In his new role, his leadership will be critical in fostering an environment of scientific innovation and excellence, ensuring that JPL remains at the forefront of discovery. Distinguished planetary scientist and astrophysicist Jonathan I. Lunine has been appointed chief scientist of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He will officially assume his role Aug. 16. As...
When the Orion spacecraft carries the first Artemis crews to the Moon and back, it will rely on the European Service Module contributed by ESA (European Space Agency) to make the journey. The service module provides electrical power generation, propulsion, temperature control, and consumable storage for Orion, up to the moment it separates from the crew module prior...
Planetary science missions using small spacecraft will be required to perform challenging propulsive maneuvers—such as achieving planetary escape velocities, orbit capture, and more—that require a velocity change (delta-v) capability well in excess of typical commercial needs and the current state-of-the-art. Therefore, the #1 enabling technology for these small...