Main Engine Cut Off

China’s next space station reached its launch site and they’re on their way to a fall launch.

NASA awarded a grant for technology that could be used to operate a Venusian lander on the surface for much longer than we have previously.

ESA is working on a mission to catch and deorbit a derelict satellite.

Our political system is increasingly incapable of supporting a thriving national space program. Congress battling the executive branch tooth and nail for Orion/SLS and the Europa mission is only the tip of the iceberg. Factor in the massive amounts of pork and governmental overhead…it runs away from you quickly.

The Space, Science, And Competitiveness subcommittee has scheduled a hearing next Wednesday, titled “NASA at a Crossroads: Reasserting American Leadership in Space Exploration.” Seems like a hearing that will be filled with desperate pleas to the future president to avoid another cancellation.

Going from stationary landers to rovers was game-changing for planetary exploration. The next era of quadcopters and gliders is going to be even more so.

Jalopnik posted a gearhead-focused feature on the Roush Fenway Racing-built internal combustion engine that will be used on ULA’s upcoming ACES upper stage.

OneWeb says their satellite constellation project is on time. But things still seem a bit murky to me.

Xinhua News Agency reports a successful in-orbit refueling test.

Anatoly Zak, writing for Popular Mechanics, outlines the Soyuz-MS upgrade.