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NASA begins development of nuclear-powered SR-1 Freedom spacecraft

Last week, NASA announced that it has begun development of its revolutionary new Space Reactor-1 Freedom interplanetary spacecraft. Many previous missions, such as Voyager-1, Voyager-2, and Cassini, have used RTGs (Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators), which generate electricity from the natural decay of radioactive isotopes. However, RTGs are not nuclear reactors and function more as passive energy sources.

A few spacecraft—especially several launched by the Soviet Union before the 1980s—did use active nuclear reactors to generate electricity. What makes the proposed SR-1 Freedom unique is that, unlike all the examples above that use nuclear energy only to generate electricity for onboard instruments, it uses a nuclear reactor for interplanetary propulsion.

It does this by using electricity from a nuclear reactor to power ion thrusters, which provide continuous acceleration. While ion thrusters are already widely used, this would be the first time they are powered by a nuclear reactor in space.

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SpaceX launches 10,000th Starlink satellite

Last week, SpaceX launched its 10,000th Starlink satellite as part of its megaconstellation, which provides high-speed internet access around the world. It aims to have a total of 40,000 satellites in the future.

Artemis mission rocket returns to launchpad before launch

NASA’s plans to launch the Artemis-2 crewed moon mission on March 6th were delayed after a helium leak in the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket forced them to cancel the launch and recall the rocket for repairs. The rocket was again rolled back onto the launch pad last week after an issue with the valves was fixed. NASA is targeting 1st April for the launch now. The Artemis 2 mission is intended to send astronauts into an orbit around the moon and return them to Earth, but not land yet. The landing is to be part of later missions.

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NASA begins building Dragonfly Rotorcraft for Titan mission

Recently, NASA has started building its Dragonfly craft that will be used on its mission to explore Saturn’s moon, Titan. Dragonfly is a rotorcraft similar to the Ingenuity Mars helicopter, except it has eight rotors instead of one and is several times larger — about the size of a car. This design will help it easily fly over the oceans of Titan to collect data. While the small Ingenuity helicopter was merely a technology demonstration, it far exceeded expectations, paving the way for future rotorcraft missions.

Recently, ESA lost contact with one of the two satellites part of the Proba-3 mission after an anomaly caused the spacecraft to lose orientation. The mission has two spacecraft — one designed to block most of the Sun’s rays from reaching the second, creating an artificial solar eclipse for the second spacecraft. Thus mimicking a solar eclipse, enabling it to study the sun’s corona. Losing contact with any one satellite would jeopardise the entire mission. Scientists are working to solve this issue.

Scientists find the brightest, most distant megamaser ever

When two galaxies collide violently, a lot of gasses are compressed, which makes some particular molecules called Hydroxyl molecules get excited and release large amounts of microwave radiation. As these microwaves hit other hydroxyl molecules, they in turn release even more radiation. This creates a massive laser-like beam of radiation called a megamaser. Scientists working with the MeerKAT telescope have recently discovered a hydroxyl megamaser originating from a galaxy collision about 9 billion light-years from Earth. It is the farthest and most powerful megamaser observed so far.

Propulsion

Propulsion is anything that helps a rocket (or any other object) move forward. Nearly all rockets use chemical propellants, though a few specific applications use other methods. In chemical propulsion, fuel alone isn’t enough — it needs oxygen to burn, which is scarce at high altitudes. That’s why rockets carry an oxidiser to supply oxygen for combustion. Together, the fuel and oxidiser make up the propulsion system.

Chemical Propulsion

Chemical propulsion is broadly classified into three types: solid, liquid, and hybrid. Many rockets use a combination of two or more of these in different stages.

Solid Propulsion

In solid propulsion, the fuel and oxidiser are mixed with a chemical called a binder, which acts like glue and also serves as fuel. This mixture is cast into a solid cylinder called a grain, with carefully designed gaps in the centre. These gaps control how much fuel is exposed at any given time, allowing the rocket’s thrust to be preprogrammed and, in turn, influencing its motion and direction.

