A Satellite Crashes Home a Bit Too Soon
The re-entry of NASA’s Van Allen Probe A (formerly known as the Radiation Belt Storm Probe A) on March 10, 2026, marks the conclusion of a 14-year journey that transitioned […]
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The Dumb Pipe Is Dead: Why Physics Is Forcing AI Into Orbit
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. The concept of the satellite as a simple relay, serving as little more than a shiny mirror reflecting data to control rooms in Houston or Darmstadt, is extinct. At the Computer History Museum, the panel on Autonomy and AI in Space Operations delivered a eulogy for the dumb pipe era and a baptism for the intelligent edge. The consensus among the engineers and operators on stage was absolute. We aren't automating space operations because it is trendy; we are doing it because the physics of the new orbital environment leaves us no choice.
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The End of the Passive Satellite
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. For years, the SmallSat Symposium acted as a showcase for cheaper data relays and internet-from-the-sky optimism. But inside the Grand Hall today, the mask slipped during the session on Building the Physical Layer of Autonomy. The industry isn't just building smarter cameras but constructing the nervous system for orbital combat.
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Astrobotic Gains a NASA SBIR Phase II Award for Spacecraft Nav System
NASA has selected Astrobotic for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II award to continue the firm’s development of UltraNav, a low-cost, autonomous, visual navigation system for spacecraft. The […]
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Astrobotic Gains a NASA SBIR Phase II Award for Spacecraft Nav System
The system has wide-ranging applications, from the servicing of Earth satellites...
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Orbit Logic Contracted by NASA to Tackle Autonomous Planning of Martian Swarms
Orbit Logic’s existing Autonomous Planning System (APS) is the foundation...
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Orbit Logic Contracted by NASA to Tackle Autonomous Planning of Martian Swarms
Orbit Logic has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) contract sponsored by NASA to develop the Mars/Interplanetary Swarm Design and Evaluation Framework (MISDEF) System – an […]
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No Cost Relief from Kubos for Satellite Operators Affected by COVID-19
What is Major Tom? This product is a flight software framework for satellites and is an open-source, integrated platform...
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A First for Rocket Lab with their Recent Running Out Of Fingers Mission
AFTS is a GPS-aided, computer-controlled system designed to terminate an off-nominal flight, replacing traditional human-in-the-loop monitoring...
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Scientists Developing Robotic Networks to Make Smart Satellites
The team uses artificial intelligence termed genetic fuzzy logic, and they were able to get the three robots, later five, to move the token to the desired spot.
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