Washington (AFP) Sept 4, 2025
JetBlue Airways will become the first airline to use Amazon's Project Kuiper satellite network to power its in-flight Wi-Fi service, the companies announced Wednesday, as the online retail giant tries to challenge the dominance of Elon Musk's Starlink. The partnership will see JetBlue implement Project Kuiper's low orbit satellite technology on select aircraft beginning in 2027, enhancing th

Samburu, Kenya (AFP) Sept 7, 2025
Under the Kenyan stars tourists and tribal dancers looked up at the rust red "blood moon" as the east African country launched a new tourism initiative promoting the country's night skies. When the Sun, Earth and Moon line up, the shadow cast by the planet on its satellite makes it appear an eerie, deep red colour that has astounded humans for millennia. The phenomenon was visible late S

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Sep 07, 2025
Recent research has overturned long-held assumptions about how energetic particles move during solar eruptions. For decades, scientists believed that faster, higher-energy particles always arrive first at detectors, producing a velocity dispersion pattern common in solar energetic particle (SEP) events. However, ESA's Solar Orbiter has now recorded instances where high-energy particles rea

London, UK (SPX) Sep 07, 2025
New research from the University of St Andrews suggests that ions in solar flares can heat to more than 60 million degrees, over six times hotter than previously believed, offering a solution to a 50-year-old astrophysical mystery. Solar flares release vast amounts of energy in the Sun's outer atmosphere, heating regions to above 10 million degrees. These eruptions generate intense bursts

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 07, 2025
Southwest Research Institute has outlined a mission design capable of intercepting and studying interstellar comets, demonstrating that such encounters are achievable with current technology. The internal study validated the concept against the trajectory of 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar comet detected to date. The first known interstellar comet, 1I/'Oumuamua, was discovered in 2017, fo

Durham NC (SPX) Sep 07, 2025
With $2 million in backing from an anonymous alumnus, Duke research will soon reach new heights. Last week, the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences announced a new multidisciplinary initiative that aims to unite science with policymaking to support human exploration of the final frontier. Termed Science and Policy to Advance Cosmic Exploration, or SPACE, the program is headed by Associate

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 07, 2025
In a move set to transform European space access, Astrobotic Technology and Andoya Space have signed a Term Sheet for a Launch Site Agreement that will bring reusable rocket operations to Norway starting in 2026. The deal, signed in August 2025, secures Andoya Space as a European base for Astrobotic's Xodiac rocket campaigns. The agreement outlines terms for multiple launch campaigns from

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Sep 07, 2025
Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace (KONGSBERG) has secured a contract with ArianeGroup to deliver critical hardware for Europe's Ariane 6 launch system. The agreement covers supply of Optical Safety Barriers (OSB) and Upper Part Attachment (UPPA) mechanisms over the next three years, strengthening Europe's strategic access to space. The new deal builds on a long-running partnership between th

Washington DC (SPX) Sep 07, 2025
NASA is seeking feedback from U.S. industry on the second phase of its Commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Development Program, which aims to ensure a smooth transition from the International Space Station (ISS) to commercially operated stations. The agency issued a draft Phase 2 Announcement for Partnership Proposals (AFPP) on Friday, with comments due by 1 p.m. EDT, Sept. 12. An industry br

Washington DC (UPI) Sep 5, 2025
The SpaceX space technology company completed the 500th launch and landing of an orbital class booster Friday as it placed over two dozen satellites into orbit. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 8:32 a.m. EDT, carrying a payload of 28 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. With the 28 newly added satellit