Small Spacecraft Technology Program

NASA Starling and SpaceX Starlink Improve Space Traffic Coordination – NASA

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NASA Starling and SpaceX Starlink Improve Space Traffic Coordination – NASA

As missions to low Earth orbit become more frequent, space traffic coordination remains a key element to efficiently operating in space. Different satellite operators using autonomous systems need to operate together and manage increasing workloads. NASA’s Starling spacecraft swarm recently tested a coordination with SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, demonstrating a potential solution to enhance space traffic … Read more

NASA Installs Heat Shield on First Private Spacecraft Bound for Venus – NASA

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NASA Installs Heat Shield on First Private Spacecraft Bound for Venus – NASA

Engineers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, Bohdan Wesely, right, and Eli Hiss, left, complete a fit check of the two halves of a space capsule that will study the clouds of Venus for signs of life. Led by Rocket Lab of Long Beach, California, and their partners at the Massachusetts Institute … Read more

NASA Invites Media to Learn about Spacecraft Autonomous Tech Firsts – NASA

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NASA Invites Media to Learn about Spacecraft Autonomous Tech Firsts – NASA

NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley invites media to learn more about Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy (DSA), a technology that allows individual spacecraft to make independent decisions while collaborating with each other to achieve common goals – without human input. The DSA team achieved multiple firsts during tests of such swarm technology as part of … Read more

NASA Demonstrates Software ‘Brains’ Shared Across Satellite Swarms   – NASA

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NASA Demonstrates Software ‘Brains’ Shared Across Satellite Swarms   – NASA

Talk amongst yourselves, get on the same page, and work together to get the job done! This “pep talk” roughly describes how new NASA technology works within satellite swarms. This technology, called Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy (DSA), allows individual spacecraft to make independent decisions while collaborating with each other to achieve common goals – all without … Read more

Sail Along with NASA’s Solar Sail Tech Demo in Real-Time Simulation – NASA Science

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Sail Along with NASA’s Solar Sail Tech Demo in Real-Time Simulation – NASA Science

The Advanced Composite Solar Sail System, which launched in April 2024, and deployed its reflective sail in August, is currently orbiting approximately 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) above Earth and is frequently visible in the night sky to observers in the Northern Hemisphere. Fans of the spacecraft can look for the sail in the night sky using … Read more

Getting SSPICY: NASA Funds Orbital Debris Inspection Mission – NASA

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Getting SSPICY: NASA Funds Orbital Debris Inspection Mission – NASA

NASA is advancing an innovative approach to enabling commercial inspection of defunct, or inoperable, satellites in low Earth orbit, a precursor to capturing and repairing or removing the satellites. The agency has awarded Starfish Space of Seattle, Washington, a Phase III Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to complete the Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection … Read more

Like a Diamond in the Sky: How to Spot NASA’s Solar Sail Demo in Orbit – NASA

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Like a Diamond in the Sky: How to Spot NASA’s Solar Sail Demo in Orbit – NASA

Now that its reflective sail has deployed fully open in orbit, the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System can be seen in the night sky from many locations across the world! Stargazers can join NASA’s #SpotTheSail campaign by using the NASA app on mobile platforms to find out when the spacecraft will be visible at their location. The app, … Read more

Swarming for Success: Starling Completes Primary Mission – NASA

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Swarming for Success: Starling Completes Primary Mission – NASA

After ten months in orbit, the Starling spacecraft swarm successfully demonstrated its primary mission’s key objectives, representing significant achievements in the capability of swarm configurations.  Swarms of satellites may one day be used in deep space exploration. An autonomous network of spacecraft could self-navigate, manage scientific experiments, and execute maneuvers to respond to environmental changes … Read more

NASA to Hoist Its Sail: Solar Sail Mission Gets Ready for Launch – NASA

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NASA to Hoist Its Sail: Solar Sail Mission Gets Ready for Launch – NASA

A NASA mission testing a new way of navigating our solar system is ready to hoist its sail into space – not to catch the wind, but the propulsive power of sunlight. The Advanced Composite Solar Sail System is targeting launch on Tuesday, April 23 (Wednesday, April 24 in New Zealand) aboard a Rocket Lab Electron … Read more

NASA Next-Generation Solar Sail Boom Technology Ready for Launch – NASA

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NASA Next-Generation Solar Sail Boom Technology Ready for Launch – NASA

Sailing through space might sound like something out of science fiction, but the concept is no longer limited to books or the big screen. In April, a next-generation solar sail technology – known as the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System – will launch aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from the company’s Launch Complex 1 in … Read more