Solid propellants have one major downside: They cannot be controlled or shut off at all after ignition. This is why it is often used for raw power and not for tasks that require high precision or efficiency. This makes them perfect for the lower stages of a rocket (though some still use liquid propulsion) or strap-on boosters. Solid fuels are used because they are relatively simple, last for long periods of storage, are low-cost, and are less sensitive.

Liquid Propulsion

As the name suggests, in such cases, the propellants are stored as liquids in separate tanks and are fed into a combustion chamber where they burn to produce thrust. Liquid propulsion allows scientists to control thrust during the flight using the valves and pumps. They can be shut off and re-ignited as necessary. They are also much more efficient and are used for high-precision tasks in the upper stages of a rocket.

Monopropellant Engines

In such engines, there is only one liquid propellant. It releases energy when it flows out of the tank and touches another chemical called a catalyst. They are very simple and reliable, but are low in efficiency. They are usually used for satellite propulsion and not for rockets

Bipropellant Engines

Such engines have two tanks – one for the fuel and one for the oxidiser. They are both released into the combustion chamber and either ignite on touching or are ignited by the engine to produce thrust.

Tripropellant Engines

Such engines are extremely rare or experimental. They have two fuels and one oxidiser tank. It uses the more powerful fuel first and later switches to the higher efficiency one.

Liquid propellants need to enter the combustion chamber at very high pressures. This is often done using a pump or by storing the fuel in high-pressure tanks. Some of them need to be ignited on entering the chamber, so ignition systems are often needed. Some high-efficiency fuels and oxidisers like liquid hydrogen or liquid oxygen need to be stored at very low temperatures. Such engines are called cryogenic engines. All these features start to increase the complexity of such engines.

Hybrid Propulsion

In hybrid propulsion engines, the oxidiser is stored as a liquid in a tank while the fuel is a solid grain, similar to solid propulsion systems. Cutting off the oxidiser allows the engine to be shut down and provides limited thrust control. Because the fuel and oxidiser are stored separately and avoid very high-performance solid fuels, these engines are safer and less prone to violent burning. They are simpler than full liquid propulsion systems, but are less efficient and cannot produce very high thrust.

Non-Chemical Propulsion

Here we deviate slightly from what most people would call a “rocket.” So far, we’ve only looked at propellants used in launch vehicles, but spacecraft, satellites, and deep-space probes also need propulsion. This is not to stay in orbit or to just move forward on its path, but to change orbits or speeds. Most of them do not use chemical propulsion, as it is expensive and heavy. Non-chemical propulsion greatly reduces spacecraft mass, making them easier to launch.

Electric Propulsion

This kind of propulsion is heavily used by spacecraft today. Nearly all satellites, spacecraft, probes, etc. have solar panels attached to them that help them generate electricity for not just their own functions but also for propulsion.

It works by ionising a propellant gas (usually xenon) – this means the particles become charged. These charged ions are then ejected out the back using electric or magnetic fields, and this moves the craft forward. Instead of shooting hot gases out the back like chemical propellants, they shoot out ionised particles.

Some experimental engines produce plasma (a big mixture of ions, positive particles, etc) which is shot out the back, similar to the ion propulsion.

Solar Sails

On Earth, a sail uses the wind hitting it to move a boat forward. Similarly, in space, some very light experimental satellites currently use solar sails for propulsion. As light particles from the sun hit these thin sails, it pushes the craft forward. This effect is tiny, but it builds up over time. Solar sails are extremely simple and don’t rely too much on complex technology.

Nuclear Propulsion

This was extensively researched in the 1960s but eventually shut down due to political and safety concerns. It applied not only to satellites and probes but also to high-power launch vehicles. It worked by using a nuclear source to heat up liquid hydrogen and make it expand. This gas was then pushed out through nozzles at high speed to propel the craft/rocket. Today this idea is being revisited for future Mars missions.

There are many more theoretical and experimental methods to propel rockets and spacecraft that are being researched today. Some sound like they are straight from sci-fi, like space-tethers or beamed energy propulsion, each of which would have to be given its own article. Considering that humans launched the first satellite only 70 years ago, who knows what the space industry will look like in another few decades?

