UK-launched rocket promises to transform microsatellite launch business

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A full scale-prototype of Orbex’s Prime launcher. Credit: Orbex The first launch of the Orbex Prime ‘eco-rocket’ from a remote launch pad in the Highlands of Scotland is expected at the end of the year or in early 2023. A full-scale prototype of Prime, billed as the world’s most environmentally-friendly rocket, was unveiled to the public for …

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Robots that act collectively: when, and how? – #ICRA2022 Day 4 interview with K. Petersen, M. A. Olivares Mendez, and T. Kaiser (+ video digest)

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Attending ICRA is a great opportunity to see many state-of-the-art (and famous?) robots in a single venue. Indeed, a quick trip to the exhibitors’ booths is enough to get introduced to the large and diverse group of commercial robots we have today. Everything ranging from drones, manipulators, humanoid robots, small rovers, and probably, among the …

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Connecting robots and people – #ICRA2022 Day 3 interview with Kate Ladenheim (+ video digest)

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If you are quite enthusiastic about robotics like me, then by now you will probably have finished the third season of Netflix acclaimed series Love, Death and Robots. I believe that animation, like many other artistic expressions, is an effective way to communicate the ideas and concepts that revolve around contemporary robotics. If we envision …

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Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft lands in New Mexico after successful test flight

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Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft descends toward landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft parachuted to a “picture perfect” landing in southern New Mexico Wednesday, capping a six-day test flight to the International Space Station that NASA’s commercial crew program manager said paves the way for the next Starliner …

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SpaceX launches fifth Transporter rideshare mission

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A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off on the Transporter 5 mission. Credit: Michael Cain / Spaceflight Now / Coldlife Photography SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket Wednesday packed with 59 small satellites and research experiments, including an innovative commercial water-propelled orbital transfer vehicle from Momentus and a pair of NASA tech demos testing laser communications …

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Live coverage: SpaceX rideshare launch on tap today, followed by booster landing

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Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The Transporter 5 mission will launch 59 small payloads from customers around the world. Follow us on Twitter. SFN Live Fifty-nine small satellites and hosted experiments are awaiting launch Wednesday at …

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Starliner spacecraft cleared for undocking and re-entry

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Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft docked at the International Space Station. Credit: NASA Astronauts on the International Space Station closed the hatch to Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft Tuesday, and ground teams used the lab’s robotic arm to inspect the capsule’s heat shield to clear the vehicle for undocking Wednesday and return to Earth for a late afternoon landing …

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Nanoracks experiment poised to demonstrate metal cutting in orbit

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The Outpost Mars Demo-1 payload ready for launch on SpaceX’s Transporter 5 rideshare mission. Credit: Nanoracks Nanoracks will fly an experiment with a small articulating robot arm on SpaceX’s Transporter 5 rideshare mission this week to demonstrate metal cutting in orbit, a test lasting just minutes that could advance in-space manufacturing technology to help convert …

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SpaceX swapping heat shield for next crew flight due to ‘manufacturing defect’

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SpaceX’s Dragon Endurance spacecraft after splashdown May 6, with its heat shield displayed toward the camera. Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani SpaceX’s next crew mission to the International Space Station, set for launch in September, will fly with a different heat shield structure than originally planned after a composite substrate failed in acceptance testing due to a …

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