Satellite Kits=Cheaper Satellites?

This TMCNet post points to SEA (Systems Engineering and Assessment, Ltd), a United Kingdom company that’s trying to make micro-satellites smaller and cheaper. They’re latest project is an OmniSat kit. The kit is supposed to be modular but flexible. What SEA is providing, is a common micro-satellite bus (you can read more about what a bus […]

Garbage Trucks for Satellites?

This article reads a bit like a press release for the German Aerospace Center (DLR). That’s probably because it is, but the Deutsche Welle post talks about all sorts of optimistic future projects, all accomplished by DLR as they support the European Space Agency (ESA). From cubesats to a “garbage truck for satellites,” it’s not […]

The ESA’s Rosetta Satellite: The Sleeper Awakes

On 20 January, 2014, a European Space Agency (ESA) comet-chasing satellite woke up for work. According to this MSN.com article, the satellite, named Rosetta, was in hibernation for 31 months. The ESA’s Rosetta satellite is waking up to meet with a certain comet in May 2014. The “OK, I’m awake” signal was relayed to the […]

Robots in Space (hitching rides)

I’ve written about robotic satellites before, but this is different. First of all, it’s the Europeans and not the Chinese working with robots this time. And the type of robot is interesting, too. It’s not the satellite itself, but it’s what’s on the satellite. The UK DailyMailonline posted this article about robots with the ability […]

Splitting continent: it looks like a picture, but it’s ASAR

Most of the lessons I’ve posted on my site have dealt with imagery taken from camera payloads on satellites. So it should be no shocker that I’ve relayed this NewScientist post of a nice picture of the Albertine Rift, showing where the Earth’s tectonic plates are splitting East Africa apart. Here’s the picture, straight from […]