Image: This is not static noise

Paris, France (SPX) Oct 06, 2025
The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a euro 50 million contract with Thales Alenia Space to initiate the preliminary design phase of the Security And cryptoGrAphic (SAGA) mission. This milestone marks a significant step toward establishing secure quantum communications from orbit. SAGA's goal is to demonstrate satellite-based quantum key distribution (QKD), which enables encryption

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Sep 30, 2025
Crest Robotics and Earthbuilt Technology will present Charlotte, the first robot capable of constructing buildings on both Earth and the Moon, at the 76th International Astronautical Congress in Sydney. The project, supported by the NSW Space+ Program and SmartSat CRC, integrates advanced robotics with Earthbuilt's low-carbon building process to meet urgent housing and space exploration needs.

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Oct 06, 2025
Since the early 20th century, scientists have known that the Universe is expanding at an accelerating pace. This acceleration has been attributed to dark energy, a mysterious property of spacetime that counteracts gravity. Traditionally, cosmologists have treated dark energy as constant under the Lambda Cold Dark Matter (LCDM) model, but new data are challenging this assumption. Recent fin

London UK (SPX) Oct 01, 2025
The lunar far side may have a colder interior than the near side, according to a new analysis of rock samples collected by China's Chang'e 6 mission. A study led by researchers from UCL and Peking University examined 300 g of lunar soil retrieved from a vast crater, revealing key differences in mantle temperature and composition between the two hemispheres. The research, published in Natur

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Oct 09, 2025
EUMETSAT has unveiled the first Earth imagery from the METimage instrument aboard its newly launched Metop Second Generation A1 (Metop-SGA1) satellite, offering an early look at the mission's extraordinary visual clarity and scientific potential. Captured on 24 September 2025, METimage's debut scene spans Europe and North Africa, detailing complex weather systems, cloud fronts, and clear-s

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 09, 2025
TERN has closed a $7.5 million Seed Extension to accelerate deployment of its Independently Derived Positioning System (IDPS), an AI-driven, satellite-free navigation technology for commercial and defense customers. Investors include Scout VC, Vanderbilt Endowment, Shadow Capital, Bravo Victor VC and others. The company is advancing in the U.S. Army's xTechOverwatch competition, highlighting dua

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 09, 2025
A University of Houston team reports that a rare bacterium found in NASA spacecraft assembly clean rooms can evade detection by entering dormancy, effectively "playing dead" in a nutrient-poor environment. The microorganism, Tersicoccus phoenicis, turned up in two clean rooms more than a decade ago in Florida and French Guiana. These facilities undergo rigorous sterilization to protect spa

Image: This wide view of Copernicus Sentinel-3 shows Cyclone Errol heading towards the coast of Western Australia.