Reaction Engines Limited (REL) is a company based in Culham in Oxforshire, U.K. They are working on a novel propulsion system that can function as both a jet engine for flight in atmosphere and rocket engine for flights in space. The company hopes that the engine they are developing will transform the space launch market as well as permit hypersonic travel to destinations on Earth.
Russia has been working on an anti-satellite weapon since 2015. The missile is called the Nudol or PL19 and it has been tested six times since then. The most recent test took place this month. For this test, the missile was fired from its transporter. There is great concern that Russia may test the new weapon on a real satellite in stable low-Earth orbit.
Deep Space Industries is a California company dedicated to asteroid mining. It was founded in 2013 and also has offices in Florida and Luxembourg. While their ultimate goal is probably decades in the future, in the meantime they are working on innovative propulsion systems.
Space is a very dangerous place. Spacecraft are fragile environments for astronauts with many potentially threats to their safety. As dangerous as spacecraft may be, even more dangerous to astronauts are spacewalks where they exit the spacecraft in special spacesuits.
