Space Science Missions

This is an impressive use case and a detailed case study -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and ISRO - Indian Space Research Organization are building an AWS-powered system that will download 4.4 TB of satellite data and produce 70 TB of satellite data products on a daily basis, using a combination of Spot and On-Demand Amazon EC2 instances for processing, Amazon S3 for long-term storage, and a host of other #AWS services for coordination, messaging, notification, and more. As part of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite mission, images of nearly all of Earth's land and ice surfaces will be captured every 6-12 days. The processed data will be archived in and then distributed through NASA's Earthdata Cloud data lake, also built on AWS, in support of NASA's open science policy. Read the entire case study at https://lnkd.in/gQUhg6je to learn a lot more!

This is a fully AI-designed rocket engine completing a real hot-fire test. The 20 kN MethaLOX aerospike thruster, generated entirely by LEAP 71’s Noyron Large Computational Engineering Model, achieved 50 bar chamber pressure and ~4,500 lbf of thrust—without human-led design iterations. What makes this a milestone is not just performance, but process: design → optimization → geometry → hardware, executed directly by AI. No manual CAD loops. No traditional propulsion design cycles. This signals a structural shift in propulsion development. When engines are AI-native, iteration speed, cost curves, and design freedom fundamentally change—especially for launch systems, in-space propulsion, and dual-use applications. The real disruption isn’t the engine. It’s the end of human-bottlenecked propulsion design.

NASA just trained a 3 billion parameter model on 100 million MODIS satellite images. Google released foundation models that reason across geospatial datasets. Yet most institutional investors still use Excel to assess physical climate risk. I met with a CRO of a $200B AUM fund last week. They were proud of their "advanced" climate risk system. It was a spreadsheet with color-coded cells. This gap between new technology and status quo is where revenue opportunity lives. Today's geospatial foundation models don't just find patterns. They understand causality across space and time. SatVision-TOA can predict the shape of objects in cloud-obscured images with 93% accuracy while spotting features for deeper analysis. Let's explore what this means for institutional investors: 1. Risk assessment is becoming multi-dimensional - models understand how risks compound across variables - demographic shifts, infrastructure resilience, economic activity, and climate patterns. 2. The speed of insight has accelerated exponentially - What used to take months of analysis can now be generated in minutes. 3. Power is now the only constraint, and space infra investment is now viable - Space solar power, orbital data centers, in-orbit manufacturing: geospatial AI can model the terrestrial economic impacts of these technologies years before deployment. (I've watched portfolio managers' eyes widen when we discussed how we can project the value of space-based solar transmission to specific grid-constrained regions) At Sust Global , we're embedding these foundation models into our geospatial AI platform. Not just layering data, but enabling true cross-domain reasoning. Last quarter, a client used our platform to identify real estate assets with both high climate resilience and proximity to emerging demographic booms. They executed a $300M allocation based on insights that didn't exist in any conventional dataset. That's the real breakthrough: finding opportunities others can't see by connecting domains others don't combine. Climate risk data can't exist in isolation. Neither can space technology. The future belongs to those who can reason across all these domains simultaneously. Curious how geospatial foundation models can unlock insights for your portfolio? Let's connect.

