Artificial satellites as a research area encompasses the scientific and engineering study of human-made objects intentionally placed into Earth or other celestial orbits for observation, communication, navigation, and experimentation. Research focuses on orbital dynamics and mission design, attitude determination and control, space environment interactions (radiation, plasma, micrometeoroids), and advanced materials and power systems for long-duration operation. It also includes development of miniaturized platforms (e.g., CubeSats), payload instrumentation for remote sensing and scientific measurements, formation flying and constellations, on-orbit servicing, autonomy and fault management, and the impacts of satellite proliferation on space traffic management and orbital debris mitigation.
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has developed technology to stiffen deployable structures on spacecraft, enabling autonomous spacecraft docking operations. SwRI is currently integrating the Parallelogram Synchronized ...
Space Exploration
Oct 7, 2025
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For many college students, satellites are faint dots crossing the sky on clear nights. These objects are background details from science fiction to reality, like GPS, satellite radio, and WiFi.
Space Exploration
Oct 4, 2025
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Beyond the race for scientific, commercial and military purposes, there is another space race of a more curious sort. A race to be the first to send various objects up there. But why?
Space Exploration
Oct 2, 2025
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The four astronauts set to climb aboard the first Orion spacecraft to fly humans have already given it a name.
Space Exploration
Sep 29, 2025
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For 24 hours a day, seven days a week since November 2000, NASA and its international partners have sustained a continuous human presence in low-Earth orbit, including at least one American—a streak that will soon reach 25 ...
Space Exploration
Sep 24, 2025
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Soon people will be able to use satellite technology and artificial intelligence to track dangerous soot pollution in their neighborhoods—and where it comes from—in a way not so different from monitoring approaching storms ...
Environment
Sep 24, 2025
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A cluster of space weather satellites blasted off Wednesday morning to cast fresh eyes on solar storms that can produce stunning auroras but also scramble communications and threaten astronauts in flight.
Space Exploration
Sep 24, 2025
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On May 21, 2010, the Akatsuki orbiter ("Dawn" in Japanese) launched from the Tanegashima Space Center atop a H-IIA Launch Vehicle, establishing orbit around Venus in December 2015. In so doing, Akatsuki became the first interplanetary ...
Space Exploration
Sep 22, 2025
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When the ESA launched the Gaia spacecraft in 2013, it didn't generate the same fanfare as the launch of other missions like the JWST, or first light from telescopes like the Vera Rubin Observatory. That's largely because ...
Astronomy
Sep 20, 2025
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Did you know nearly 17,500 satellites have been launched since 1957? Or what about the fact that more than 10% of those launches weren't registered internationally?
Space Exploration
Sep 8, 2025
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