spacecraft
The first step toward alpha centauri: sailing to Mars
Posted in Hardware on 16th Apr, 2016
by Alex Muller
These lasers sails could drive "space-chips" to Mars in roughly 30 minutes, researchers say.
Yuri Milner is spending $100 million to prove out laser pushed nanosails that would reach 5% of lightspeed
Posted in Science on 13th Apr, 2016
by Alex Muller
Milner wants a probe that could travel to Alpha Centauri within a generation, and he's recruited Mark Zuckerberg and Stephen Hawking.
DARPA XS-1 Spaceplane Program to Ease Access to Space
Posted in Science on 8th Apr, 2016
by Alex Muller
DARPA has announced Phase 2 of the XS-1 program, which seeks to design and fabricate an experimental unmanned spaceplane, and fly the vehicle ten times in ten days.
China to launch Tiangong 2 laboratory this year and complete the space station by 2020
Posted in Hardware on 24th Mar, 2016
by Alex Muller
China plans for 20 space missions this year including the testing of its most sophisticated rocket and the launch of a space habitat.
China is racing to make the 2020 launch window to Mars
Posted in Science on 23rd Feb, 2016
by Alex Muller
NASAs Mars 2020 mission may well have company along the way, with teams in China working urgently to ready their first independent mission to the Red Planet.