Lifeboat Foundation

WASHINGTON — Japanese lunar lander developer ispace has confirmed that its second mission to the moon will launch on the same SpaceX Falcon 9 as Firefly Aerospace’s first lunar lander.

In an online presentation late Dec. 17 to discuss preparations for its Resilience lander, Takeshi Hakamada, founder and chief executive of ispace, said that his company’s mission would launch during a six-day window in mid-January on the same rocket launching Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost 1 mission.

Continue reading “Firefly, ispace lunar landers to share Falcon 9 launch” »

SpaceX’s next Starship megarocket now has a license to fly.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Tuesday (Dec. 17) issued a launch license for SpaceX’s upcoming Starship Flight 7 test flight, clearing the way for the company’s next launch of the world’s largest rocket from South Texas. The launch license comes on the heels of several Starship engine tests by SpaceX to check the flight readiness of its seventh Ship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket booster.

NASA briefing on lunar lander from Firefly.

NASA holds a virtual audio-only media teleconference to highlight the NASA science flying onboard Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign. Participants include:

Continue reading “Media Briefing: What’s On Board Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1” »

Researchers have developed a technique called “atomic spray painting” using molecular beam epitaxy to strain-tune potassium niobate, enhancing its ferroelectric properties.

This method allows precise manipulation of material properties, with potential applications in green technologies, quantum computing, and space exploration.

Material Strain Tuning

Human-made objects on Mars, including spacecraft, landers, and rovers, may hold significant archaeological value rather than being dismissed as space debris.

Scholars propose cataloging and preserving these artifacts to document humanity’s early interplanetary exploration and ensure future missions respect these historical markers.

Mars as a new frontier: understanding the value of space debris.

The most explosive fuel in the universe could power humanity’s first starship.

Getting places in space quickly has been the goal of propulsion research for a long time.

Rockets, our most common means of doing so, are great for providing lots of force but extraordinarily inefficient. Other options like electric propulsion and solar sailing are efficient but offer measly amounts of force, albeit for a long time.

Continue reading “Rise in Antimatter Research Could Push Us Closer to The Ultimate Space Engine” »

A 21-year-old Edmontonian is developing a 3D printer designed to take soil from the moon and convert it into essential equipment for astronauts.

Madison Feehan, CEO and founder of Space Copy, said she realized that 3D printing could substantially reduce the significant cost and logistic hurdles of sending astronauts back to the moon during her five years as a contract worker for NASA.

Radio Active’s Min Dhariwal spoke with Feehan this week to learn more about her research.

Conquering space is among the main challenges humanity now has — and the huge number of discoveries made in recent decades suggests that nothing is impossible. Tourism beyond Earth is already gaining popularity, and this sector will evolve soon. However, simply enjoying the space views may become boring shortly, and travellers will search for alternative entertainment options. It’s now pretty early to ask whether people will be able to build a land-based casino on the Moon, but some experiences may become available in the near future. The iGaming sector is rapidly evolving, leaving offline settings behind. We can predict that space gambling will begin from top-rated slot games not on GamStop, which are widely accessible globally. Casino platforms have a vast growth potential nowadays, so what would prevent people from using them when enjoying space tourism?

The first bet beyond the Earth has already been placed — this significant event happened in 2021 when Jared Isaacman, the Inspiration 4x commander, wagered on the NFL. Although it may take a while for such betting experiences to become more widespread, the beginning has already been made.