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Khabre desk
Recent reporting, analysis and explainers from the space technology desk.
technology
NASA astronauts Anil Menon and Joshua Kutryk installed and deployed the International Space Station’s seventh roll-out solar array during a 7-hour, 11-minute spacewalk. NASA says all eight arrays together will increase available power by up to 30% once installation is complete.
technology
NASA has issued a Request for Information to assess commercial options for servicing Hubble, raising its orbit or safely disposing of it at the end of its mission. The agency says Hubble is likely to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere in 2033 or 2034 and anticipates any mission would need to take place by 2032.
technology
The European Space Agency has extended contracts with Thales Alenia Space and Airbus Defence and Space for four additional Galileo Second Generation satellites. The planned G2 fleet now totals 16 satellites, with these four scheduled for delivery in 2031.
technology
NASA reports that prototype solid-state cells for its SPEARS project operated down to −80°C in thermal-vacuum tests and survived exposure to colder conditions. They must be warmed before use after extreme cold, so the results represent an early step towards batteries for lunar operations.
technology
Google says a Project Suncatcher prototype will carry Tensor Processing Units on a SpaceX Transporter-18 rideshare to collect data on how they handle spaceflight. The test is an early step towards the company’s proposed satellite clusters for AI computing.
technology
ESA and Mistral signed a Letter of Intent to explore AI applications in Earth observation, engineering and other space activities. The framework also includes examining ways to deploy relevant capabilities on European infrastructure.
science
A NASA-led team has proposed a satellite-tracking technique for measuring seasonal shifts in Earth’s center of mass. The study finds that the annual movement may be about half as large as estimates made eight years earlier.
technology
NASA’s NIAC programme has awarded $3.2 million across 18 Phase I investigations into early-stage space technology concepts. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is leading three of the projects, covering solar radiation, Venus exploration and planetary-ring science.
science
NASA engineers have redesigned Voyager 2’s power use so that three science instruments can continue operating in interstellar space for at least one extra year. The change addresses the spacecraft’s steadily declining electrical supply after almost half a century in operation.
technology
The Exploration Company says its $450 million Series C will fund a planned Nyx mission to the ISS and accelerate development of the reusable Storm rocket engine.