The Space Review

Essays and commentary about the final frontier

[The Space Review @tsr]

Space advocates have offered grand visions of how space can create a better, even utopian, future for humanity, efforts yet to be realized. A review of a book intended to criticize those claims but which veers far off-target at times. https://t.co/J8K1L5tYUF

[The Space Review @tsr]

While space science programs are usually associated with major space powers, there are roles for emerging players as well. A discussion of what Bangladesh can do in the field with only a limited investment. https://t.co/A1Olg2K0G2

[The Space Review @tsr]

During the Cold War, US reconnaissance satellites monitored a Soviet airfield in the far north of the country. The mystery of an airfield that even the best images from space could not unravel: https://t.co/0EEa3Sjoq8

[The Space Review @tsr]

Launch vehicles have used solid rocket motors for decades, although many new vehicles eschew them. A look at the factors that led to adoption of solid motors on many early launch vehicles and why economics is pushing solids out of the market. https://t.co/oN92IUq3uN

[The Space Review @tsr]

Millions of dollars flow into space startups with the hope those companies will some day be worth billions. One investor offers cautionary tales from his investments into three space companies that he had to write off. https://t.co/6PzCE4etZL

[The Space Review @tsr]

As the Cold War space race between the US and USSR raged, US officials tried to understand what the Soviet Union was doing. Several reports from that era summarize where those efforts excelled and where they fell short. https://t.co/JzBZeVTrlP

[The Space Review @tsr]

One argument that critics of space settlement make is that it would be far easier to settle Antarctica. There are several reasons why that argument is wrong. https://t.co/SBfiegiqoS

[The Space Review @tsr]

The race to return humans to the Moon pits not just two countries but two political philosophies. American leadership in space, though, can establish a humane space agenda. https://t.co/5SAd0nznvW

[The Space Review @tsr]

LANYARD was not the only effort to salvage something from the Samos satellite reconnaissance program in the early 1960s. A similar effort to repurpose Samos hardware was for a project called SPARTAN. https://t.co/oOhehBHfaL

[The Space Review @tsr]

The demand for launch services is higher than ever, but the supply of rockets today is very constrained. Various factors make getting a ride to orbit today difficult and expensive, despite the promise of plummeting launch costs. https://t.co/qrXHssfDtv

[The Space Review @tsr]

Synthetic aperture radar imagery had long been considered primarily a tool for defense applications. Commercial SAR systems have made such imagery available for many civil uses as well. https://t.co/TNznlSSTDl

[The Space Review @tsr]

Satellite activities are extensively logged, providing an audit trail for tracking down problems or determining blame. Why the rise of quantum computing threatens the integrity of those records and what can be done in response. https://t.co/5VPdSf6TUK

[The Space Review @tsr]

Space activities increasingly rely on automation and AI to make decisions faster than humans. This creates challenges for determining what decisions get made and how. https://t.co/8MW3L06tnR

[The Space Review @tsr]

The UN’s Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Space established an “action team” in 2024 to study how to coordinate lunar activities. An update on the team’s work, including challenges they face on space resources: https://t.co/1jiGhVW8wU

[The Space Review @tsr]

A cancelled spysat program in the early 1960s got a second life as an NRO program called LANYARD. A look at the various problems LANYARD encountered, including technical issues, launch failures, and competition from other programs. https://t.co/VxwGhJC7Qk

[The Space Review @tsr]

Navigation and timing services provided by satellites have become ubiquitous in modern society. A new book explores the development of GPS and some of the challenges it now faces. https://t.co/M2WXG8L2qU

[The Space Review @tsr]

Many space startups seek, and often struggle to raise, venture capital to scale their businesses. They are better off first working with the government to develop technologies and secure funding before going to VCs. https://t.co/PxPoVGUOEs

[The Space Review @tsr]

Very small launch vehicles are at an economic disadvantage to larger vehicles. However, they could provide a strategic capability for some spacefaring nations. https://t.co/ZXUOgmSXWL

[The Space Review @tsr]

NASA has announced plans for a lunar base starting with its current Artemis architecture. An alternative approach may be better suited for lunar permanence. https://t.co/uCh4GHKLMJ

[The Space Review @tsr]

When the NRO decided to cancel a classified satellite reconnaissance program in the early 1960s, engineers with the company that designed its camera sought to salvage that work. https://t.co/F22SkVOMc3