France created a solid-state rocket engine that works without combustion — changing how we launch satellites forever In a quiet aerospace lab outside Toulouse, French engineers have developed something that may transform spaceflight from the ground up — a solid-state plasma propulsion engine that accelerates spacecraft without combustion, without moving parts, and without conventional fuel. It's not just a new engine — it's a new category of propulsion. This innovation is built on an ionized gas loop called a rotating detonation plasma disk, which uses magnetic fields to confine and spin superheated ions. Unlike chemical rockets that burn propellant in a loud, violent flame, this system moves particles using electric fields, producing quiet but continuous thrust with almost no mechanical wear. The core advantage? Precision. Because it’s electromagnetic, it can throttle, steer, or shut off instantly — crucial for satellite positioning, station-keeping, and space debris avoidance. In tests, it delivered stable thrust for over 1,000 hours with no degradation, far outpacing traditional ion thrusters. Even more impressive: it works in near vacuum, at low temperatures, and needs no ignition — meaning satellites can use it for years without refueling. The French team designed it to run on xenon, but it’s also being adapted for argon or krypton — making it cheaper and more versatile than current systems. This could drastically lower the cost of operating low-Earth orbit constellations, deep-space science probes, and even Mars-bound cargo ships. Unlike rocket launches, which are short and explosive, this tech allows long, efficient burns over months — ideal for modern space infrastructure. France’s space agency is already partnering with EU firms to integrate this engine into next-gen micro-launchers and orbital service vehicles — making combustion-free satellite propulsion a reality.

NASA just quietly published something incredible. It’s called the Moon Base User’s Guide. It's a map of how we build a permanent human presence off Earth. This is an invitation to industry. A list of unsolved problems and a blueprint for an entirely new off-planet industrial stack. NASA is essentially saying: "Here are the missing pieces. Come build them." It's super pragmatic. Phase 1: prove we can land reliably, test systems, send the first crew Phase 2: build infrastructure, increase payloads 15x Phase 3: continuous human presence From ~4,000 kg → ~150,000 kg delivered to the surface. Industrialization, not just exploration! Where to build on the moon? They’re not choosing the easiest place. They’re choosing the south pole. Extreme terrain, deep shadows, brutal cold. Why? Because that’s where the resources are! This is for the long term. The hardest problems are things like: Moving cargo autonomously, surviving 100+ hours of darkness, high-bandwidth comms from the surface, transferring water & gases & waste between systems, operating robots from Earth, habitats. Moon logistics! The "functional gaps" section make clear we don’t yet know how to run a supply chain on another world. We’re missing: Power grids Navigation systems Warehousing Mobility networks Maintenance infrastructure No Home Depots on the moon! NASA is also explicitly trying to create a market. Bulk purchasing. Shared infrastructure. Interoperability standards. Multiple providers. They want to seed a lunar economy! And then the big reveal: This is all a dress rehearsal for Mars. Everything is framed as "Mars-forward": Nuclear power Autonomous operations Human performance in deep space Dust tolerance Logistics at planetary scale The Moon is the test environment. Very cool: they’re pairing this with nuclear propulsion (SR-1 Freedom) and robotic scouts for Mars landing sites. This is moon base + preparation for interplanetary expansion. If you’re a founder, this doc is gold. Areas where NASA needs help: Surface habitates Logistics services Robotics Cargo delivery + return Resource mapping Navigation systems If you want to help build cities on other worlds, this is a great place to start! I love this document. This is what the early days of a new frontier look like. Messy infrastructure. Standards. Supply chains. Interfaces. The layer that makes everything else possible. This is outlining the transition from "going to space" to building civilization in space. And this time, it won’t just be governments. The whole thing linked in the comments. Ad astra!

A Bengaluru startup just launched a satellite that can see through clouds, rain, and darkness. Every single day. That’s what GalaxEye’s Mission Drishti actually is. The world’s first OptoSAR satellite. A high-resolution SAR radar fused with a 7-band optical imager on a single platform. No other commercial satellite is doing this today. But the real story isn’t just the tech. Traditional optical satellites go blind the moment clouds show up. And our borders with Pakistan and China are not exactly known for clear skies year-round. SAR fixes that. It works in rain, fog, night. But SAR alone is harder to interpret. Mission Drishti gives you both. In a single pass. No fusion lag. Which means: → 24/7 all-weather surveillance → Real-time tracking of infrastructure and movement → Disaster response that doesn’t pause for monsoons → Civilian layers like agriculture and maritime intelligence A 190 kg satellite. Built by a private Indian company. In orbit. That shift didn’t happen in isolation. A few years ago, this level of capability sat almost entirely within government programs. Then India opened the door. The Indian Space Policy 2023 formalised private participation. IN-SPACe started enabling and authorising startups. NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) took on commercial distribution. Suddenly, building in space wasn’t theoretical anymore. Startups like GalaxEye didn’t just build satellites. They built on top of policy momentum. Mission Drishti is what that unlock looks like. Not just a satellite in orbit. But an ecosystem starting to compound. The real question is: How many more “firsts” are sitting behind policy shifts we’re still underestimating?