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PSLV rocket fails during launch

Last week, 16 satellites were lost after ISRO’s PSLV rocket failed during launch. The mission named PSLV-C62 failed because of an anomaly in the third stage, where the rocket went off its path. This is the second consecutive failure of the PSLV rocket, with a launch in May 2025, suffering from similar issues. To know more about rocket staging, click here.

Artemis-2 rocket arrives at launchpad

On Saturday, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket was rolled out to the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Centre in preparation for Artemis Mission 2. This time, the rocket will carry four astronauts on board as they make the first crewed flight around the moon in more than five decades. The goal of this mission will be to verify human capabilities in deep space and pave the way for a future landing on the moon. The mission is expected to launch on February 6th.

Four astronauts return to Earth after medical evacuation

Last week, four astronauts from Crew-11 onboard the ISS were successfully returned to Earth after one of them fell sick with an undisclosed illness. This marks the first-ever medical evacuation from the ISS. Crew-11 includes two NASA astronauts, one from JAXA, and one from ROSCOSMOS. This marks the first time NASA has conducted a space medical evacuation, meaning that, unlike previous, less severe incidents, the agency has stated that the primary reason for the return is a crew member’s medical condition.

NASA to cancel Mars Sample Return mission

Recently, NASA announced that its Mars Sample Return mission will be cancelled due to budget constraints. While the entire concept of returning samples from Mars has not been pushed out, the mission, as it was planned, will no longer continue. NASA may be open to revisiting the idea and redesigning the mission in the future. This means that all the samples the Perseverance rover has been collecting will not be returned to Earth anytime soon. This has left a lot of scientists disappointed.

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NASA prepares first-ever medical evacuation from the ISS

NASA has announced plans to evacuate an astronaut from the International Space Station after a crew member fell seriously ill with an undisclosed condition. The astronaut’s name has not been released. The agency will return all four members of Crew-11 on Wednesday, January 14, cutting their mission short by about a month. Crew-11 includes two NASA astronauts, one from JAXA, and one from ROSCOSMOS. This marks the first time NASA has conducted a space medical evacuation, meaning that, unlike previous, less severe incidents, the agency has stated that the primary reason for the return is a crew member’s medical condition.

Aditya-L1 makes breakthroughs in studying solar storms

ISRO’s solar observation spacecraft Aditya-L1 recently studied a highly powerful solar storm that occurred in October 2025 and made several breakthrough discoveries in how solar storms affect the Earth’s magnetic field. Solar storms are massive clouds of charged particles ejected by the sun. It has two parts – the main core, a big dense cloud of particles and the turbulent sheath, the chaotic front. Until now, the main core was believed to cause the most damage to the Earth’s magnetic field, but ISRO’s study helped conclude that the turbulent sheath is actually more damaging. It also helped link solar storms to long-term atmospheric loss, rather than just short-term disturbances.

Scientists find fastest spinning large asteroid

Recently, scientists discovered an asteroid named “2025 MN45” about 700 metres in length, found to be spinning so fast that it completes one rotation every 5 minutes. This makes it the fastest asteroid among those larger than 300 metres, classified as ‘Large Asteroids’.

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NASA yet to make contact with MAVEN probe

Since December 4 last year, NASA has been attempting to reestablish communication with its Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) probe, which is orbiting Mars after it lost signal from the craft. Even after a month, scientists have been unable to resolve the issue, leading some to believe that the probe might be dead.

In January, ISRO successfully docked (connected) the two spacecraft: ‘Chaser’ and ‘Target’, part of the SpaDeX experiment in space. This puts India along with Russia, China and the USA as the only countries to achieve space docking before; a capability essential for building space stations and lunar sample return missions, both of which ISRO intends to do in the future. After putting SpaDeX in orbit, the fourth stage of the rocket was converted into an orbiting laboratory called POEM-4. Onboard this lab, ISRO also operated its first-ever robotic arm in space.

