Washington DC (UPI) Sep 17, 2024
NASA has finished building its spacecraft bus to deploy the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope into orbit after the space agency finishes installing its scientific instruments and the telescope. "They call it a spacecraft bus for a reason," said Jackie Townsend, deputy project manager for the Roman Telescope. "It gets the telescope to where it needs to be in space." Townsend said

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 17, 2024
A recent analysis of lunar maps has revealed multiple sources of water and hydroxyl in the sunlit regions of the Moon's surface, including water-rich rocks uncovered by meteor impacts across various latitudes. "Future astronauts may be able to find water even near the equator by exploiting these water-rich areas. Previously, it was thought that only the polar region, particularly the deepl

Paris, France (SPX) Sep 19, 2024
The latest edition of the "Satellites to be Built and Launched" report forecasts a dramatic increase in satellite demand through 2033, with an average of over 3,700 satellites to be launched annually. This projection equals about 10 satellites per day, with a total mass of seven tons. The surge highlights the expansion of satellite-powered connectivity and data services, underscoring long-term g

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Sep 19, 2024
Space radiation presents major health risks to astronauts, potentially causing cancer and other degenerative diseases. As space missions extend in duration and distance, it becomes critical to develop effective protective measures for crews operating beyond Earth's magnetic shield. Detailed data on radiation exposure during deep space missions is essential for designing these protections.

London, UK (SPX) Sep 19, 2024
Cinetcomm, a supplier of global satellite communication services, has entered a distribution agreement with Eutelsat OneWeb to incorporate OneWeb's Low Earth Orbit (LEO) connectivity solutions into its broad network. This collaboration highlights Cinetcomm's ongoing commitment to enhancing connectivity for its varied clientele in critical infrastructure sectors. For years, Cinetcomm has ad

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 19, 2024
A cutting-edge instrument is using innovative detection techniques and a specially designed orbit to expand our knowledge of the Van Allen belts - regions around Earth filled with energetic particles that can threaten space missions. Recently, the instrument delivered unique observations of the region's changes following a major magnetic storm in May 2024. The Van Allen radiation belts wer

Arlington, TX (SPX) Sep 19, 2024
Physicists at The University of Texas at Arlington have published a study of F-type star systems, in which they explored systems where the planets spend at least part of their orbits in the stellar habitable zones. The paper, titled "Statistics and Habitability of F-type Star-Planet Systems", is published in the September 12 edition of The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. Shaan Pat

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 19, 2024
Astronomers have spotted the biggest pair of black hole jets ever seen, spanning 23 million light-years in total length. That's equivalent to lining up 140 Milky Way galaxies back to back. "This pair is not just the size of a solar system, or a Milky Way; we are talking about 140 Milky Way diameters in total," says Martijn Oei, a Caltech postdoctoral scholar and lead author of a new Nature

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Sep 19, 2024
Researchers at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF) in Kiruna have discovered that the induced magnetosphere of Mars can break down under certain conditions. These findings were recently published in 'Nature', a prominent scientific journal. Mars, lacking a natural internal magnetic field, forms an induced magnetosphere as its atmosphere interacts directly with the solar wind. This

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Sep 19, 2024
The Einstein Probe X-ray astronomical satellite recently captured and transmitted detailed X-ray images of the moon back to Earth on Tuesday, coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival. This achievement marks the first instance in which Chinese scientists have successfully produced a comprehensive X-ray image of the moon using a domestically developed space telescope. Chen Yong, a resea