-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Hole Truth: Via Integrity in an HDI World
From the drilled hole to registration across multiple sequential lamination cycles, to the quality of your copper plating, via reliability in an HDI world is becoming an ever-greater challenge. This month we look at “The Hole Truth,” from creating the “perfect” via to how you can assure via quality and reliability, the first time, every time.
In Pursuit of Perfection: Defect Reduction
For bare PCB board fabrication, defect reduction is a critical aspect of a company's bottom line profitability. In this issue, we examine how imaging, etching, and plating processes can provide information and insight into reducing defects and increasing yields.
Voices of the Industry
We take the pulse of the PCB industry by sharing insights from leading fabricators and suppliers in this month's issue. We've gathered their thoughts on the new U.S. administration, spending, the war in Ukraine, and their most pressing needs. It’s an eye-opening and enlightening look behind the curtain.
- Articles
- Columns
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
Honda to Co-develop Refueling Port Connecting System for On-orbit Satellite Refueling with Astroscale
May 30, 2025 | JCN NewswireEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Honda R&D Co., Ltd., a research and development subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd., will co-develop a refueling port connecting system designed for on-orbit refueling of satellites, with Astroscale Japan Inc., a subsidiary of Astroscale Holdings Inc.
Honda will apply its mechatronics technologies amassed through its ongoing robotics research to co-develop the connecting system with an aim to integrate it with Astroscale RPOD (rendezvous, proximity operations and docking) technology so that it can be used in the technology demonstration of satellite refueling in low Earth orbit Astroscale is planning to conduct around 2029.
Earth’s orbits are becoming increasingly congested due to the growing number of satellites and space debris, raising concerns that it may become difficult to sustainably use those orbits in the long term if no proactive measures are taken. To address this issue and achieve space sustainability, it is critical to move away from the traditional satellites and rockets developed for single use and establish a circular space economy based on the principles of “Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Refuel and Remove.” To this end, providing on-orbit services for satellites is considered one of the solutions.
The two companies will co-develop a refueling port connecting system particularly for on-orbit satellite refueling, one of the key on-orbit services to enhance space sustainability. When on-orbit refueling becomes possible, it will extend the life of satellites and reduce both the number of satellites and the number of satellite launches. Moreover, by eliminating fuel constraints through refueling, satellites will gain greater range of missions and flexibility, enabling new ways of utilizing satellites.
Honda R&D has been researching and developing robotics technologies that enable people to transcend various constraints such as time, place and human abilities and to augment people’s possibilities. Assuming that the range of human activities will expand into outer space in the future, Honda will strive to utilize its robotics technologies in various situations in outer space, such as applications of its remotely controlled robots on the lunar surface. For such applications, the technologies must function reliably even in the harsh environment of outer space. Co-developing the refueling port connecting system with Astroscale, the global market leader in on-orbit satellite servicing, will become the first step Honda takes toward acquiring technology that is practical for use in outer space.
Comments by Keiji Otsu, President and Representative Director of Honda R&D Co., Ltd.: “To this date, Honda has developed and delivered a wide range of products that provide mobility on land, in the water and in the skies. As our next frontier, we will take our challenges into the field of outer space and strive to offer value that makes people’s daily lives more enjoyable. Through the co-development of this refueling port connection system with Astroscale, Honda will contribute to space sustainability. Moreover, we will apply the practical technologies we gain through this co-development to our ongoing space-related research and development so that Honda technologies will contribute to the success of many space missions around the world.”
Suggested Items
Rocket Lab to Launch Electron Mission for European Space Agency’s Next-Generation Navigation System
06/26/2025 | BUSINESS WIRERocket Lab Corporation, a global leader in launch services and space systems, today announced it has been selected to launch a dedicated Electron mission for the European Space Agency (ESA) for the first time, to deploy the first pair of satellites for a future navigation constellation for Europe, LEO-PNT.
SFL Missions Announces Launch and Successful Deployment of Two GHGSat Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Microsatellites
06/26/2025 | BUSINESS WIRESFL Missions Inc. announced the successful launch and deployment of the GHGSat-C12 and GHGSat-C13 (also known as Pierre and Valmay, respectively) greenhouse gas monitoring microsatellites developed for GHGSat of Montreal. SFL Missions Inc. developed the satellites on a low-cost, high-performance 15-kg NEMO bus, the same used to build the first nine GHGSat spacecraft.
NASA, German Aerospace Center to Expand Artemis Campaign Cooperation
06/24/2025 | NASAWhile attending the Paris Air Show June 16, NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro signed an agreement with DLR (German Aerospace Center, or Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt) to continue a partnership in space medicine research.
Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Tin Whisker Mitigation in Aerospace Applications, Part 3
06/25/2025 | Nash Bell -- Column: Knocking Down the Bone PileTin whiskers are slender, hair-like metallic growths that can develop on the surface of tin-plated electronic components. Typically measuring a few micrometers in diameter and growing several millimeters in length, they form through an electrochemical process influenced by environmental factors such as temperature variations, mechanical or compressive stress, and the aging of solder alloys.
Northrop Grumman Expanding Its Use of NVIDIA AI Technology to Advance Solutions for Space
06/21/2025 | Northrop GrummanNorthrop Grumman Corporation is expanding its use of NVIDIA technology, including adding space applications to the NVIDIA Omniverse simulation platform and leveraging the NVIDIA Isaac Lab framework for the training, development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) for cognitive spacecraft operations.