China launches its first asteroid sample return mission

This May, China launched its first asteroid sample return mission - Tianwen-2. The mission is headed to the asteroid ‘469219 Kamoʻoalewa’, which actually orbits the Sun but appears to orbit the Earth because it is very close to it. The mission aims to collect 100 g of samples and return by November 2027.

Private Moon landings: one success, three familiar failures

The last year saw multiple private companies attempt lunar landing missions. Intuitive Machines sent two landers – the IM-1 (Odyseus) and the IM-2 (Athena), both of which landed sideways on the moon, causing some inconveniences. Japanese company ispace’s lander (Resilience) unfortunately crashed onto the lunar surface, marking the company’s second failed moon landing. However, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander, launched along with Resilience, landed successfully.

Shubhanshu Shukla becomes first Indian on board ISS

In June, Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian to enter the ISS during the Axiom-4 mission, and only the second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma. The mission prepares him for India’s Gaganyaan launch in 2027.

Scientists capture two black holes orbiting each other for the first time

In October, scientists managed to successfully capture the first-ever radio image of two black holes orbiting each other. This phenomenon had long been theorised, but until then had never been imaged. This was because the black holes’ gravity bends light around them, making it tricky to capture. The two black holes, located in a system named OJ287, were observed using multiple radio telescopes located on Earth and even one in space. While you cannot take an image of the black holes themselves as they trap all light, you can see the disk of glowing gas called an accretion disk around them.

What does it take to reach orbit?

A common way to explain this concept is through Newton’s Cannonball, a thought experiment proposed by Isaac Newton. He imagined firing a cannonball horizontally from a very tall mountain. A slow shot would land nearby, while a faster one would land farther away. If the cannonball were fired fast enough, it would keep falling around the Earth indefinitely, because the Earth is curved and the ground drops away beneath it as it moves forward.

The same idea applies to a rocket. Here we encounter another common misconception that rockets go straight up into space to launch a satellite. If this were the case, it would fall back down the second the engines shut off. This is why rockets mostly go sideways like Newton’s cannonball. Calculations have estimated the required speed (orbital velocity) to be about 7.8 km/s or 28,000 km/ hr to reach Low Earth Orbit. Any rocket that cannot achieve such speeds will not make it to orbit.

To escape Earth’s gravity entirely for missions to other planets or moons, an object needs to go at even higher speeds of 11.2 km/s (escape velocity). Many rockets cannot achieve escape velocity, but can achieve orbital velocity, so they instead initially put their payloads in low orbits and gradually increase the size of the orbit until it escapes completely. This is what missions like Chandrayaan-3 did.

Single Stage (Sounding Rockets)

Sounding Rockets are simple and inexpensive rockets designed to carry science instruments to high altitudes to study the upper atmosphere, space weather and so on. They have a very short flight time – usually just a few minutes, after which they drop back down to the Earth. No single-stage rocket today is capable of putting a satellite in orbit, as they cannot achieve orbital velocity. They can reach areas where weather balloons can’t, while being cheaper than satellites.

Double-Stage Rockets

These are the most common types of rockets used today. They are much more efficient and necessary for putting a payload into orbit.

First Stage:

This stage contains the core rocket engines, a large fuel tank and in some cases additional strap-on boosters. They provide thrust during liftoff and get the rocket through most of the thick atmosphere. Since this requires a massive amount of thrust, the first stage is the most powerful stage of any rocket. The strap-on boosters are optional and quickly detach after providing the initial thrust. However, they are still considered part of the first stage and not as a separate stage.

Second Stage:

This stage is crucial to getting the payload into orbit. While the first stage is optimised for raw power, the second stage is optimised for efficiency and precision since it operates in a near vacuum without much air resistance. It performs precise, controlled burns, shutting down and restarting its engines as required to reach orbit. A small misfire can completely change the payload’s orbit.

Triple-stage rockets

A two-stage rocket can get you into low Earth orbit, but for satellites in Geostationary Orbit (above 35,785 km from Earth) or interplanetary missions, you sometimes need more powerful three-stage rockets.

First stage:

Has the same function in any rocket.

