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By European Space Agency
Video: 00:02:46 For half a century, the European Space Agency (ESA) has been serving Europe as its space agency and inspiring its citizens. On 30 May 1975, the ESA Convention was signed by 10 founding Member States and has since now expanded to 23 Member States, three Associate Members, four Cooperating States and a Cooperation Agreement with Canada. This anniversary year provides the opportunity to reflect not only on ESA’s past achievements, but even more so on its future perspectives.
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By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Getty Images NASA has selected two more university student teams to help address real-world aviation challenges, through projects aimed at using drones for hurricane relief and improved protection of air traffic systems from cyber threats.
The research awards were made through NASA’s University Student Research Challenge (USRC), which provides student-led teams with opportunities to contribute their novel ideas to advance NASA’s Aeronautics research priorities.
As part of USRC, students participate in real-world aspects of innovative aeronautics research both in and out of the laboratory.
“USRC continues to be a way for students to push the boundary on exploring the possibilities of tomorrow’s aviation industry.” said Steven Holz, who manages the USRC award process. “For some, this is their first opportunity to engage with NASA. For others, they may be taking their ideas from our Gateways to Blue Skies competition and bringing them closer to reality.”
In the case of one of the new awardees, North Carolina State University in Raleigh applied for their USRC award after refining a concept that made them a finalist in NASA’s 2024 Gateways to Blue Skies competition.
Each team of students selected for a USRC award receives a NASA grant up to $80,000 and is tasked with raising additional funds through student-led crowdfunding. This process helps students develop skills in entrepreneurship and public communication.
The new university teams and research topics are:
North Carolina State University in Raleigh
“Reconnaissance and Emergency Aircraft for Critical Hurricane Relief” will develop and deploy advanced Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) designed to locate, communicate with, and deliver critical supplies to stranded individuals in the wake of natural disasters.
The team includes Tobias Hullette (team lead), Jose Vizcarrondo, Rishi Ghosh, Caleb Gobel, Lucas Nicol, Ajay Pandya, Paul Randolph, and Hadie Sabbah, with faculty mentor Felix Ewere.
Texas A&M University, in College Station
“Context-Aware Cybersecurity for UAS Traffic Management” will develop, test, and pursue the implementation of an aviation-context-aware network authentication system for the holistic management of cybersecurity threats to enable future drone traffic control systems.
The team includes Vishwam Raval (team lead), Nick Truong, Oscar Leon, Kevin Lei, Garett Haynes, Michael Ades, Sarah Lee, and Aidan Spira, with faculty mentor Sandip Roy.
Complete details on USRC awardees and solicitations, such as what to include in a proposal and how to submit it, are available on the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate solicitation page.
About the Author
John Gould
Aeronautics Research Mission DirectorateJohn Gould is a member of NASA Aeronautics' Strategic Communications team at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. He is dedicated to public service and NASA’s leading role in scientific exploration. Prior to working for NASA Aeronautics, he was a spaceflight historian and writer, having a lifelong passion for space and aviation.
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9 min read ARMD Research Solicitations (Updated May 1)
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Last Updated May 15, 2025 EditorJim BankeContactSteven Holzsteven.m.holz@nasa.gov Related Terms
University Student Research Challenge Aeronautics Flight Innovation Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program University Innovation View the full article
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By European Space Agency
Video: 00:08:04 Space Debris: Is it a Crisis?
The European Space Agency’s short documentary film ‘Space Debris: Is it a Crisis?’ on the state of space debris premiered at the 9th European Conference on Space Debris on 1 April 2025.
Earth is surrounded by thousands of satellites carrying out important work to provide telecommunications and navigation services, help us understand our climate, and answer fundamental questions about the Universe.
However, as our use of space accelerates like never before, these satellites find themselves navigating increasingly congested orbits in an environment criss-crossed by streams of fast-moving debris fragments resulting from collisions, fragmentations and breakups in space.
Each fragment can damage additional satellites, with fears that a cascade of collisions may eventually render some orbits around Earth no longer useable. Additionally, the extent of the harm of the drastic increase in launches and number of objects re-entering our atmosphere and oceans is not yet known.
So, does space debris already represent a crisis?
The documentary explores the current situation in Earth’s orbits and explains the threat space debris poses to our future in space. It also outlines what might be done about space debris and how we might reach true sustainability in space, because our actions today will have consequences for generations to come.
ESA’s Space Safety Programme
ESA’s Space Safety Programme aims to safeguard the future of spaceflight and to keep us, Earth and our infrastructure on the ground and in space safe from hazards originating in space.
From asteroids and solar storms to the human-made problem of space debris, ESA works on missions and projects to understand the dangers and mitigate them.
