NASA has entered collaborative partnerships with 10 private companies in a move to further space technologies built to grow the commercial space sector and support future space agency missions. The space agency said Friday its space technology mission directorate forged the alliances via the Announcement of Collaborative Opportunity solicitation that paves the way for space act agreements between […] More

NASA has launched a challenge for university students to submit concepts for solar power systems that can work to produce power on Mars in daytime and nighttime. The 2018 Breakthrough, Innovative, and Game-changing Idea Challenge seeks solar array designs that will fit into a single cargo launch, deploy robotically on Mars’ surface and start power generation […] More

A new Wise Guy Reports analysis predicts the global military satellite market will reach a compound annual growth rate of 5.6 percent from 2016 through 2020, buoyed by growing military demand worldwide for robust C4ISR systems. Wise Guy Reports said Monday it expects the C4ISR systems to also grow in light of the rising demands […] More

Brevard County commissioners in Florida on Tuesday approved the changes to a potential $1.75 million incentive package for Lockheed Martin in exchange for the creation of up to 300 jobs, Florida Today reported Tuesday. Dave Berman writes three county commissioners cleared the revised incentive deal between Lockheed and the North Brevard Economic Development Zone, while […] More

IBM‘s question-answering computer platform will analyze aerospace research and data to help NASA answer inquiries on spaceflight science and support decision-making processes during air travel, Space.com reported Thursday. Sarah Lewin writes NASA’s Langley Research Center will utilize the Watson computer to help researchers sort through large amounts of data generated by aerospace research. “The idea […] More

Matt Simon, habitation lead for NASA’s Evolvable Mars Campaign, has said the agency  wants a similar structure for future deep space modules that will serve as transit and surface habitats for Mars and moon explorations, Ars Technica reported Wednesday. Eric Berger writes Simon told the publication deep space habitats from the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnership […] More

Space Florida, the state’s aerospace economic development agency, has pledged $5 million to support SpaceX‘s project to build an access arm at the 39A launch pad of NASA‘s Kennedy Space Center, Florida Today reported Wednesday. James Dean writes SpaceX will build the access arm at the center in an effort to help astronauts board the company’s Dragon capsule that will travel to the International Space […] More

Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg has said the Chicago-based aerospace company plans to land the first human on Mars and that he expects space tourism to develop into a “viable commercial market” over the next 20 years, Bloomberg Technology reported Tuesday. “I’m convinced the first person to step foot on Mars will arrive there riding a Boeing […] More

NASA has called on government agencies, aerospace companies, universities and the general public to suggest new technology that could support the agency’s program to explore Mars and other components of the solar system. The iTech initiative seeks white papers that address challenges in space technology areas such as radiation protection, life support systems, astronaut crew health, in-space propulsion […] More

NASA has selected the Goddard Space Flight Center’s team of industry and academic investigators to build a spectrometer that will work to support planet formation research aboard NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. The space agency said Thursday the High Resolution Mid-InfrarEd Spectrometer will be built by a team of investigators with GSFC senior scientist Samuel Harvey Moseley […] More

Lockheed Martin expects to create as many as 300 jobs over the next four years through an expansion of the company’s spacecraft technology processing operations in Titusville, Florida. The Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast said Tuesday that Lockheed will receive incentives from the state of Florida and the North Brevard Economic Development Zone program to help […] More

A Northrop Grumman subsidiary has received funds from the Thirty Meter Telescope organization to continue support work on a narrow field infrared adaptive optics system for the TMT astronomical observatory construction initiative. Northrop said Tuesday its subsidiary AOA Xinetics will design and build a functional actuator mirror equipped with nearly 400 channels as well as test the mirror against TMT operational requirements. An […] More