Category Archives: NewSpace

Thursday / 10 July 2014

Posted on by

Golden Spike Company & Honeybee Robotics Complete Moon Rover Study

GoldenHoneybeeRobot0714

Golden Spike Company Continues To Advance Plans For Commercial Human Moon Missions With Honeybee Robotics Design Study; Builds On Mission Concept To Precede Human Mission With Robotic Lander Which Could Collect Several Kg Of Rock & Regolith From A 10-100km Range; Human Mission Would Retrieve Samples & Return Them To Earth, Enhancing Scientific Value Of Mission; Honeybee-Designed Rover Weighs 77kg, Includes Stereo Camera, Capacity To Accommodate Additional Payloads Such As Honeybee NanoDrill

Image Credit: Golden Spike Company, Honeybee Robotics

Tuesday / 1 July 2014

Posted on by

Astrobotic Demonstrates Autonomous Moon Landing System

AASlanding0714

Astrobotic Teams With Masten Space Systems To Successfully Demonstrate Astrobotic Autolanding System (AAS); Xombie Suborbital Rocket Was Boosted To 250m, Simulated Lunar Trajectory, Achieved Soft Landing Intuitively Avoiding Simulated Moon Debris On Mojave Desert Landing Field; AAS Uses Only Cameras & Inertial Measurement Unit, Necessary For Environments Like Moon Where GPS Not Available; Astrobotic Chief Tech Guru Kevin Peterson Says System Can Track Craft Location To Within 3m

Image Credit: Astrobotic Technology Inc.

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 27-30 June 2014

Posted on by

Moon Takes Center Stage At NewSpace 2014

NewSpace2014_0614

Space Frontier Foundation Returns Moon Exploration To High Level Of Prominence At NewSpace 2014 Conference, 24-26 July In Silicon Valley CA; Premier Commercial Space Event Of The Year Will Include Feature Presentations By Bob Richards & Andy Aldrin Of Moon Express, Art Dula of Excalibur Almaz, And Alan Stern Of Golden Spike Company; Agenda Includes Panels On Commercial Development As A Catalyst For Lunar Exploration, And Lunar / Space Property Rights

Image Credit: Space Frontier Foundation

Friday / 13 June 2014

Posted on by

SpaceMETA Becomes 3rd GLXP Team To Announce Official Launch Agreement

SpaceMETA

Brazil-Based SpaceMETA Signs MoU With Alcantara Cyclone Space Co To Deliver ‘Solitaire’ Payload To Orbit For Subsequent Translunar Orbit Injection; Cyclone Family Has 222 Successful Launches, Developing 3-Stage Cyclone 4 With Goal Of ~US$50M Launch Cost; Astrobotic & Barcelona Moon Announced Launches Earlier; Founder Of SpaceMETA Sergio Cabral Cavalcanti – Presenter At Inaugural 2013 Galaxy Forum Brazil – Wants To Create Ambitious Starting Point From Which Future Generations Can Expand

Image Credit: SpaceMETA, GLXP, ACS

Tuesday / 10 June 2014

Posted on by

Moon Express Featured At IdeaCity 2014

MEatIdeaCity0614

NewSpace Company Moon Express President Andy Aldrin & CEO Bob Richards Featured Presenters At Canada’s Premier Meeting Of The Minds: IdeaCity 2014, 18-20 June, Toronto; Limited To 600 Attendees, The Event Brings Together 50 Uniquely Distinguished Intellectuals & Adventurers To Air New Concepts And Create ‘An Incubator For Inspiration’; All-Access Pass CAD$3500 + HST; Moon Express Is Currently Developing A Series Of Missions To The Lunar Surface Beginning With Its 2015 Attempt To Win The GLXP

Image Credit: ideacityonline.com

Wednesday / 21 May 2014

Posted on by

Team Phoenicia Supports RevUp Render Lunar Iditarod Challenge

DogecoinMoonRace

Dogecoin-Fueled Competition Will Take Place In Several Stages Culminating In 3-Way Mini-Rover Race On Moon; DogeSled Rovers Will Be Transported To Lunar Surface Aboard Phoenicia-1 Mission, Along With Penn State Lunar Lion GLXP Rover, Q4 2015; Registration To Compete In 1st Stage Of Competition Due 21 May, Entry Fee 2,250,000 Dogecoins (~US$1,100); Team Phoenicia CEO Will Baird Believes Bringing Together Dogecoin, Robotics, NewSpace Communities Will Help Each Grow Stronger 

Image Credit: Lunar Iditarod, Dogecoin, Team Phoenicia

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 16-19 May 2014

Posted on by

Space Lawyers Outline Challenges Of Commercial Lunar Development At ISDC

ISDCspaceLaw0514

USA-Based Commercial Entities Seeking To Explore, Settle In And Exploit Resources Of Space / Moon May Be Hindered By International Law, Predominance Of Countries That See Space As Shared Resource; Boston Attorney Rosanna Sattler Says Country Of Origin Will Need To Be Responsible For Their Endemic Enterprises, International MoUs Allowing Specific Commercial Activities May Be Easier To Achieve Than A Whole New International Treaty; Other Experts Such As Art Dula Believe Private Companies ‘Absolutely Have The Right’ To Mine / Develop Moon, Asteroids, Etc.

Image Credit: Bigelow Aerospace, Excalibur Almaz, Here & Now

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 2-5 May 2014

Posted on by

SpaceX Innovations

Boost Future Of Lunar Exploration

LED-5-2-14

NewSpace Powerhouse Disrupting Launch Industry, Driving Innovation & Efficiency – Boon To All Who Seek High Frontier; Successful Tests Of F9 First Stage Controlled-Flight Recovery (18 Apr) & Grasshopper 1000-Meter Hop (2 May) Show Company Is Revolutionizing Future Of Exploration; Re-Usability Might Reduce Cost-To-Orbit By Half, Controlled Landing Systems Have Applications For Lunar / Planetary Exploration

Image Credit: SpaceX

Friday / 2 May 2014

Posted on by

Lunar CATALYST Partnerships Begin

Lunar CATALYST

Astrobotic, Moon Express & Masten Negotiating No-Funds-Exchanged Space Act Agreements With NASA For Lunar Cargo Transportation And Landing By Soft Touchdown (Lunar CATALYST) Initiative To Advance Lunar Lander Capabilities; NASA To Provide Technical Expertise, Equipment / Software Loans, Access To Test Facilities For 3 Years; Astrobotic (Griffin Lander) & Moon Express (MX-1) Plan To Launch To Moon 2015 / Win GLXP; Masten Refining / Testing Xombie & Xaero, Designing Xeus

Image Credit: ME, Astrobotic, Masten, NASA

Thursday / 17 April 2014

Posted on by

50-Year Anniversary Of Apollo 11 Merits Advanced Planning

50yearApollo11_0414

Start Planning Now For 50th Observation Of Moon Landing Says Peter Swan Of International Space Elevator Consortium; Celebrations & Memorials Should Be Well Funded & Organized, Yet Truly Honoring The Memory Of This Historic Event Will Require Concerted Effort / Consistent Investment To Return Humans To Moon For Good, Ensuring Multi World Species Status; NASA Planning Crewed Flight To Lunar Orbit ~2019, Golden Spike Company Advancing ~2020 Human Moon Missions

Image Credit: NASA, Golden Spike Company, ISEC