Mock-up of the Rolls-Royce lunar micro-reactor: Rolls-Royce By David Szondy, Published by New Atlas, 10 December 2023 Rolls-Royce gave us a glimpse of the nuclear future of next-generation spacecraft and Moon bases when it unveiled a mock-up of its Space Micro-Reactor Concept Model at the UK Space Conference in Belfast, which ran
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Novel Orbital and Moon Manufacturing, Materials and Mass-efficient Design (NOM4D) program, geared to look at enabling large structures in orbit, such as antennas and solar arrays. (Image credit: DARPA) By Leonard David, Published by Space.com, 8 December 2023 "Something strange is happening about
By Ian Sample, Published by The Guardian, 8 December 2023 Peregrine first in series involving private spacecraft as conflict between scientific and commercial lunar interests looms To the casual observer, the preparations under way at Cape Canaveral in Florida point to nothing more than a routine launch of another spacecraft
By Matthew Sparkes, Published by the New Scientist, 8 December 2023 Humans have been altering the lunar surface since the first Soviet probe in 1959. With moon missions set to ramp up, researchers say humanity is now the dominant geological force and the moon is entering its equivalent of the
SpaceX’s Starship rocket performs a hot stage separation during a flight test on 18 November, 2023 (SpaceX) By Anthony Cuthbertson, Published by The Independent, 7 December 2023 SpaceX could attempt first in-flight refueling for world’s biggest rocket SpaceX is planning to test a critical technique for Moon and deep space
Published by Defense One, 5 December 2023 Rather than simply send another lander, DARPA’s newest space program seeks to advance multiple technologies simultaneously. It’s one thing to get to the Moon and another to create a self-sustaining business there. Some 14 teams including SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Northrop Grumman will
Illustration of an astronaut floating in space. (Image credit: Devrimb via iStock / Getty Images Plus) By Elizabeth Howell, Published by Space.com, 5 December 2023 'The more people who fly in space, the higher the likelihood of something going wrong.' Rescuers on Earth can reach a lot of rugged environments: stranded
By Alice Gorman, Published by The Conversation, 4 December 2023 In 1963, six years after the first satellite was launched, editors from the Encyclopaedia Britannica posed a question to five eminent thinkers of the day: “Has man’s conquest of space increased or diminished his stature?” The respondents were philosopher Hannah Arendt,