🚀 AstroFab.IO — Space Masonry — The future Moon base may not begin with rockets. It may begin with robotic masons in the lunar dust. What you are seeing here are early visual explorations of autonomous lunar additive manufacturing systems — robotic construction platforms designed to print infrastructure directly from lunar regolith. Habitats. Radiation shielding. Roads. Landing pads. Industrial structures. Built layer-by-layer from the Moon itself. AstroFab.IO is being developed around the idea that sustainable off-world civilization will require autonomous industrial systems capable of: ⚙️ regolith processing ⚙️ robotic construction ⚙️ additive manufacturing ⚙️ habitat fabrication ⚙️ industrial logistics ⚙️ infrastructure deployment ⚙️ AI-assisted operations The architecture evolves somewhere between: industrial robotics + large-scale additive manufacturing + space infrastructure engineering. And eventually: tokenized industrial production. Because in a real space economy, infrastructure itself may become programmable, traceable, financeable, and exchangeable across decentralized industrial networks. From regolith → structure. From terrain → infrastructure. From robotic fabrication → civilization. Integrated with: 🔹 ISRU.AI 🔹 STARGRID.IO 🔹 ORBITBLOCKS.COM 🔹 ASTROPROTOCOL.IO 🔹 CISLUNAR.ID The industrialization of space may ultimately look less like science fiction — and more like autonomous construction yards operating silently beneath a black lunar sky. #ASTROFAB #AdditiveManufacturing #SpaceManufacturing #MoonBase #LunarIndustry #ISRU #SpaceRobotics #DigitalTwin #AutonomousSystems #SpaceEconomy #OffWorldManufacturing #IndustrialAI #LunarSouthPole #MariusHills #Cislunar #NewSpace #SpaceInfrastructure

NASA’s latest Moon Base update marks a major shift in how humanity approaches lunar exploration. Not as isolated missions, but as the early construction phase of a permanent infrastructure ecosystem. The scale and seriousness of the three phase roadmap are becoming increasingly clear. Phase 1 (through 2029): Securing reliable lunar surface access. This begins with Moon Base I as early as fall 2026, using Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander to deploy scientific and operational payloads onto the Shackleton Connecting Ridge. Phase 2 (2029–2032): Deploying initial operating capabilities. This includes localized power infrastructure, autonomous logistics, mobility systems, and early habitation modules. Phase 3 (2032+): Establishing a semi-permanent crewed presence with larger-scale habitats and sustained surface operations. This is no longer “flags and footprints” exploration. This is infrastructure-first thinking: – recurring cargo logistics – autonomous surface scouting – terrain preparation – mobility systems – power deployment – long-duration survivability Firefly Aerospace will build the spacecraft supporting NASA JPL’s “MoonFall” mission four autonomous hopping drones designed to scout difficult terrain and evaluate future Artemis landing zones. The Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) contracts alone are a fascinating case study in extreme environment systems engineering. NASA has awarded more than $400 million combined to Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to develop crewed and autonomous lunar rovers capable of operating for extended periods in one of the harshest operational environments ever attempted. Equally important is the economic model emerging underneath: Government demand + commercial execution + modular procurement + recurring mission cadence. By acting increasingly as a strategic customer rather than sole operator, NASA is helping accelerate a competitive commercial lunar economy years before sustained human presence begins. The broader implication may be even larger. The technologies required for sustained lunar operations, autonomy, robotics, advanced energy systems, remote medicine, materials resilience, and AI-assisted operations are likely to generate significant terrestrial spillover effects over the next decade. Moon Base increasingly looks less like a symbolic programme and more like the opening phase of a long-duration industrial expansion beyond Earth. A remarkable moment to watch unfold. #NASA #Artemis #MoonBase #SpaceInfrastructure #CommercialSpace #SpaceTechnology #Robotics #AutonomousSystems #Aerospace #FutureOfSpace

