Space
During a technical session at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Outpost presented a paper on the findings of its two successful flight tests of its autonomous paraglider re-entry system, which enables the return of payloads to Earth from orbit. The tests, conducted in April 2022, mark a milestone for the company in creating a technology aimed to disrupt the future of satellite operations.
GITAI USA, which develops space robotics, has announced the GITAI IN1 (Inchworm One), a robotic arm that is equipped with “grapple end-effectors” on both ends of the arm. The unique feature enables the robot to connect to various end-effectors to perform multiple tasks, as well as provide mobility to enable it to move in any direction. The robot can also connect and disconnect itself among different vehicles, such as rovers, landers and satellites.
NASA has announced it finished the system requirements for its Mars Sample Return Program, which is nearing completion of the conceptual design phase. The program team evaluated and refined the architecture to return scientifically selected samples, which are currently in the collection process by NASA’s Perseverance rover in Mars’ Jezero Crater.
ABS, which provides classification and technical advisory services to the marine and offshore industries, has announced a joint development project (JDP) with SpaceX. The project will review the remotely controlled functions of autonomous rocket recovery droneships used for booster rocket recovery at sea.
Read more: SpaceX, ABS to Review Autonomous Rocket Recovery...
NASA has announced the second phase of its Break the Ice Lunar Challenge, with invitations to the public to advance system technology for excavating and delivering lunar resources. Interested teams can register for Phase 2 by 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 30, 2022.
Read more: NASA Opens Phase 2 of $3.5M Lunar Ice Excavation...
EPC Space, a division of Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) that develops radiation hardened power devices for space and other harsh environments, has announced the EPC7019G, a 40-volt, 4 mΩ, 530 A-pulsed, radiation-hardened gallium nitride (GaN) transistor that costs less and is more efficient than comparable radiation hardened silicon MOSFET. Applications for the transistors include power supplies for satellites and space mission equipment, motor drives for robotics, instrumentation and reaction wheels, and deep space probes.
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover spent most of March climbing the “Greenheugh Pediment” – a gentle slope capped by rubbly sandstone. The rover briefly reached the summit of this feature’s north face two years ago; now on the pediment’s southern side, Curiosity has navigated back onto the pediment to explore it more fully.
Teledyne Brown Engineering has announced it will lead a team along with partners Sierra Space and Nissan North America to design the crewed Lunar Terrain Vehicle that supports future exploration on the moon.
Read more: Teledyne, Sierra Space and Nissan Team for Lunar...
MDA Ltd., which develops advanced technologies and services for the space industry, has announced it is working with Lockheed Martin and General Motors to integrate MDA’s commercial robotic arm technology on a planned human-rated lunar mobility vehicle.
ECA Group and iXblue have announced entering exclusive negotiations to bring the two French companies together. Carried out by Group Gorge, the operation aims to create a “European high-tech industrial champion” in the fields of maritime, inertial navigation, space and photonics.
Venturi Astrolab, an aerospace company formed by a team of industry-leading planetary rover and robotics experts, has announced the development of the Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX) rover, built to enhance lunar and planetary mobility. The company said it aims to bring to market a fleet of FLEX rovers to provide the mobility required to support a sustained human presence on the Moon and Mars.
A new round of grants awarded by NASA includes futuristic space technology concepts that could one day become reality. Some of these projects include work being done with robotics.
Read more: NASA Funds Future Space Technologies, Includes...
NASA has announced awarding a contract to Lockheed Martin Space of Littleton, Colo., to build the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), a small lightweight rocket to launch rock, sediment, and atmospheric samples from the surface of Mars. The space agency said the award brings it closer to the first robotic round trip to bring samples safely to Earth through the Mars Sample Return Program.
Read more: NASA Awards Lockheed Martin Space Contract for...
CAES, which develops advanced mission-critical electronics, has announced a contract award from the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop a fault- and radiation-tolerant system-on-chip (SoC). Funded by the Swedish National Space Agency, the project aims to improve performance and power efficiency in satellite and spacecraft applications by developing a 16-core, space-hardened microprocessor based on the open RISC-V instruction set architecture (ISA).
NASA has announced it awarded Intuitive Machines of Houston a contract to deliver research, including science investigations and a technology demonstration, to the Moon in 2024. The commercial delivery is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and the Artemis program.
Machina Labs, which aims to advance manufacturing through robotics and artificial intelligence, has emerged from stealth mode and announced it closed a $16.3 million Series A round of funding. The financing will be used to grow Machina’s team in Los Angeles and to expand R&D and manufacturing capacity to meet increasing customer demand.
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