One of the challenges standing between SpaceX and the debut of the Falcon 9 V1.1 is completing testing of the enormous payload fairing which will protect commercial spacecraft on rides to orbit aboard the new booster. The 5.2 meter diameter fairing with a 13.9 meter usable length which will be among the largest in the world, is built by SpaceX and is […]
NASA Glenn recently announced that it has passed the 43,000 hour mark of continuous operation of its NEXT (NASA Evolutionary Xenon Thruster) ion thruster. Although coverage focused on the long running duration, the more relevent statistic is that NEXT represents a significant advancement over the first generation NSTAR ion thruster which powered Deep Space 1, and is currently accelerating the DAWN mission towards an […]
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