Second stage:

Gets the payload into a temporary orbit or a parking orbit and provides most of the orbital velocity. It has medium thrust, high efficiency and good precision.

Third stage:

This stage has low thrust as most of it was provided by the second stage. It has a very high efficiency as it operates in an almost complete vacuum. It also needs extreme precision to inject the payload into a ‘transfer orbit’ from where the payload will make its way to the final orbit using its own propulsion.

Four or more stage rockets

Rockets with four or more stages are very niche today, but were more commonly used historically when engines were much less efficient and heavy. They would be used to launch payloads into high-energy orbits. The main goal of the extra stages was to provide additional acceleration. Most of these stages were small and fired only for a short period of time, called ‘kick stages’. Such four-stage rockets also have their own issues, like higher chances of failure. They can also only be used to launch small payloads, as a higher mass makes it harder for the kick stages to speed up the craft much. Today, rocket engines have gotten more efficient, and much lighter materials are used to build them, thus largely eliminating the need for more than three stages. No modern heavy-lift launch vehicles use four or more stages, while a few small-to-medium lift rockets, such as PSLV, still do.

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ESCAPADE mission launched to study Mars

Last week, NASA’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) spacecraft was launched on its path to Mars by a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket. The mission consists of two spacecraft that will orbit the red planet and study the effect of solar eruptions on Mars’ surface. It will also provide valuable data for future missions.

Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module re-enters moon’s influence

The main function of Chandrayaan-3’s propulsion module was to carry the lander to lunar orbit. After completing its main objective, it still had fuel left, so the SHAPE payload was activated and the module was moved to Earth orbit to observe the Earth. Even though the module orbits Earth, its orbit is so large that it crosses the Moon’s path. Recently, it got close enough to enter the Moon’s gravitational influence again as planned. This kind of event is very rare.

CME detected on another star for the first time

Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are large bursts of magnetised plasma from a star. While it is fairly common and well detected from our Sun, it had never been detected on another star until recently. Scientists analysing data from a European network of telescopes called LOFAR, found a CME had been detected from a red dwarf star called StKM 1-1262 in 2016. While there have been signs of CMEs on other stars, this is the first one to be definitively detected.

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3I/ATLAS loses its tail, further baffling scientists

Comet 3I/ATLAS is only the third interstellar object (i.e. an object from outside our solar system) to enter our neighbourhood. It has been of interest lately due to its unusual behaviour. Last week, as the comet approached the sun, it displayed a significant increase in brightness than what was explainable. In recent images, the comet seems to have lost its tail, baffling scientists who predicted a significant increase in outgassing (the process that creates the tail). Some have even pointed out that the comet might be an alien spacecraft.

Chinese astronauts’ return capsule damaged

The return of three Chinese astronauts, part of the Shenzhou-20 crew on the space station Tiangong, has been delayed indefinitely as their return capsule was damaged by space debris hours before departure. Scientists are still analysing the extent of the damage. If the spacecraft is confirmed to be unsafe, it will be ejected and returned to Earth unmanned. In such a case, the astronauts will have to return using the next crew’s module.

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ISRO launches its heaviest satellite

Very recently, ISRO successfully launched its CMS-03 communications satellite, thereby making it the heaviest satellite ever launched from Indian soil. The satellite was put into a GTO (Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit) and will eventually move into geostationary orbit about 36,000 km above the Earth. It is important to keep in mind that the CMS-03, weighing 4,410kg, is not the heaviest satellite ever built by ISRO. That record would go to GSAT-11, which, however, was launched by Arianespace, not ISRO.

Interstellar comet 31/ATLAS’ behaviour stumps scientists

Comet 31/ATLAS has been of interest to scientists and the media recently. It is only the third interstellar object (ie, an object from outside our solar system) to enter our neighbourhood. What made it even more intriguing was its recent behaviour as it approached the sun. The comet seemed to significantly increase in brightness - a phenomenon usually caused by ice subliming into gas due to the Sun’s heat. However, in this case, it seemed to increase in brightness far more rapidly than expected. Scientists are currently unable to explain this. Interestingly enough, an earlier interstellar object, 1I/‘Oumuamua, also remains a mystery because of its strange shape, motion, and lack of a comet tail.

