Featured

What is SIA and its Relevance to the Space Economy?

The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) is a trade association that represents the interests of companies in the satellite industry, including manufacturers, service providers, and other key stakeholders. Founded in 1995, the Satellite Industry Association serves as a collective voice for the industry, advocating for regulatory and policy initiatives that support the growth and innovation in the satellite sector.

Featured

Paper: Humans to Mars Will Cost About “Half a Trillion Dollars” (NASA 2016)

The paper was presented at the 46th International Conference on Environmental Systems and discusses the estimated costs of a human mission to Mars. According to the document, the cost of the first human mission to Mars could be around “half a trillion dollars”. This estimate is consistent with most past estimates. Using mass-cost estimating factors based on the International Space Station (ISS) and other experiences, the cost of life support for the Mars mission could be two billion dollars or more. The cost to go to Mars is expected to be two or three times that of either Apollo, space shuttle, or ISS and could be as much as all three together.

Featured

SpaceX Starship: Space Fuel Depot Application

The SpaceX Starship is planned to serve as a space refueling depot, a concept that this article explores in detail.

Featured

Paper: NASA’s Initial Artemis Human Landing System (NASA 2022)

In the spring of 2021, NASA awarded a single follow-on Option A contract to SpaceX to continue their work on HLS Starship development. Currently, NASA and SpaceX are working collaboratively on Option A, which will ultimately culminate in one uncrewed and one crewed mission to the lunar surface under Artemis III. The paper provides an overview of the Option A phase of development for the HLS program, including publicly available information on SpaceX’s HLS Starship design, as well as near-term and future milestones for HLS and the Artemis program.

N2YO: Track Satellites and Space Stations in Real-Time

N2YO.COM is a website that allows users to track satellites and space stations in real-time. It provides interactive maps and models that show the current location of satellites orbiting Earth. This article identifies key details about the N2YO website.