WireUnwired Topic Energy

Solar Cells Inspected on NASA’s NEO Surveyor

Editorial illustration for Solar Cells Inspected on NASA’s NEO Surveyor

Description The large sunshade of NASA’s Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor mission is inspected by a technician at BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems in Boulder, Colorado, in late July.  Built by Applied Aerospace in Stockton, California, the sunshade structure was outfitted with its solar cells by SolAero Technologies in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in January. Environmental […]

NASA, Virginia Launch Power Partnership for Energy Security

Editorial illustration for NASA, Virginia Launch Power Partnership for Energy Security

NASA is helping to foster long-term energy security in Virginia.  NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, is partnering with the Virginia Department of Energy to support informed decisions for effective energy generation, delivery and use by providing solar, meteorological, and future weather risk datasets for energy system modeling and planning purposes. Under a new […]

NASA’s SR-1 Freedom Advances with Progress on Nuclear Power Module

Editorial illustration for NASA’s SR-1 Freedom Advances with Progress on Nuclear Power Module

Destined for Mars and beyond, NASA’s Space Reactor-1 (SR-1) Freedom will be humanity’s first fission-powered spacecraft to travel outside Earth’s orbit. Announced during NASA’s “Ignition” event, this mission will demonstrate nuclear electric propulsion in deep space, and progress is underway on its key element: the nuclear power module. To expedite development of the spacecraft, NASA […]

NASA Upgrades International Space Station Power Supply With Next-Generation Roll-Out Solar Arrays

Editorial illustration for NASA Upgrades International Space Station Power Supply With Next-Generation Roll-Out Solar Arrays

From the International Space Station’s unique position 250 miles above Earth, the Sun is a vital source of energy. Solar power supports the station’s life support systems, daily activities, and hundreds of research investigations that improve life on Earth and prepare humans for deep space exploration. Over the past five years, NASA augmented the station’s […]

NASA to Host Briefing on Upcoming Spacewalks to Complete Space Station Solar Array Installations

Editorial illustration for NASA to Host Briefing on Upcoming Spacewalks to Complete Space Station Solar Array Installations

NASA will preview two upcoming spacewalks to complete solar array installation and power augmentation of the International Space Station during a news conference at 2 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, Oct. 20, from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA will stream the event through a variety of platforms. Learn where to watch online: https://www.nasa.gov/live NASA participants […]

NASA Researchers Develop New Solid-State Batteries to Support Artemis Campaign on the Moon’s South Pole

Editorial illustration for NASA Develops Batteries to Power Humanity’s Return to Moon

If you’ve ever had your car start sluggishly, or not at all, on a particularly frigid winter morning, you know standard batteries do not like extreme cold. That’s why NASA researchers are working to develop a battery that could function in the brutal cold of the Moon’s South Pole, where nighttime temperatures plunge to minus […]

NASA and Energy Department Sign Agreement to Advance Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion Systems

nasa doe mou release smaller image oct 8

As the Golden Age of deep-space exploration begins, NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy are advancing the development of safe, reliable, next-generation nuclear technologies for space. Together, the agencies will supercharge civil space exploration, unlock bold scientific discovery, and solidify American leadership in space nuclear power and propulsion.  “We are entering the ‘Nuclear NASA-era,’ […]