A new era of spaceflight? Promising advances in rocket propulsion: SpaceX concept of Starship. AleksandrMorrisovich/Shutterstock The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) has recently commissioned three private companies, Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin and General Atomics, to develop nuclear fission thermal rockets for use in lunar orbit. Such a development, if flown, could usher in …
SpaceX: will the average person need to exercise during a commercial spaceflight?: A capsular spacecraft, similar to this, will bring Crew Dragon into space. 3Dsculptor/ Shutterstock This year, Elon Musk’s SpaceX plans to launch the first private space mission into orbit with no professional astronauts. Billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, who chartered the trip and will …
Have you got what it takes to become an astronaut in the new era of human spaceflight?: Astronauts Bob and Dough made it to the International Space Station in a privately funded vehicle. NASA Millions of people watched breathlessly as astronauts for the first time successfully travelled to the International Space Station (ISS) in a …