Challenges | Campaigns | Solicitations
Experience weightlessness, see Earth from space, and join Sir Richard Branson for a personal VIP tour of Spaceport America. No payment is necessary. Closes September 1, winner announced September 29. [Forward]
NASA is challenging the GrabCAD Community to design a mobile lunar heliostat that can be used to support operations at the Artemis Base Camp. Challenge ends September 13, 2021. [Forward]
NASA is looking for U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are non-smokers, aged 30 to 55 years old, and proficient in English. Applications close September 17, 2021 5pm CST. [Forward]
You can own a full-scale model of the Apollo 11, 12, 13, 14 Command Module Control Panel (CMCP) as designed by Academy Award-winning artist Mark Lasoff. Ends September 21, 2021. [Forward]
NASA is seeking innovative ideas from the academic community for a wide range of alternative rover locomotion modalities. Deadline to submit notice of intent is September 24, 2021. [Forward]
The tenth annual event is the world's largest hackathon. Participants use NASA’s free and open data over a 48-hour period to solve challenges submitted by NASA personnel. October 2-3, 2021.
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NASA is inviting students across the US to design an experiment to test on a suborbital rocket or high-altitude balloon. $1500 awarded to each winning school. Contest opens August 18. [Forward]
University rocketry teams: want to launch rockets and compete regionally against other university teams and potentially join next year's Spaceport America Cup? Registration closes March 31, 2022. [Forward]
Book your six-hour voyage on Spaceship Neptune now for 2025 and see Earth from space. Book an individual seat or a full 8 person capsule. $125,000 per space explorer. [Forward]
XPRIZE Carbon Removal is aimed at tackling climate change and advancing space exploration. Teams will create and demonstrate solutions that can pull carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere or oceans. [Forward]
NASA wants to understand how the Freelancer community can potentially help in the future to evaluate solutions provided for NASA engineering challenges. They encourage everyone to register, regardless of experience. [Forward]
Join thousands of volunteers and search for Planet 9 and new brown dwarfs in the backyard of the solar system using data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission. [Forward]
Events
SATELLITE invites industry leaders to share the stage (digitally or in-person) with young professionals and entrepreneurs, engaging in discussions that will shape the future of commercial space. September 7-10, 2021. [Forward]
The sessions include The Maturing of the Small Satellite Market, Access to Space, and more. Virtual sessions will be held from September 7 - October 19, 2021. [Forward]
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center shares an inside look at the scientific legacy of Hubble and the future possibilities of the James Webb telescope. Free, virtual event. September 9, 2021. [Forward]
H2M 2021 will be a free, virtual event featuring many of the top leaders in aerospace, government, innovation, policy, STEM education, entertainment, and more. September 13-15, 2021. [Forward]
The virtual conference will discuss planetary science and planetary missions through oral and poster sessions, workshops, and panel discussions, with ample opportunities to interact with other participants. September 13-24, 2021. [Forward]
This workshop brings together experts to discuss questions critical to understanding the scope of a potential interstellar probe mission. Takes place September 27-October 1, 2021. Registration opens in August. [Forward]
Register for this in-person event to understand the changing satellite ecosystem, network among leading executives, and learn about next generation technology. October 5-7, 2021. [Forward]
This is the largest annual gathering of geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) professionals in the US. The event is located in St. Louis, Missouri, and takes place on October 5-8, 2021. [Forward]
This free, virtual event offers an opportunity for those interested in Mars to discuss the science, technology, social implications, and a multitude of other aspects of Mars exploration. October 14-17. [Forward]
// FYI
Space Ecosystem | Startups | Deals
One second into the flight, an engine shut down. Two minutes later, an all-engine shutdown command stalled the rocket. It reached an altitude of 31 miles and returned safely. [Forward]
Virgin Orbit will use proceeds from its SPAC deal to expand production of LauncherOne and upgrade its performance, while also developing an IoT and imagery smallsat constellation. [Forward]
Funding rounds fell from 62 in 2018 to 42 in 2020. In 2021, both investment rounds and amounts raised are down, with only 17 completed as of late July. [Forward]
Image Credit: Astroscale
Astroscale released and then recaptured a small client satellite using a magnetic capture mechanism on August 25. The success will allow the company to move on to more ambitious tests. [Forward]
NASA estimates there are over 23,000 pieces of debris larger than 10 centimeters in orbit around the Earth, and there are hundreds of millions more pieces smaller than that. [Forward]
Space Exploration | Development
The ISS won’t last the decade. With the focus turning to space exploration, NASA wants to turn over ISS’s area of space to the commercial market to save money. [Forward]
They say the contract is for Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS), a suite of technologies that enable livable conditions outside of Earth’s atmosphere. The customer was not disclosed. [Forward]
Any longer than four years would expose astronauts to dangerously high amounts of radiation. The main danger to such a flight would be particles from outside of our solar system. [Forward]
Decades of research show the human body can adapt to the conditions required for rotating artificial gravity. It's an engineering problem that’s likely solvable with considerable time, effort, and money. [Forward]
Astronomy | Astrophysics | Cosmology
Convulsions in the planet’s interior are picked up in Saturn’s expansive C ring. These convulsions take the form of spiral waves, revealing the characteristics of particular features of Saturn’s insides. [Forward]