.org February 25, 2019 Since its inception in 1958, NASA has relied solely on radio communications to stay in contact with all of its missions beyond Earth. NASA is looking at X-ray communications (XCOM) through which more information could be sent with the same amount of transmission power, and less energy needed over long distances. X-rays can penetrate the hot plasma that builds up as spacecraft re-enter Earth’s atmosphere at hypersonic speeds. NASA (Goddard Space Center) has created Modulated X-ray Source (MXS), which will be tested in the coming years. MXS will be controlled using the NavCube to send encoded […]
Tag Archives: Satellites
Watch a harpoon successfully spear a piece of space junk
MIT Technology Review February 15, 2019 Right now there are more than 7,600 tons of space junk floating around our planet. Researchers in the UK created a satellite called the RemoveDEBRIS which fired a harpoon at 20 meters a second at a separate satellite panel that it was holding at the end of a boom. The harpoon succeeded in stabbing and capturing the item. Last year the team also “accurately fired a giant net” https://www.technologyreview.com/the-download/612174/satellite-uses-giant-net-to-trap-spinning-bit-of-space-junk/ at a satellite to capture it and tested out a lidar- and camera-based system for identifying space junk. The final test by RemoveDEBRIS in March […]
Quantum ‘compass’ could allow navigation without relying on satellites
Phys.org November 9, 2918 At extremely low temperatures, the atoms behave in a ‘quantum’ way, acting like both matter and waves. As the atoms fall, their wave properties are affected by the acceleration of the vehicle. Using an ‘optical ruler’, the accelerometer is able to measure these minute changes very accurately. Making use of this phenomenon researchers in the UK have demonstrated a transportable, standalone quantum accelerometer. The current system is designed for navigation of large vehicles, such as ships and even trains. However, the principle can also be used for fundamental science research, such as in the search for […]
New thermal coatings for spacecraft and satellites developed using metamaterials
Phys.org April 25, 2018 Optical solar reflectors (OSRs) made of quartz tiles designed to reject solar radiation and dissipate the heat that is generated on board satellites, are heavy, fragile, cannot be applied to curved surfaces and add significantly to assembly and launch costs. An international team of researchers (UK, Italy, Denmark) working on Horizon 2020 sponsored space technology project, developed a new meta-OSR coating enabled by the use of metal oxide that has very strong infrared emissivity while retaining a low absorption of the solar spectrum. A ‘smart’ radiator based on their metamaterial design allows tuning of the radiative […]
FCC Accuses Stealthy Startup of Launching Rogue Satellites
IEEE Spectrum March 9, 2018 According to IEEE Spectrum among the recently launched satellites, there are four satellites called SpaceBee-1, 2, 3, and 4 developed by a company in California. According to the company its network could enable satellite communications for orders of magnitude less cost than existing options. It envisages the worldwide tracking of ships and cars, new agricultural technologies, and low-cost connectivity for humanitarian efforts anywhere in the world. FCC feared that the four SpaceBees now orbiting the Earth would pose an unacceptable collision risk for other spacecraft…read more.