#moonmission — Public Fediverse posts

Lasers in Space!

Artemis II is testing an upgraded laser-based communications system called O2O >> Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System designed to send data down to Earth at up to 260 megabits per second.

O2O is about the size of a house cat and it uses more or less standard issue infrared lasers, Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers, and receivers used in the fiber telecom industry. O2O develops approx. one watt of optical power.

Artemis II also uses traditional Microwave tech as its core communications system.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasas-artemis-ii-laser-communications-system-is-beaming-4k-video-from-the/ #NASA #Communications #Microwave #GigaHertz #OpticalCommunications #Laser #ArtemisII #Space #Moon #MoonMission #Orion #DarkSideoftheMoon

From Vegemite Rockets to Space Robots (IAC 2025)

I went to IAC 2025 thinking it would be a normal space conference. It was not. Within five days I saw a jar of Vegemite that literally went on a rocket, got trapped in an elevator with a disco ball and music, had my AstroBoy shirt turned into art by an astro artist, and accidentally ended up interviewing some of the biggest brains in the space industry.

They shut down an entire street in Sydney for opening night, I climbed through the CSIRO mobile command station like an excited child, met lunar rover designers, and spoke to RMIT students who casually launched a cubesat into orbit.

This was the wildest event I’ve ever been to — and I was NOT prepared.

#IAC2025 #SpaceIndustry #SpaceConference #AerospaceEngineering #NewSpace #CommercialSpace #SpaceTech #SpaceInnovation

#Astronomy #SpaceExploration #SpaceNews #Astrophotography #Stargazing #NASA #ESA #RocketLaunch #SpaceNerd #SpaceCommunity #FutureOfSpace #MoonMission #MarsMission #ScienceYouTube #STEM #Engineering #TechInnovation #BehindTheScenes #Interviews #Vlog #CreatorLife

Organisations

Open Cosmos - https://www.open-cosmos.com/
CSIRO - https://www.csiro.au/en/
Australian Astronomical Optics - https://aao.org.au/
NH Micro - https://www.nhmicro.com/
Southern Launch Space - https://www.southernlaunch.space/
Australian Space Agency - https://www.space.gov.au/
Gilmour Space - https://www.gspace.com/
Stella Engineering - https://stellaengineering.com.au/
Astrea Technologies - https://astrea.com.au/
RMIT University - https://www.rmit.edu.au/
Mawson Rovers - https://mawsonrovers.com/

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/mxIYTAsMOP0

Who Thought It Was a Good Idea to Let Me Drive a Lunar Rover?

They actually let me drive Australia’s Lunar Rover… I still don’t know why.

This all happened at AusSpace 2025 — Australia’s biggest space tech event — where I somehow found myself behind the controls of ROO-VER, the lunar rover being built to drive on the Moon.

Not only did I get to drive the thing, but I also sat down with one of the engineers building it... and then, somehow, ended up interviewing former Prime Minister Scott Morrison (?!). That’s not a sentence I ever thought I’d write.

This trip was insane, full of space tech, mad energy, a few surprises — and, of course, one very confused engineer trying to explain to me how to drive a robot made for the Moon.

So… did I crash it? Did Scott Morrison talk about space chickens? Did I get kicked out of AusSpace?

There’s only one way to find out 👇

#LunarRover #AusSpace2025 #SpaceAustralia #ROOVER #Engineering #MoonMission #SpaceExploration #Astroworx #ScottMorrison #Science #Tech #STEM #Innovation #FutureTech #Robotics #NASA #SpaceX #Australia #BehindTheScenes #Trending #YouTubeShorts #Vlog #CrazyIdeas #WildRide

YouTube: https://youtu.be/hrkSaIBE7dY

A team of researchers, funded by NASA, is developing a new generation of robotic explorers - dog-like robots designed to navigate the challenging terrain of the moon. Codenamed "Spirit," this quadruped robot recently underwent field testing at Mount Hood in Oregon.

#Robotics #SpaceExploration #MoonMission #NASA #Innovation #FutureTech #LunarExploration #RobotDogs #PlanetaryScience #TechInnovation