CubeSat

It was the second time's a charm as Virgin Orbit's airdropped LauncherOne rocket put 10 NASA payloads into orbit on the second attempt in less than eight months, sending 10 NASA CubeSat payloads into low-Earth orbit under the Launch Services Program.

A student-built CubeSat will investigate whether satellites can be maintained in low Earth orbit without thrusters or propellant. The Miniature Tether Electrodynamics Experiment-1will test using the Earth's magnetic field to generate thrust.

Howe Industries has submitted the design for a solar-powered steam rocket engine for propelling CubeSats to the National Science Foundation. With only two moving parts, ThermaSat uses a thermal condenser to flash boil water into superheated steam.

Virgin Orbit is preparing its pilots, Cosmic Girl mothership and LauncherOne rocket for a second attempt at orbital flight, today announcing that its Launch Demo 2 mission will take place a week before Christmas.

Researchers have demonstrated quantum entanglement on a small satellite orbiting Earth. The team developed a miniaturized device that produces pairs of photons that are inextricably linked, which could help launch a fast and secure quantum internet.

NASA is planning to launch a tiny satellite aboard one of the most powerful rockets ever constructed, to hunt for ice hiding deep inside craters on the Moon’s surface that are bathed in perennial shadow.

NASA has given the green light to a new CubeSat mission to study the giant space weather storms produced by the Sun. Slated to launch after July 1, 2023, SunRISE will use six spacecraft as a single radio telescope to monitor solar particle storms.

Virgin Orbit has revealed plans for the first commercial satellite mission to Mars, where a new breed of tiny probes could help study the Red Planet.

ESA plans to launch the first Earth observation satellite incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) in a few months.

NASA has released images and footage of Hurricane Dorian, as it continues its menacing advance across the Atlantic Ocean.

Scientists are getting creative with propulsion methods for small spacecraft, including carrying water as fuel and converting it to steam. NASA’s OCSD mission has now leaned on this to pull off a first-of-a-kind maneuver between two of its CubeSats in low-Earth orbit.​

​​The way small satellites and scientific instruments find their way into space these days is by hitching a ride on large rockets carrying hefty payloads. But some are looking to change that, including SpaceX with a new launch program specifically for firing these small payloads into space.