Beginning in 2020, Hypergiant Galactic Systems and the nonprofit Arch Mission plan to deploy the first in a series of small satellites intended to serve as relay points in an eventual interplanetary internet, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: With humans looking to return to the Moon and push into deep space, there is increased demand for building up a telecommunications infrastructure in our solar system, similar to what exists on Earth. An interplanetary internet, which is an idea that NASA has researched and is based on open data protocols, could solve major communications and data transfer challenges that future explorers will face.
U.S. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson will resign as she eyes a return to academia, according to a Reuters report. A Pentagon spokesperson told the WSJ: "I think this is true."
Between the lines: Although Wilson said in 2017 she was opposed to the creation of a "Space Corps," which was a service proposed to oversee military operations in space, she currently is leading the creation of Space Force.She was not asked to resign by anyone in the Trump administration, per Reuters, and plans to step down at the end of May. The University of Texas Board of Regents is reportedly in the process of considering whether she will be the next president of University of Texas at El Paso.
After a nearly week-long mission, the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule returned to Earth Thursday morning, splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of Florida.
The big picture: This "Demo-1 mission" for SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule marked the first time that a commercially built and operated spacecraft designed to carry a human crew has docked at the International Space Station from U.S. soil. The test mission completed numerous milestones, each of which NASA and SpaceX will be reviewing before going forward with a crewed test flight this spring.
You may have heard the deep, sudden "boom" generated when an aircraft breaks the sound barrier. But most of us have never seen what it looks like from a fluid dynamics perspective — turns out, it's gorgeous.
Why it matters: NASA is in the process of developing and extensively testing a quiet supersonic aircraft that, if successful, could usher in a new era of domestic air travel.
The federal security clearance for embattled SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is under review by the Pentagon following his public marijuana consumption during in interview last September on comedian Joe Rogan's podcast, reports Bloomberg, citing a U.S. official.
Details: Musk has a security clearance due to his role as founder and CEO of Space Exploration Technologies Corp, or SpaceX, which is certified to send military spy satellites to space. The clearance form requires a federal employee or contractor to admit any use of illegal drugs over the previous seven years, the official told Bloomberg.
