Spacecraft

Almost 50 years to the day since Neil Armstrong uttered the words "the Eagle has landed" Lego will launch its Eagle Lunar Module set to celebrate the anniversary. Developed in cooperation with NASA, the set will be available from June 1 at a price of just under US$100.

When it comes to space travel, and space in genera​l, 2018 has been a busy year. It was one marked by remarkable technological firsts, dramatic incidents, and new milestones set. Oh, and space champagne. So, let's look back on the highlights of the year in space, 2018.

Lockheed Martin is no stranger to 3D printing components, but now the company has created its largest piece to date – titanium domes to cap off satellite fuel tanks. Using additive manufacturing can help satellites be assembled faster and with less wasted materials.

The first test engine that will power DARPA's next generation spaceplane has completed assembly. The updated AR-22 rocket engine for the Phantom Express project was completed by Aerojet Rocketdyne for use in ground tests to demonstrate its performance capabilities and fast turnaround design.

Pulsars have been proposed as a space navigation system in the past. Now NASA has demonstrated the viability of the idea, with an experiment showing that a spacecraft can constantly and automatically calculate its position by tracking the perfectly-predictable X-ray signals from an array of pulsars.

This year's Space Symposium, had some impressive technology on display, most notably the replicas of Blue Origin's space capsule and a simulator for Boeing's Starliner. We got a chance to check them both out and take a peek at the future of commercial space travel.​

Lexus has shown that it can design more than just cars, with the unveiling of a new single-seat spacecraft​. The SkyJet is designed specifically for pursuit and shares features with the upcoming Lexus LC coupe. Sadly, it will only be available in a fictional world and not for another 700 years.​

​​Rubik’s-cube-sized CubeSats are nifty, cheap way to study space, but they’re limited to low orbits – until now. Los Alamos researchers have created a safe and innovative rocket motor that could allow CubeSats to zoom around space and even de-orbit themselves when they’re finished their mission.​

DARPA has announced the second phase of its ambitious XS-1 program. The agency is seeking to make access to space more regular and affordable by employing an entirely re-usable high-speed, sub-orbital automated spaceplane as the first stage of its launch vehicle.

Fancy your own personal satellite? Arizona State University​ is working towards making this a reality with its SunCube FemtoSat project. The low-cost, student-designed satellite is aimed at providing greater access to space for scientists and hobbyists alike.

DARPA has released a video outlining the agency's vision of a mobile robotic servicing system designed to rendezvous with and repair ailing telecommunications satellites.​

ESA has concluded that it's possible to build a hybrid solar-sail/electric-propulsion satellite that could hover over either of the Earth's poles by balancing the pull of the Earth and the Sun.