After more than 10 years in orbit, the first Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite, Sentinel-2A, is still finding new ways to contribute to Earth observation. With its younger siblings, Sentinel-2B and Sentinel-2C, now leading the mission’s core task of delivering high-resolution, ‘camera-like’ images of Earth’s surface, the European Space Agency is pushing Sentinel-2A beyond its original remit.

In recent trials, this elderly satellite was even switched on at night to see how it would perform in the dark – and the results have been strikingly positive, offering encouraging news for the follow-on Copernicus Sentinel-2 Next Generation mission,

Image: Virtual tour of ESA’s Test Centre gets a makeover

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 07, 2026
A team of researchers at the University of Waterloo have demonstrated a method to back up quantum information by encrypting qubits during copying, providing redundancy while remaining consistent with the no-cloning theorem. Quantum computing stores and processes information in qubits, which can be implemented in individual electrons, photons, atoms, ions or tiny electrical currents.

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jan 09, 2026
Controlling light across scales, from microscopes and telescopes down to nanometers, is a central challenge in modern optics. Researchers at the University of Amsterdam have now demonstrated a nanoscale mirror whose reflectivity can be switched on and off electrically using quantum effects in an atomically thin material. Physicists Tom Hoekstra and Jorik van de Groep of the UvA-Institute o

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 13, 2026
Stringent quality control is essential in the pharmaceutical industry, as both cosmetics and pharmaceutical products must maintain a high standard of quality. Any deviation from these standards poses a significant threat to their market survival. Customers believe that every product will work with every use. In vitro release testing (IVRT) is a crucial process that enables manufacturers to meet

San Francisco, United States (AFP) Jan 13, 2026
A trial in the lawsuit brought by Elon Musk against OpenAI CEO Samuel Altman and other defendants - including tech giant Microsoft - is scheduled to begin April 27, according to a federal court order issued Tuesday. The legal showdown will center on Musk's claim that OpenAI and Altman abandoned the startup's original nonprofit, public-benefit mission and misled him while turning the lab in

Beijing, China (SPX) Jan 13, 2026
Low-Earth orbit slots are finite, nonrenewable and increasingly scarce. Once they are occupied or effectively locked by early movers, latecomers face severe constraints on their ability to deploy satellite systems critical for communications, navigation, remote sensing and digital services. Under the long-standing "first-come, first-served" principle of the International Telecommunication