The Space Review

Essays and commentary about the final frontier

[The Space Review @tsr]

Australia is considering whether to pay for a flight of an astronaut to the International Space Station. One issue is the value such a flight should provide to the country to make it worth the expense. https://t.co/h1OROcQWpI

[The Space Review @tsr]

Several Chinese spacecraft and rocket bodies have shed debris in orbit in recent months. Are these isolated incidents or part of a strategy? https://t.co/qIgSmHgD2o

[The Space Review @tsr]

The Space Force recently revealed earlier this month that it has “space control” weapons in orbit, with implications on efforts to prevent an arms race in outer space. https://t.co/TX2bCTg6Vc

[The Space Review @tsr]

A devastating flood in the Himalayas was monitored by satellites, but those images could not provide timely warnings to people affected by it. The ability of turning watching into warning from space is critical for natural disasters and missile defense. https://t.co/u0fV00m5nB

[The Space Review @tsr]

On its 14th test flight, SpaceX’s Starship reached orbit for the first time Monday, deploying a set of Starlink satellites. A report on the long-awaited milestone and the push now to demonstrate the vehicle’s rapid reusability. https://t.co/DLN92GFBhp

[The Space Review @tsr]

In the aftermath of World War II, it seemed obvious to many that the future of warfare would involve rockets in orbit designed to deliver nuclear weapons. One study explored a concept for “Satellite Bombs” that didn’t get very far. https://t.co/ZNeNbifpCb

[The Space Review @tsr]

An archive of letters and manuscripts belonging to Konstantin Tsiolkovsky was digitized years ago, but not easily searchable. A new project has created a machine readable version of the archive. https://t.co/3RwpA5yeOo

[The Space Review @tsr]

The conflict in the Persian Gulf has caused some countries there to take steps to improve access to satellite imagery. But those measures could fall short of what is needed for true satellite imagery independence. https://t.co/gxMnKigxXf

[The Space Review @tsr]

A Falcon 9 upper stage hit the Moon last month, creating a small crater. The bigger impact of the incident nay be thinking about how to prevent similar incidents in the future as activity on the Moon increases. https://t.co/RGIQspDl27

[The Space Review @tsr]

Strategists have tried to apply concepts from the theories of air power and sea power to space. However, spacepower requires rethinking concepts like territory in a regime where everything is in motion. https://t.co/J6lxdmIdb8

[The Space Review @tsr]

In the early 1960s, the US Air Force launched nearly a dozen Samos satellites with varying designations. But what happened to one class of satellite, Samos E-3, that never launched? https://t.co/dvMh5YAKEo

[The Space Review @tsr]

The Falcon 9 has been one the most successful launch vehicles in the history of the Space Age, but it won’t fly forever. The space industry is coming to grips with the looming end of that rocket for commercial missions. https://t.co/taWvR8WQbr

[The Space Review @tsr]

NASA is leading a new effort to develop a lunar base, one that requires development of many technologies needed to live on the lunar surface for extended periods. Those technologies can also help create an asteroid mining industry. https://t.co/LM1mOCsUpF

[The Space Review @tsr]

The first Star Trek movie features a spacecraft based on the recently launched Voyager missions. The filmmakers worked with NASA to help them design Voyager 6. https://t.co/nWOwwSH9oc

[The Space Review @tsr]

In the early 1960s, Junkers, a German aerospace company pursued studies of a reusable spaceplane with support of a famous designer. https://t.co/CwGATXz0ZF

[The Space Review @tsr]

Satellite operators are increasingly turning to automated systems to avoid potential collisions based on when the probability of a collision passes a threshold. But that threshold alone should not be sufficient to trigger a maneuver. https://t.co/AguRko4wWZ

[The Space Review @tsr]

Ukrainian cruise missiles struck a Russian factory last month that produces Soyuz rockets, with some reports claiming the attack caused serious damage. A close examination of available evidence helps better understand the significance of the attack. https://t.co/kQnL9uxWIP

[The Space Review @tsr]

Firefly Aerospace today is known for work on lunar landers and other spacecraft, but had its start in launch. A documentary follows the early years of Firefly as it worked on its Alpha rocket amid technical and financial obstacles. https://t.co/gdFBBrI0s1

[The Space Review @tsr]

The Indian space agency ISRO recently conducted the first launch since a January failure, putting an imaging satellite into orbit, overcoming challenges with both launch and spacecraft development. https://t.co/tPaRDV804a

[The Space Review @tsr]

In the early 2000s, Russian engineers proposed converting the Backfire bomber into an air-launch platform, but one that never got off the ground. https://t.co/xoyaYPTZam