In the longer term, to ensure a safe and sustainable future in space, ESA aims to establish a circular economy in space. To get there, the Agency is working on the technology development necessary to make in-orbit servicing and zero-debris spacecraft a reality.
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By NASA
5 Min Read NASA Tests Drones to Provide Micrometeorology, Aid in Fire Response
Pilot in command Brayden Chamberlain performs pre-flight checks on the NASA Alta X quadcopter during the FireSense uncrewed aerial system (UAS) technology demonstration in Missoula.<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;font-size: 12pt;font-family: Aptos, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;font-family: Arial, sans-serif"><span class="msoIns" style="color: teal"><ins cite="mailto:Tabor,%20Abby%20(ARC-DO)" datetime="2025-02-11T16:38"></ins></span></span></p> Credits: NASA/Milan Loiacono In Aug. 2024, a team of NASA researchers and partners gathered in Missoula, to test new drone-based technology for localized forecasting, or micrometeorology. Researchers attached wind sensors to a drone, NASA’s Alta X quadcopter, aiming to provide precise and sustainable meteorological data to help predict fire behavior.
Wildfires are increasing in number and severity around the world, including the United States, and wind is a major factor. It leads to unexpected and unpredictable fire growth, public threats, and fire fatalities, making micrometeorology a very effective tool to combat fire.
This composite image shows the NASA Alta X quadcopter taking off during one of eight flights it performed for the 2024 FireSense UAS technology demonstration in Missoula. Mounted on top of the drone is a unique infrastructure designed at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton,Virginia, to carry sensors that measure wind speed and direction into the sky. On the ground, UAS pilot in command Brayden Chamberlain performs final pre-flight checks. NASA/Milan Loiacono The campaign was run by NASA’s FireSense project, focused on addressing challenges in wildland fire management by putting NASA science and technology in the hands of operational agencies.
“Ensuring that the new technology will be easily adoptable by operational agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service and the National Weather Service was another primary goal of the campaign,” said Jacqueline Shuman, FireSense project scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.
The FireSense team chose the Alta X drone because the U.S. Forest Service already has a fleet of the quadcopters and trained drone pilots, which could make integrating the needed sensors – and the accompanying infrastructure – much easier and more cost-effective for the agency.
The UAS pilot in command, Brayden Chamberlain, flashes a “good to go” signal to the command tent, indicating that the NASA Alta X quadcopter is prepped for takeoff. Behind Chamberlain, the custom structure attached to the quadcopter holds a radiosonde (small white box) and an anemometer (hidden from view), which will collect data on wind speed and direction, humidity, temperature, and pressure.NASA/Milan Loiacono The choice of the two sensors for the drone’s payload was also driven by their adoptability.
The first, called a radiosonde, measures wind direction and speed, humidity, temperature, and pressure, and is used daily by the National Weather Service. The other sensor, an anemometer, measures wind speed and direction, and is used at weather stations and airports around the world.
The two sensors mounted on the NASA Alta X quadcopter are a radiosonde (left) and an anemometer (right), which measure wind speed and direction. The FireSense teams hopes that by giving them wings, researchers can enable micrometeorology to better predict fire and smoke behavior. NASA/Milan Loiacono
“Anemometers are everywhere, but are usually stationary,” said Robert McSwain, the FireSense uncrewed aerial system (UAS) lead, based at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. “We are taking a sensor type that is already used all over the world, and giving it wings.”
Anemometers are everywhere, but are usually stationary. We are taking a sensor type that is already used all over the world, and giving it wings.
Robert Mcswain
FireSense Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) Lead
Both sensors create datasets that are already familiar to meteorologists worldwide, which opens up the potential applications of the platform.
Current Forecasting Methods: Weather Balloons
Traditionally, global weather forecasting data is gathered by attaching a radiosonde to a weather balloon and releasing it into the air. This system works well for regional weather forecasts. But the rapidly changing environment of wildland fire requires more recurrent, pinpointed forecasts to accurately predict fire behavior. It’s the perfect niche for a drone.
Left: Steven Stratham (right) attaches a radiosonde to the string of a weather balloon as teammates Travis Christopher (left) and Danny Johnson (center) prepare the balloon for launch. This team of three from Salish Kootenai College is one of many college teams across the nation trained to prepare and launch weather balloons.
Right: One of these weather balloons lifts into the sky, with the radiosonde visible at the end of the string. NASA/Milan Loiacono “These drones are not meant to replace the weather balloons,” said Jennifer Fowler, FireSense’s project manager at Langley. “The goal is to create a drop-in solution to get more frequent, localized data for wildfires – not to replace all weather forecasting.”
The goal is to create a drop-in solution to get more frequent, localized data for wildfires – not to replace all weather forecasting.