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JAXA launches HTV-X spacecraft to ISS for the first time

Last week, Japan successfully launched its new cargo spacecraft, the HTV-X, to the ISS. The HTV-X is the successor to the HTV spacecraft previously used by JAXA. It now features numerous upgrades, including a smaller size with the same capacity, and can operate independently in space for over a year after separating from the ISS.

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ISRO studies effect of CMEs on moon’s exosphere for the first time

Last week, ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2 lunar orbiter studied the exosphere of the moon (its thin atmosphere) and identified how it is affected by the sun. The spacecraft found that Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) —large bursts of magnetised plasma from the Sun—can dislodge particles from the Moon’s surface, adding them to its atmosphere. This is the first time the effect of CMEs on the lunar exosphere is being studied.

SpaceX launches its 10,000th Starlink satellite

Last week, SpaceX successfully launched its 10,000th Starlink internet constellation satellite. It was launched on its Falcon-9 rocket carrying 28 such satellites.

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Scientists capture two black holes orbiting each other for the first time

Last week, scientists managed to successfully capture the first-ever radio image of two black holes orbiting each other. This phenomenon has long been theorised, but until now had never been imaged. This was because the black holes’ gravity bends light around them, making it tricky to capture. The two blackholes, located in a system named OJ287, was observed using multiple radio telescopes located on earth and even one in space. While you cannot take an image of the blackholes themselves as they trap all light, you can see the disk of glowing gas called an accretion disk around them.

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Firefly booster explodes during test

Recently, during a ground test by Firefly Aerospace of its small Alpha rocket’s booster, the booster exploded on the site. This was a test for the company’s upcoming Flight 7. No one was hurt in the incident. Firefly’s Alpha rocket is still under development.

ESA’s Gaia discovers wave-like motion in the Milky Way

Last week, ESA’s Gaia space telescope discovered that stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way, have been moving together in a wave-like motion. These large ‘ripples’ behave similarly to water in a pond and cause stars to shift up and down in different parts of the galaxy. While the stars themselves stay in their regular orbits, the wave-movement propagates through the galaxy. There may be multiple reasons for this, including past collisions with other galaxies.

Perseverance rover detects promising hint of past life on Mars

Last week, NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars detected vivianite and greigite, two substances commonly formed due to certain redox reactions on Earth. Such reactions are vital for all life processes, like photosynthesis and respiration, and are also found in microbes in deep-sea vents. This does not confirm whether life did exist on Mars, but it is an important clue.

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Scientists find one of the fastest growing black holes ever

Recently Scientists analysing data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory observed that a quasar named RACS J0320-35 was emitting an extremely large amount of X-rays; more than any other black-hole formed during its time. A quasar is the entire system of a black hole and the gas surrounding it. This shows that the black hole, located 12.8 billion light years from Earth is one of the fastest growing black holes ever discovered, consuming upto the mass of 3,000 suns a year.

Bion-M No. 2 returns to Earth with live mice, flies and more

Last week, Russia’s Bion-M No. 2 biosatellite carrying 75 mice, about 1,500 fruit flies, plant seeds and other organisms landed back on Earth after spending 30 days in orbit. The mission aimed to study the effects of microgravity on animals, the radiation safety of new spacecraft etc to develop better life support systems for human spaceflight. The spacecraft’s hull also contained embedded microbes to test if they could survive the heat of reentry. This was done to gain insight on weather life may have been introduced to Earth from outer space.

NASA’s IMAP launched to study space weather

Space weather consists of phenomena like Solar Flares (sudden bursts), Solar Wind (a stream of charged particles), CMEs (Large ejections of plasma) etc all originating from the sun. Such events can cause severe damage to infrastructure on Earth and satellites in orbit. This is why studying them and predicting them is important. Last week, NASA’s 2 IMAP space probes were successfully launched into space and on their way to the Lagrange Point 1 (similar to Aditya-L1) to study and predict such sace weather phenomena.

