The Canadian space agency has indicated its intent to award MDA Inc. a contract to build a robotic system that will serve as Canada's contribution Artemis, NASA's mission to put astronauts on the moon by 2024. Brampton, Ontario-based MDA will work to develop robotic and small dexterous arms and special tools to support heavy-duty tasks on a lunar Gateway outpost, CSA said Friday.
Read More »SpaceX’s Dragon Spacecraft With Crew Docking Port Arrives at International Space Station
SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft reached the International Space Station Saturday to deliver more than 5K pounds of research supplies and equipment including a new crew docking port.
Read More »Maxar Subsidiary’s Laser Tech Scans Bennu for Asteroid Sample Return Mission
A laser altimeter instrument Maxar Technologies‘ MDA subsidiary built for a NASA space probe has began to scan and collect data of the asteroid Bennu. MDA provided the light detection and ranging sensor technology that currently supports the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer under a contract with the Canadian space agency, Maxar said Monday. …
Read More »NASA Tests Communications Capability of Webb Observatory’s Spacecraft, Telescope Components
NASA has worked with Northrop Grumman and Ball Aerospace to assess the capability of the James Webb Space Telescope’s two main components to communicate with each other. Engineers and technicians used ground wires to temporarily connect the spacecraft to the telescope as part of the optional “risk reduction” test, NASA …
Read More »SpaceX Dragon Capsule Performs 14th ISS Cargo Resupply Mission
A SpaceX-made spacecraft took off Monday aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to bring more than 5,800 pounds of crew supplies and research investigations to the International Space Station. NASA said Tuesday the Dragon spacecraft’s launch marks the 14th ISS cargo delivery mission under …
Read More »Maxar’s MDA Business Gets Multiple Canadian Space Agency Support Contracts
Maxar Technologies‘ MDA business has received four contracts worth a combined $41.7 million to help the Canadian space agency develop space exploration technology platforms. MDA said Friday it will build tools designed to simplify operations and reduce operator communication load for the Mobile Servicing System currently on board the International Space Station …
Read More »NASA to Ship Webb Telescope to Northrop Facility for Spacecraft Tech Integration
NASA engineers have removed the James Webb Space Telescope from the space agency’s thermal vacuum testing platform installed at the Johnson Space Center following completion of a 100-day cryogenic test. The agency said Saturday it tested JWST’s optical structure and scientific instruments at Chamber A to determine if the future space observatory could function in …
Read More »Matteo Genna: SSL Aims to Qualify Roll Out Solar Array for Satellite Tech Integration
Matteo Genna, chief technology officer and vice president for product strategy and development at Space Systems Loral, has said SSL partnered with NASA, Air Force Research Laboratory and Deployable Space Systems to develop and test a scalable solar array platform on the International Space Station. Genna wrote in SatMagazine’s September issue …
Read More »Northrop Integrates Webb Space Telescope Sunshield Layers
Northrop Grumman has integrated the last defense layers of a sun shield system built to protect optics and instruments of the James Webb Space Telescope from heat. The company said Monday its aerospace systems business designed the sun shield layers that will work to help reduce the temperatures between cold and hot JWST …
Read More »Northrop Conducts STEM Outreach Efforts Via UK Screening of James Webb Space Telescope Documentary
Northrop Grumman has screened in the U.K. a documentary film on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope as part of the company’s efforts to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. The film Into the Unknown focuses on the development of the space telescope designed to launch in …
Read More »Northrop Receives Astro Aerospace-Built Boom Assemblies for NASA’s Webb Telescope
Northrop Grumman has received the mid-boom assemblies from its Astro Aerospace subsidiary for integration with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Astro Aerospace designed and built two boom assemblies designed to deploy the telescope’s sunshield component once in orbit, Northrop said Monday. Astro Aerospace delivered the assemblies to Northrop’s Redondo Beach, …
Read More »NASA Puts Webb Telescope’s Primary Mirror Through 1st ‘Center of Curvature’ Test
Engineers have completed the first “Center of Curvature” test on the primary mirror of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in order to measure the shape of the mirror before the telescope goes through a series of launch environment tests. NASA engineers collaborated with technicians from Ball Aerospace & Technologies and the Space …
Read More »Northrop Recognized for James Webb Space Telescope Program; Scott Willoughby Comments
Northrop Grumman has received Aviation Week magazine’s Program Excellence award for the company’s program goal achievement and leadership role in the development of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Scott Willoughby, vice president and James Webb Space Telescope program manager at Northrop, was selected in the subsystem research and design category for delivering …
Read More »MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates to Develop Canada’s Space-Based Synthetic Aperture Radar
MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates has been awarded an $11.4 million contract option by Canada’s department of national defense to develop space-based synthetic aperture radar technology for a maritime surveillance project. The radar will be built to support the Polar Epsilon 2 broad-area maritime surveillance system that will utilize Canada’s RADARSAT Constellation Mission, MDA said Thursday. PE2 ground systems are designed to receive and …
Read More »MDA Lands ISS Robotic Servicing System Contract Modification With Canadian Space Agency
The Canadian Space Agency has awarded MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates a $26.6 million contract modification to continue to provide support for the Mobile Servicing System onboard the International Space Station. MDA said Friday the Mobile Servicing System is a robotics platform that is composed of the Canadarm2, Mobile Base System and Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator or Dextre. …
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