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Space Exploration

DARPA asks industrial trio to develop nuclear propulsion

Paris, 13 April 2021. – The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded General Atomics, Blue Origin, and Lockheed Martin as prime contractors to demonstrate a nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) system in 2025. The agency selected the industry team to design, develop and demonstrate a nuclear thermal propulsion system in space, above low Earth orbit, DARPA said.

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#SpaceWatchGL Column: Dongfang Hour Episode 8 – Chinese Space from a US Perspective

by Blaine Curcio and Jean Deville As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and Orbital Gateway Consulting we have been granted permission to publish selected articles and texts. We are pleased to present “DFH Episode 8 – Chinese Space from a US Perspective (feat. Ian Christensen & Rob Ronci)", originally published 12 April 2021 here.

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NASA postpones Ingenuity’s maiden flight on Mars

Not yet: NASA rescheduled Mars helicopter Ingenuity’s maiden flight to “no earlier than April 14”, the agency said. Based on data from the Ingenuity Mars helicopter that arrived late Friday night from a high-speed spin test of the rotors, NASA has chosen to reschedule the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter’s first experimental flight, NASA said.

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Biden supports NASA with $24.7 billion 2022 budget proposal

The U.S. Government’s budget for fiscal year 2022 requests $24.7 billion for NASA, a 6.3 per cent increase compared to this year’s spending bill, the White House said. The President’s “discretionary request” includes $6.9 billion for NASA’s human exploration of Moon, Mars and beyond, an unspecified amount for its robotic exploration of the solar system

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Emirates name first female Arab astronaut

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) named its first female astronaut, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said. “Today we announce two new Emirati astronauts, among them the first female Arab astronaut. We congratulate them and count on them to raise the name of the UAE ever higher in space.”

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