tldrdailynews.com logo
Tag

Spacecraft

All articles tagged with #spacecraft

NASA's New Horizons Awakens to Return Clues from the Outer Solar System
space1 day ago

NASA's New Horizons Awakens to Return Clues from the Outer Solar System

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has awakened from a 321-day hibernation about six billion miles from Earth, with all systems reporting green health status throughout. The probe will downlink its health data and begin transmitting science data from instruments like the Venetia Burney dust counter, Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer, and Solar Wind at Pluto, with the ultraviolet Alice spectrograph set to map hydrogen in the outer heliosphere in coming weeks. Launched in 2006 and famous for Pluto flybys in 2015, it is expected to continue its mission toward the Kuiper Belt through the decade.

via The Independent|
#data#nasa#new-horizons
New Horizons Unveils Pluto's 1,000-km Icy Heart, Rewriting Distant-World Science
space18 days ago

New Horizons Unveils Pluto's 1,000-km Icy Heart, Rewriting Distant-World Science

NASA's New Horizons completed a nine-year, 3-billion-mile voyage to Pluto, flyby in 2015 revealed a 1,000-km heart-shaped glacier of frozen nitrogen and a landscape so young it challenged prior models; now 5.7 billion miles away, the probe is in hibernation awaiting NASA's funding decisions, with data still trickling back and potential wake-up in 2026 if approved.

via 19FortyFive|
#kuiper-belt#nasa#new-horizons
NASA ends MAVEN Mars mission after six months of silence
space1 month ago

NASA ends MAVEN Mars mission after six months of silence

NASA has declared its MAVEN Mars orbiter dead after six months of radio silence. Launched in 2013 to study Mars’ atmosphere, MAVEN went silent after passing behind the planet in December, then spun and drained its batteries. A NASA review board concluded the spacecraft is unrecoverable, ending more than a decade of atmospheric observations and its role in relaying data from other Mars rovers.

via NBC News|
#mars#maven#nasa
Palm-Sized AI Chip Gives Spacecraft Autonomous Brainpower
technology1 month ago

Palm-Sized AI Chip Gives Spacecraft Autonomous Brainpower

NASA and JPL are developing a radiation-hardened, palm-sized system-on-a-chip that could deliver hundreds of times more computing power than current spaceflight CPUs, enabling onboard AI, real-time data analysis, and autonomous decision-making for future missions. Early tests under radiation, thermal, and shock conditions are promising, with Microchip Technology as a partner and potential Earth applications.

via SciTechDaily|
#ai#autonomy#nasa
Psyche's Mars moment: a crescent, not a solar eclipse
space1 month ago

Psyche's Mars moment: a crescent, not a solar eclipse

NASA's asteroid-hunting Psyche spacecraft captured a striking crescent image of Mars as it nears a May 15 flyby; the 'crescent' is sunlight reflecting off Mars' day side with atmospheric/dust effects, not an eclipse. The maneuver will also serve as a gravity assist and instrument calibration on Psyche's path to the asteroid 16 Psyche in 2029.

via Space|
#flyby#mars#nasa
Venus Surface Relics: Study Suggests At Least Seven Probes Could Survive
space1 month ago

Venus Surface Relics: Study Suggests At Least Seven Probes Could Survive

A Geoarchaeology study of 15 Venus missions (1965–1985) suggests at least seven probes may have endured Venus’ extreme surface conditions to become long‑lasting space artifacts. NASA’s GEER lab tests indicate titanium and aluminum parts could survive the harsh environment, while seals would fail and sulfuric acid clouds would deform others. The Pioneer Venus Day Probe is highlighted as a prime candidate for future imaging, with upcoming missions DAVINCI and VERITAS planned for 2030–2031.

via Gizmodo|
#geer-lab#pioneer-venus-day-probe#space
HTV-X1 freighter departs the ISS after four-month stay
space-exploration4 months ago

HTV-X1 freighter departs the ISS after four-month stay

Japan’s HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft was released from the International Space Station by the Canadarm2 at 12 p.m. EST on March 6, 2026, ending a four‑month stay and remaining in orbit as a platform for JAXA experiments before disposing of trash during reentry. HTV-X1 is the first of its kind and successor to the HTV, which launched in October 2025 with about 9,000 pounds of supplies; the ISS docks also host Russia’s Progress, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus, and SpaceX’s Dragon freighters.

via Space|
#htv-x#htv-x1#international-space-station
Solar Oberth Maneuver Could Put a Spacecraft on Track to Intercept Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
astronomy4 months ago

Solar Oberth Maneuver Could Put a Spacecraft on Track to Intercept Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

Space.com reports a team proposes using a solar Oberth maneuver near 3.2 solar radii to launch a ~500 kg spacecraft in 2035, aided by a Jupiter gravity assist and heavy boosters, to perform a high-speed flyby of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS by around 2085 at about 732 AU from the Sun. The interceptor would be heat-shielded and not intended to enter orbit, making it a close-proximity encounter rather than a rendezvous. While the concept is theoretically feasible and could push the boundaries of solar-system exploration, researchers note more practical, near-term approaches (like ESA’s Comet Interceptor) could target interstellar objects sooner.

via Space|
#3iatlas#astronomy#interstellar-comet
Mach-25 Return: Varda W-1 Lands After Pharma-Driven Space Mission
space5 months ago

Mach-25 Return: Varda W-1 Lands After Pharma-Driven Space Mission

A commercial Varda Space Industries W-1 capsule reentered Earth's atmosphere at Mach 25 and landed at the Utah Test and Training Range after a mission to produce ritonavir crystals for pharmaceutical processing, a first for a commercial spacecraft under FAA Part 450 licensing; the mission included capsule separation from its satellite and onboard footage of the dramatic reentry.

via supercarblondie.com|
#reentry#space#spacecraft
NASA to re-establish contact with silent MAVEN Mars orbiter after solar interference
space5 months ago

NASA to re-establish contact with silent MAVEN Mars orbiter after solar interference

NASA will attempt to re-contact MAVEN after a month of radio silence caused by the sun’s conjunction between Earth and Mars. MAVEN, launched in 2013 to study Mars’ upper atmosphere and to relay data for rovers, went silent after Dec. 6 as it emerged from behind Mars; the solar conjunction ended Jan. 16 and NASA’s Deep Space Network is attempting to resume communications. Recovery remains uncertain, though MAVEN has enough fuel to stay in orbit until about 2030 and the outcome would impact Mars science and related missions such as Mars Sample Return.

via Space|
#communications#mars#maven