Satellite

MIT engineers have tested a thumbnail-sized thruster that runs on a single green fuel to power both chemical and electric propulsion, potentially sending inexpensive CubeSats all the way to Mars, and beyond.

"Ground Control to Major Tom," the iconic lyric from 70s hit, Space Oddity. Oddly, the giant parabolic dishes behind those transmissions are still in use 50 years on ... until now. Engineers are proposing sleeker, more efficient ground station tech.

"Ghost ships" may not be able to hide on the high seas much longer thanks to new technology being developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The system uses a dynamic satellite camera and advanced data processing to visually track ships in real time.

Overview Energy, a Northern Virginia-based startup, has raised $20 million to fund its attempt at transmitting solar power from satellites down to solar panels on Earth, enabling a 24/7 supply.

Star Wars becomes more than a film franchise title as the British government moves to protect the country's satellites from laser attacks. The £500,000 (US$670,000) investment for new sensor systems is part of a broader strategic realignment.

Garmin just released the new Fenix 8 Pro fitness and outdoor smartwatch, which brings LTE and satellite connectivity to let you ditch your phone at home. There's also a nutso US$2,000 price tag on the "top-end" model, thanks to a new MicroLED screen.

Who watches the watchmen and who spies on the spy satellites? It turns out it's an optical package called Morning Sparrow made by Scout Space and carried by Dawn Aerospace's Aurora spaceplane to the edge of space to snap low-orbit spysats.

Satellites could have a longer life and space become a bit tidier if Starfish Space's Otter Pup 2 mission pans out. Scheduled to launch later this year, it aims to demonstrate how a small craft can dock with unprepared satellites for service or disposal.

Given the fact that satellites orbit amongst one another at thousands of miles per hour, it's important to know exactly how fast they're going. A new device offers an improved way of doing so, and it's appropriately named the Spacecraft Speedometer.

Northrop Grumman has written a new line in the history books, the company's Mission Extension Vehicle 1 (MEV-1) executing the first undocking of two commercial satellites in geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) – heralding a new age of commercial space operations.

The world’s longest quantum communications link has been set up between China and South Africa, spanning a record-breaking 12,900 km (8,015 miles). The connection takes advantage of quantum physics for “unbreakable” encryption.

The US Space Force has a contract worth up to US$60 million to develop and fly a kind-of aircraft carrier in space. No, it's not the result of a major typo. It's intended as a way to station space vehicles to quickly counter orbital threats.