Tag: lunar missions
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FCC Approves New Part 100 Rules to Streamline Space Licensing
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved a broad overhaul of its satellite and earth station licensing framework, replacing its long-standing Part 25 rules with a new Part 100 regulatory structure. The agency said the updated framework is intended to create what it describes as a “licensing assembly line” aimed at improving the efficiency…
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ESA Reviews Future of Gateway Contributions Following NASA Program Pause
The European Space Agency (ESA) is evaluating the future of its planned contributions to NASA’s Gateway lunar space station following changes to the Artemis programme that have placed the station’s development on hold. ESA officials said the agency intends to continue work on several Gateway-related projects while examining how the technologies could be adapted for…
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ispace Partners with Leicester for Lunar Raman Spectrometer Mission
What Does ispace’s Leicester University Partnership Mean for Lunar Science? Japanese lunar company ispace has secured a partnership with the University of Leicester to deploy a Raman spectrometer on a future lunar mission, marking another step in the company’s evolution from pure transportation to integrated lunar services. The collaboration will see Leicester’s Space Research Centre…
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Lunar Debris Now Exceeds 200 Pieces as Moon Mission Traffic Surges
How Much Lunar Debris Now Orbits and Litters the Moon? The Moon now harbors over 200 cataloged pieces of human-made debris across its surface and orbital environment, marking the first significant accumulation of space junk beyond Earth orbit. This debris field includes failed landers, spent upper stages, impact craters from intentional crashes, and scattered hardware…
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LandSpace’s Lanyan Methane Rocket Engine Completes Long-Duration Test
China’s commercial space company LandSpace has successfully conducted a long-duration full-system test of its Lanyan liquid oxygen–methane rocket engine, according to a report by China Media Group. The 220-tonne-class engine uses a full-flow staged-combustion cycle, a highly efficient but technically complex engine design, and is intended to support next-generation heavy-lift launch vehicles for China’s expanding…
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Latvian Startup Develops Nuclear Power System to Survive Lunar Night
Latvian nuclear power startup Deep Space Energy has secured €930,000 ($1.1 million) in funding to develop a compact radioisotope power generation system designed to keep spacecraft operating through the Moon’s two-week-long lunar night, the company said. The funding package includes a €350,000 pre-seed investment round led by Outlast Fund and NanoAvionics co-founder Linas Sargautis, as…