Samir Khayat’s Post

Did you know that Olympus Mons, located on Mars, is the second tallest mountain and largest volcano on any planet in the Solar System? This shield volcano covers an area of roughly 300,000 km²! Due to the size and gentle slopes of Olympus Mons, an observer standing on the Martian surface would be unable to see its peak, because it'd be beyond the horizon. Similarly, an observer near the summit wouldn't even see parts of Mars that aren't Olympus Mons. #Mars #SpaceFacts #Volcanoes #technology #space #spacemission #moon #rocket #rockets #spaceexploration #aerospace #satellite #satellites #spacetechnology #spaceinnovation #spacecraft #spacenews #spacestation

German space launch start-up, Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), recently achieved a major milestone by conducting a hot-fire engine test of its three-stage RFA ONE rocket at the SaxaVord Spaceport in Unst, Shetland. The test, which took place on 16 May, involved firing all four Helix engines for a combined duration of 20 seconds. This successful test marks a significant advancement towards the company's goal of executing the first vertical orbital launch from the UK. #SpaceInnovation #RocketFactoryAugsburg #SpaceTechnology #technology #aerospace #space #spacemission #moon #rocket #rockets #spaceexploration #aerospace #satellite #satellites #spacetechnology #spaceinnovation #spacecraft #spacenews #spacestation

Did you know that the fastest spinning celestial object in the universe is a Neutron star called PSR J1748-2446? This extraordinary star rotates an astonishing 716 times every second, moving its equator at about 25% the speed of light. In addition, PSR J1748-2446 is 50 trillion times denser than lead and possesses a magnetic field a trillion times stronger than the Sun's. #SpaceFacts #NeutronStar #Astronomy #technology #aerospace #space #spacemission #moon #rocket #rockets #spaceexploration #aerospace #satellite #satellites #spacetechnology #spaceinnovation #spacecraft #spacenews #spacestation

Thinking of heading to the moon’s south pole? Have you thought about where will you “park” your #spacecraft? Thermal #simulation can help you find the ideal landing zone to maximize energy management. Watch this video to see how we use #Simcenter3D #Space Systems #Thermal to model the lunar surface and the thermal effects of lunar night and day.

Additive manufacturing (AM) has been used on spacecraft since the early 2010s and, in the last 15 years, Maxar Space Systems has invested in building a robust AM program. In fact, as of January 2024, Maxar Space Systems has manufactured over 10,000 AM parts that are now in space across 33 different satellites. #aerospace #space #additivemanufacturing #AM #spacecraft #satellite

Space has been a pioneering sector for metal Additive Manufacturing. This is no coincidence as it is a market with a high mix of low volume manufacturing of complex parts where mass is important. Much like motorsport it was an obvious early adopter. As the economics of AM improve, we have seen more series production applications in other markets come to the fore. However, low/mid volume, high mix, high complexity applications like spacecraft will still benefit the most from the technology as it matures, especially as costs come down due to growth in adoption by others.

The first privately developed Japanese rocket, Kairos, ended in a catastrophic failure just seconds after liftoff on March 12. The rocket, built by Space One, exploded about five seconds after liftoff at Spaceport Kii. In a webcast of the launch, the rocket had not yet cleared a hillside surrounding it when it exploded. Fragments of the rocket fell back to the ground near the launch pad. Kairos was billed as Japan’s first orbital launch vehicle developed exclusively with private support and without the backing of the Japanese space agency JAXA. Space One’s goal is to ramp up production of the rocket to support as many as 20 launches a year, but has disclosed few details about customers for the vehicle. #technology #space #spacemission #moon #rocket #rockets #spaceexploration #aerospace #satellite #satellites #spacetechnology #spaceinnovation #spacecraft #spacenews #spacestation #japan

The sun has emitted a powerful X7.1 solar flare, expected to reach Earth by October 5. Initial analyses indicate no direct threat to human safety; however, this event is likely to trigger an extreme geomagnetic storm. Such storms can disrupt satellite communications and navigation systems while also creating stunning auroras. #technology #aerospace #space #spacemission #moon #rocket #rockets #spaceexploration #aerospace #satellite #satellites #spacetechnology #spaceinnovation #spacecraft #spacenews #spacestation #technology #aerospace #space #spacemission #moon #rocket #rockets #spaceexploration #aerospace #satellite #satellites #spacetechnology #spaceinnovation #spacecraft #spacenews #spacestation

Space "Parking" In space, docking two objects can be either "soft" or "hard." Usually, a spacecraft first performs a soft dock by making contact and securing its docking port into the target vehicle's port. After establishing the soft connection and checking the pressure inside both spacecraft, the transition to a hard dock begins. Here, docking mechanisms pull the docking nodes together to form a sealed connection. Once the pressure is equalized inside the ships, the crew opens the internal hatches to move crew and cargo. #space #Parking #technologies #Docking #spacecraft

The idea of on orbit manufacturing is fascinating. At the moment, everything that goes into space is complete, requiring it to be much higher spec than if it was built in microgravity. It has to survive the acoustic vibration of launch, it has to be internally powered, and it has to fit within the physical confines of the launchers that carry it. Then there's the relentless testing that needs to be done to ensure the craft will get to orbit in one piece. A lot of limitations would disappear if we assembled satellites and spacecraft on orbit. #onorbit #oo #spacecraft #spacemanufacturing #microgravity