Jennifer Fowler
FireSense Project Manager
Drones Provide Control, Repeat Testing, Sustainability
Drones can be piloted to keep making measurements over a precise location – an on-site forecaster could fly one every couple of hours as conditions change – and gather timely data to help determine how weather will impact the direction and speed of a fire.
Fire crews on the ground may need this information to make quick decisions about where to deploy firefighters and resources, draw fire lines, and protect nearby communities.
A reusable platform, like a drone, also reduces the financial and environmental impact of forecasting flights.
“A weather balloon is going to be a one-off, and the attached sensor won’t be recovered,” Fowler said. “The instrumented drone, on the other hand, can be flown repeatedly.”
The NASA Alta X quadcopter sits in a field in Missoula, outfitted with a special structure to carry a radiosonde (sensor on the left) and an anemometer (sensor on the right) into the air. This structure was engineered at NASA’s Langley Research Center to ensure the sensors are far enough from the rotors to avoid interfering with the data collected, but without compromising the stability of the drone.NASA/Milan Loiacono
The Missoula Campaign
Before such technology can be sent out to a fire, it needs to be tested. That’s what the FireSense team did this summer.
Smoke from the nearby Miller Peak Fire drifts by the air control tower at Missoula Airport on August 29, 2024. Miller Peak was one of several fires burning in and around Missoula that month, creating a smokey environment which, combined with the mountainous terrain, made the area an ideal location to test FireSense’s new micrometeorology technology.NASA/Milan Loiacono McSwain described the conditions in Missoula as an “alignment of stars” for the research: the complex mountain terrain produces erratic, historically unpredictable winds, and the sparsity of monitoring instruments on the ground makes weather forecasting very difficult. During the three-day campaign, several fires burned nearby, which allowed researchers to test how the drones performed in smokey conditions.
A drone team out of NASA Langley conducted eight data-collection flights in Missoula. Before each drone flight, student teams from the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, and Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, Montana, launched a weather balloon carrying the same type of radiometer.
Left: Weather balloon teams from University of Idaho and Salish Kootenai College prepare a weather balloon for launch on the second day of the FireSense campaign in Missoula.
Right: NASA Langley drone crew members Todd Ferrante (left) and Brayden Chamberlain (right) calibrate the internal sensors of the NASA Alta X quadcopter before its first test flight on Aug. 27, 2024. Once those data sets were created, they needed to be transformed into a usable format. Meteorologists are used to the numbers, but incident commanders on an active fire need to see the data in a form that allows them to quickly understand which conditions are changing, and how. That’s where data visualization partners come in. For the Missoula campaign, teams from MITRE, NVIDIA, and Esri joined NASA in the field.
An early data visualization from the Esri team shows the flight paths of weather balloons launched on the first day of the FireSense UAS technology demonstration in Missoula. The paths are color-coded by wind speed, from purple (low wind) to bright yellow (high wind).NASA/Milan Loiacono Measurements from both the balloon and the drone platforms were immediately sent to the on-site data teams. The MITRE team, together with NVIDIA, tested high-resolution artificial intelligence meteorological models, while the Esri team created comprehensive visualizations of flight paths, temperatures, and wind speed and direction. These visual representations of the data make conclusions more immediately apparent to non-meteorologists.
What’s Next?
Development of drone capabilities for fire monitoring didn’t begin in Missoula, and it won’t end there.
“This campaign leveraged almost a decade of research, development, engineering, and testing,” said McSwain. “We have built up a UAS flight capability that can now be used across NASA.”
This campaign leveraged almost a decade of research, development, engineering, and testing. We have built up a UAS flight capability that can now be used across NASA.
Robert Mcswain
FireSense Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) Lead
The NASA Alta X and its sensor payload will head to Alabama and Florida in spring 2025, incorporating improvements identified in Montana. There, the team will perform another technology demonstration with wildland fire managers from a different region.
To view more photos from the FireSense campaign visit: https://nasa.gov/firesense
The FireSense project is led by NASA Headquarters in Washington and sits within the Wildland Fires program, with the project office based at NASA Ames. The goal of FireSense is to transition Earth science and technological capabilities to operational wildland fire management agencies, to address challenges in U.S. wildland fire management before, during, and after a fire.
About the Author
Milan Loiacono
Science Communication SpecialistMilan Loiacono is a science communication specialist for the Earth Science Division at NASA Ames Research Center.
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Last Updated Feb 13, 2025 Related Terms
Ames Research Center's Science Directorate Ames Research Center Earth Science Earth Science Division General Wildfires Wildland Fire Management Explore More
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By European Space Agency
The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Estonian Space Office have set out to develop Europe's newest space cyber range that aims to make space technology more secure and accessible for companies across Europe. Last year, Estonian industry was invited to submit proposals for concepts, and today the contract has been signed with a consortium led by Spaceit to begin development.
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