Open-Source SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) Data & Tools: SAR satellites are powerful tools for observing our planet (day or night), in any weather. Unlike optical sensors, SAR can penetrate clouds, track surface changes with millimeter accuracy, and provide invaluable data for disaster response, agriculture, forestry, hydrology, and more. Major Open-Source SAR Missions ~ Sentinel-1 (ESA) – C-band (5.4 GHz), 5–20 m resolution, wide 250–400 km swath. Access: Copernicus Open Access Hub (https://lnkd.in/eZJsAhvj) ~ SAOCOM (CONAE/Argentina) – L-band (1.275 GHz), 7–100 m resolution, full polarimetry. Access: SAOCOM Data Portal (https://lnkd.in/eQyjAzkE) ~ NISAR (Upcoming, NASA–ISRO) – First dual-band radar (L- & S-band), global coverage every 12 days at ~3–10 m resolution. Access: Will be available via NASA DAACs (ASF Alaska SAR Facility) ~ RISAT (ISRO, India) – C- and X-band SAR series with versatile modes (full/compact polarimetry). Access: ISRO’s MOSDAC / Bhuvan Portal ~ ALOS/ALOS-2 (JAXA, Japan) – L-band PALSAR data with fine and ScanSAR modes. Access: JAXA ALOS PALSAR Data and ASF Alaska (https://asf.alaska.edu/) Key Open-Source Processing Tools SNAP (ESA) – Free, powerful toolbox for Sentinel-1 and SAR data. PolSARPro – Specially designed for polarimetric SAR analysis. Google Earth Engine (GEE) – Cloud-based geospatial analysis with global SAR archives. Applications of SAR & InSAR ~ Monitoring natural hazards: earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides. ~ Detecting surface deformation: subsidence, glacier motion, infrastructure stability. ~ Generating digital elevation models (DEMs). ~ Flood mapping, deforestation tracking, agriculture (crop/soil moisture). With SAR’s unique ability to “see the invisible,” researchers, students, and operational analysts can unlock critical insights for science and society. #SAR #RemoteSensing #EarthObservation #Geospatial #OpenData #SatelliteImagery #GIS #SpaceTech #ClimateChange #FloodMapping #Deforestation #Agriculture #Subsidence #GeospatialAnalysis #Copernicus #Sentinel1 #NISAR

In our test campaign of JPL's H10 Hall thruster last fall, we managed to squeeze in some operation on krypton propellant over 400-800 V, 5.5-12 kW. At 600 V, 12 kW, total Isp and efficiency reached 3100 s and 61% (not bad for Krypton). We managed a bit better in efficiency at 400 V, 10 kW where it notched up to 62%, but our investigation was far from exhaustive. Below is a pic of the thruster running on Kr at 600 V, 10 kW. In the same paper, we also talk about some of the advanced component technologies we are working on at JPL. Among them are the development of additively manufactured oscillating heat pipes, which are shown to achieve thermal conductivities exceeding 1000 W/(m*K), 33 times higher than baseline. OHPs are an emerging technology for use in Hall thrusters that will be increasingly important as NASA begins development of high-power thrusters for the human exploration of Mars. You can read more about the test results here: https://lnkd.in/gqBURvR7 This work was performed by Jacob Simmonds, myself, Samad Firdosy, Takuro Daimaru, Eric Smith, Scott Roberts, Tomas Wexler, R. Peter Dillon, Ph.D., and Dan Goebel, Ph.D, NAE