Chris Young

London, Málaga

Journalist and Editor at Freelance

Freelance Writer at Interesting Engineering

Freelance journalist, writer, editor — @IntEngineering, Le Cool News (at https://t.co/LP1gswaNmG), @BourbonCreative, @AFP_Services , @Lifehackorg

Articles

Two Proba-3 spacecraft simulate solar eclipse in orbit in world-first maneuver

6 days ago | interestingengineering.com | Chris Young

In a world first, two spacecraft aligned into a formation in orbit with millimeter precision and maintained their relative position for hours without human intervention. The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 mission performed the historic task using two spacecraft: The Coronagraph and the Occulter. During the maneuver, the spacecraft flew 150 meters apart in perfect alignment.
China taps world's largest radio telescope to seek moon's hidden water

1 week ago | interestingengineering.com | Chris Young

The world’s big space powers are racing to send humans back to the Moon. Unlike the Apollo astronauts, this next generation of lunar explorers will spend longer periods on the Moon. They will also be looking to build lunar habitats, which will require large amounts of water and oxygen. In recent years, scientists have focused on the potential of the lunar south pole as a vast source of water ice.
Why a startup is building tech to mine trillions from asteroids

1 week ago | interestingengineering.com | Chris Young

1234567891012345678910An artist's render of an asteroid. Just_Super/iStockIn 2015, famous astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson said he believed the first trillionaires would earn their wealth through space mining. But ten years later, space mining has proved far tougher than Tyson’s prediction suggested. Companies like Deep Space Industries and Planetary Resources, which claimed they would mine asteroids by 2020, shifted strategies, moving away from space mining altogether.
US Air Force calls for two new missile types suited for Collaborative Combat Aircraft

1 week ago | interestingengineering.com | Chris Young

The YFQ-44A “production representative test vehicle.”USAFThe US Air Force (USAF) is looking at new options for air-to-air missiles. It’s seeking cheaper, smaller, long-range missiles suitable for its new Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones. In a recently published request for information (RFI), the Air Force Materiel Command outlined proposals for two types of required missiles. These reflect ongoing changes in real-world battlefields.
Salsa satellite breaks apart 50 miles above Earth as researchers track it midair

1 week ago | interestingengineering.com | Chris Young

A team of scientists chased a falling spacecraft using an aircraft. Their goal was to investigate the effects of satellite and space debris reentry on Earth’s atmosphere. As low Earth orbit becomes increasingly congested with new satellites and space debris, it is important to study the environmental cost of these operations. The Institute of Space Systems team at the University of Stuttgart in Germany recently presented their findings at the European Conference on Space Debris in Bonn, Germany.
US to test 4,000 lbs thrust engine that roars at Mach 5

1 week ago | interestingengineering.com | Chris Young

A render of Ursa Major's Draper engine. Ursa MajorThe US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has awarded rocket engine manufacturer Ursa Major a $28.5 million contract. The agreement will see Ursa Major perform a flight demonstration of its Draper engine, which could eventually be utilized in the Trump Administration’s Golden Dome missile defense system. The Draper engine is an easily storable propulsion system designed for hypersonic missile applications.
Superhero polymer saves satellites from space debris, can heal itself

2 weeks ago | interestingengineering.com | Chris Young

An artist's render of a "self-healing" satellite. Texas A&M EngineeringSpace debris is becoming an overwhelming problem. Between 2019 and 2023, SpaceX’s Starlink satellites made more than 50,000 collision avoidance maneuvers in low Earth orbit (LEO). In LEO, objects fly at speeds of roughly 8 kilometers per second – faster than a bullet. As collision avoidance becomes more challenging, scientists are increasingly looking at alternative methods for combating the space debris problem.
What if we powered Earth with the Moon? These islands just did

2 weeks ago | interestingengineering.com | Chris Young

An artist's render of Luna 12. Faroe Islands Space ProgramFor a space program, failing to send a spacecraft to orbit would usually mean something’s gone wrong. However, in the Faroe Islands Space Program, not going to space is the whole point. Instead of leaving Earth, the initiative is harnessing the gravitational pull of our most reliable neighbor, the Moon, to generate electricity.
France plans to launch anti-satellite weapons from sky using jets

2 weeks ago | interestingengineering.com | Chris Young

A Paris-based space startup is developing a new spacecraft to intercept and destroy military threats in orbit. The company, called Dark, was founded in 2022 by former missile engineers from European defense contractors MBDA and Thales. The new venture, designed to protect increasingly important satellite infrastructure, reflects the dramatic militarization of space. It aims to demonstrate its spacecraft, which would launch from a modified commercial aircraft similar to Virgin Orbit’s ‘Cosmic Girl’.
US secretly tests Dark Eagle hypersonic missile with 1,725-mile range

2 weeks ago | interestingengineering.com | Chris Young

The US Department of Defense performed a secretive test of its Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon, Dark Eagle, over the weekend. According to several reports, the test mission flew from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Friday. It marks one of the first times a war missile has been tested from Cape Canaveral since 1988. The missile, jointly developed for the US Army and Navy, was fired skyward from Launch Complex 46. Dark Eagle is the Army iteration of the weapon.