Tag: Space
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You can now reserve a hotel room on the Moon for $250,000
A company called GRU Space publicly announced its intent to construct a series of increasingly sophisticated habitats on the Moon, culminating in a hotel inspired by the Palace of the Fine Arts in San Francisco. On Monday, the company invited those interested in a berth to plunk down a deposit between $250,000 and $1 million,…
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Is Orion’s heat shield really safe? New NASA chief conducts final review on eve of flight.
WASHINGTON, DC—This week, NASA’s new administrator, Jared Isaacman, said he has “full confidence” in the space agency’s plans to use the existing heat shield to protect the Orion spacecraft during its upcoming lunar mission. Isaacman made the determination after briefings with senior leaders at the agency and a half-day review of NASA’s findings with outside…
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What is Payload Integration in CubeSats & Small Satellites?
A payload is the mission-specific equipment carried by a satellite to fulfill its primary objective. Unlike the satellite bus which provides power, communication, propulsion and control, the payload is the reason the satellite exists. The rapid growth of CubeSats and Small Satellites (SmallSats) has transformed access to space, enabling cost-effective missions for Earth observation, communications,…
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Our annual power ranking of US rocket companies has changes near the top and bottom
Which US rocket companies achieved the most during 2025? Once again, Ars Technica is here to provide some answers in the form of our annual power ranking of US launch companies. We began doing this in 2022 and have since put out a top-10 list every year (see 2023 and 2024). Our intent, as always,…
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Russia is about to do the most Russia thing ever with its next space station
For several years now, in discussing plans for its human spaceflight program beyond the International Space Station, Russian officials would proudly bring up the Russian Orbital Station, or ROS. The first elements of ROS were to launch in 2027 so it would be ready for human habitation in 2028. Upon completion in the mid-2030s, the…
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Two space startups prove you don’t need to break the bank to rendezvous in space
It may be happening quietly, but there is a revolution taking place with in-space transportation, and it opens up a world of possibilities. In January, a small spacecraft built by a California-based company called Impulse Space launched along with a stack of other satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket. Upon reaching orbit, the rocket’s upper…
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The inside story of SpaceX’s historic rocket landing that changed launch forever
On Dec. 21, 2015, SpaceX launched the Orbcomm-2 mission on an upgraded version of its Falcon 9 rocket. That night, just days before Christmas, the company successfully landed the first stage for the first time. The story behind this remarkable achievement is nowhere more fully told than in the book Reentry, authored by Ars Technica…
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Russia’s Soyuz 5 will soon come alive. But will anyone want to fly on it?
After nearly a decade of development, Russia’s newest launch vehicle is close to its debut flight. The medium-lift Soyuz 5 rocket is expected to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome before the end of the year. The Russian space corporation, Roscosmos, has released images of final processing of the Soyuz 5 rocket at the Progress Rocket…
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Amazon Leo starts to roll out its fastest satellite internet service — and reveals just how fast it’ll be
A worker installs an Amazon Leo antenna at a Hunt Energy facility. (Amazon Photo) Amazon Leo — the satellite internet service provider formerly known as Project Kuiper — says it has started shipping its top-of-the-line terminals to select customers for testing. Today’s announcement serves as further evidence that Amazon is closing in on providing space-based,…
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Blue Origin revealed some massively cool plans for its New Glenn rocket
One week after the successful second launch of its large New Glenn booster, Blue Origin revealed a roadmap on Thursday for upgrades to the rocket, including a new variant with more main engines and a super-heavy lift capability. These upgrades to the rocket are “designed to increase payload performance and launch cadence, while enhancing reliability,”…