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NISAR satellite launched

Recently, ISRO’s GSLV Mk II rocket successfully put the NISAR satellite in orbit 745 kilometres above the Earth. NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar, as the name suggests, is an extremely advanced weather satellite built by the Indian and American space agencies. It is a cutting-edge satellite that uses 2 frequencies of radar at the same time for seeing through clouds and vegetation with very high precision.

Agnikul develops world’s largest single-piece rocket engine

Recently, Indian space startup Agnikul Cosmos announced that it had successfully built the world's largest 3D-printed, single-piece rocket engine. The engine is more than a meter long and is built from Inconel, an extremely strong alloy. This is a huge development as 3D printing will significantly lower the cost for rocket manufacturing, and a single-piece design ensures a lower chance of failure.

Scientists find largest reliably measured blackhole

Last week, scientists spotted a new black-hole 5 billion light-years from Earth in the Cosmic Horseshoe system. They measured the mass of this blackhole to be 36 billion times that of our sun by measuring how the blackhole bends light around it. This technique is called gravitational lensing and is a highly accurate method of finding a body’s mass. This makes the blackhole the largest reliably measured blackhole discovered. The title for the largest blackhole still goes to Ton 618, which has 66 billion times the mass of our sun, but it has been measured using indirect methods.

What are Inflatable Habitats?

Inflatable Habitats, as the name suggests, are space habitats that can be launched into space in a compressed state and inflated and used by astronauts. They are made from extremely strong and flexible materials to survive space debris and the other harsh conditions of space. They occupy significantly less space during launch and offer much more volume than regular habitats. One of the earliest and most ambitious attempts was TransHab.

TransHab

In the 1990s, NASA’s Johnson Space Centre developed TransHab, an inflatable crew habitat for the International Space Station. It functioned like a balloon. It could be inflated and used in space, so it wouldn’t take up space on the rocket and could easily withstand the stress of the launch. The Transhab module provided 3 times as much space inside as rigid modules.

Structure

Outer layer:

• Insulates the habitat from extreme temperatures of space.

• Protects it from highly reactive atomic oxygen (single atoms of O) found in low earth orbit.

• Made of Layers of refelctive material to reflect sunlight.

Impact Shield:

• Protects habitat from micrometeoroids and small space debris.

• Slows down and breaks debris apart before it can reach the inner layer

• Made of strong fabrics with foam between them and Kevlar backing.

*Kevlar is frequently found in bullet-proof vests.

Structural layer:

• Maintains the shape of the habitat.

• Made of straps of Kevlar or Vectran.

Inner layer:

• Holds inner air and maintains pressure.

• Made of fireproof fabric + multiple bladders.

Project death

TransHab showed promising results during impact testing to make sure it was safe in the event of debris strikes. However, in the year 2000, the project was terminated due to high cost, complexity, and integration challenges.

Revival?

Today, these inflatable habitats could make a comeback as we have developed stronger, lighter, and more flexible materials like Vectran and Nextel. Robotic assembly and deployment, and 3D-printed complex structures could also help bring this to reality.

BEAM

BEAM, short for Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, was a direct descendant of the TransHab. It was developed by Bigelow Aerospace and launched to the International Space Station in 2016, making it the first ever inflatable habitat to be attached to a crewed spacecraft. Though its initial life was only supposed to be 2 years, it is still functioning as a storage module today. BEAM was an excellent proof of concept for inflatable habitats and showed that it is a viable option for space missions.

LIFE

The Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE) is an inflatable habitat currently being developed by a company called Sierra Space. It aims to be used in Blue Origin’s Orbital Reef space station, which is planned for the future.

Others

Many space agencies and private companies are working on building inflatable habitats today. These include Lockheed Martin, Sierra Space. and more. Even NASA has proposed inflatable habitats for its Artemis program.

In the 1990s, TransHab was an ambitious project, perhaps a bit ahead of its time. Nearly 25 years after it was abandoned, technology has advanced rapidly, and proof of concepts like BEAM have performed exceedingly well. There is no doubt that we will see more of these habitats soon. Maybe even sooner than you think.