Communications user terminal developed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory prepares for historic moon flyby
Aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft, the terminal will beam data over laser links during the first crewed lunar mission since 1972.
Designing for outer space
With NASA planning permanent bases in space and on the moon, MIT students develop prototypes for habitats far from planet Earth.
Exploring frontiers of mechanical engineering
MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering grad students are undertaking a broad range of innovative research projects.
Three MIT alumni graduate from NASA astronaut training
Marcos Berríos ’06, Christina Birch PhD ’15, and Christopher Williams PhD ’12, now eligible for spaceflight assignments, encourage MIT students to apply for the next astronaut class.
Nicole McGaa: Ensuring safe travels in space
The MIT senior seeks to make spaceflight easier and safer for the human body.
For all humankind
Political science and physics major Leela Fredlund wants to ensure fairness and justice prevail in humanity's leap into space.
Researchers release open-source space debris model
The MIT Orbital Capacity Assessment Tool lets users model the long-term future space environment.
How to be an astronaut
Astronaut Woody Hoburg ’08 shares insights and advice with students in his first visit to campus since joining NASA.
Boosting rocket reliability at the material level
Zack Cordero’s research focuses on extending the lifespan of reusable rockets, while simultaneously reducing the risk of catastrophic failure.
ILLUMA-T launches to the International Space Station
This laser communications terminal, developed at Lincoln Laboratory, aims to transmit data at high rates from the ISS to ground stations via NASA’s first two-way laser communications relay system.
MIT HUMANS project breaks down borders, empowering global voices to reach for the stars
The HUMANS nanowafer, an MIT Space Exploration Initiative student-led project, will travel to the ISS this month, and later to the moon, carrying messages in more than 64 languages from over 80 countries.
Pilot, engineer, neuroscientist, bridge-builder
How Elissa Gibson ’22 connected the dots to form her own unique constellation of MIT experiences.
White House names Daniel Hastings to space advisory group
National Space Council’s Users Advisory Group will guide the Biden-Harris administration on space preservation and industry.
Communications system achieves fastest laser link from space yet
Lincoln Laboratory’s TeraByte InfraRed Delivery system sent data from a satellite to Earth at 100 Gbps — a rate that will transform future science missions.
Channeling creativity through art and engineering
Recent mechanical engineering alumna Emily Satterfield ’22 pursues passions that might seem unrelated but “actually go hand-in-hand.”