Paris (AFP) Mar 5, 2025
The first commercial mission of Europe's new heavy-lift rocket Ariane 6 has been rescheduled for Thursday, French company Arianespace announced, after an "anomaly" forced a last-minute postponement. The already twice-delayed rocket was slated to lift off Monday, but had to be delayed after the discovery of a dysfunctional valve. The high-profile mission aims to carry a French military sa

London (AFP) Mar 4, 2025
Tech billionaire Elon Musk has survived calls for his expulsion from the Royal Society following a crunch meeting at the elite British science institute. However, the roughly 150 members in attendance vowed to combat "misinformation and ideologically motivated attacks" on science following Monday's closed-door talks. It came after more than 3,000 people including Nobel prize winners sign

Washington (AFP) Mar 5, 2025
Elon Musk's SpaceX is now aiming for Wednesday to conduct the next test flight of its massive Starship rocket, following a last-minute cancellation on Monday. The world's biggest and most powerful launch vehicle is set to lift off from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, during a launch window that opens at 5:30 pm local time (2330 GMT). It will be Starship's eighth orbital

A compelling collection of images that illustrates humanity’s efforts to mitigate the far-reaching impacts of violent solar outbursts has been unveiled in London.

The methane emitted in 2022 by the damaged Nord Stream gas pipelines was more than double the volume estimated at the time, according to a study published in Nature.

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 01, 2025
Around 2.5 million years ago, Earth began experiencing alternating glacial and interglacial periods, with the last ice age concluding approximately 11,700 years ago. Now, a new study indicates that the next glaciation event could commence in about 10,000 years. An international team of researchers, including scientists from UC Santa Barbara, has examined how subtle variations in Earth's or

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 04, 2025
China is making steady strides toward its goal of landing astronauts on the moon by 2030, with research and development efforts progressing as scheduled, the China Manned Space Agency announced Monday. According to the agency's latest update, key elements of the lunar mission-including the Long March 10 heavy-lift rocket, the Mengzhou crewed spacecraft, the Lanyue lunar lander, the Wangyu

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 04, 2025
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) has played a key role in the successful Moon landing of Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1, which touched down on March 2 at 8:34 a.m. UTC (3:34 a.m. ET). The mission relied on Rocket Lab's MAX Flight and MAX Ground Data Software suites to enable precise navigation, control, and telemetry throughout its descent and landing phases. The Blue Ghost 1

Boston MA (SPX) Feb 28, 2025
High-temperature superconducting magnets made from REBCO, an acronym for rare earth barium copper oxide, make it possible to create an intense magnetic field that can confine the extremely hot plasma needed for fusion reactions, which combine two hydrogen atoms to form an atom of helium, releasing a neutron in the process. But some early tests suggested that neutron irradiation inside a fu