Paris, France (SPX) Feb 04, 2025
Arianespace has confirmed at the 17th European Space Conference the signing of a launch services agreement with the European Commission and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA). Under this contract, Ariane 6 will deploy the first pair of second-generation Galileo navigation satellites (L17). Each satellite, weighing between 2,200 kg and 2,400 kg and outfitted with electrical

Image: XMM-Newton finds two stray supernova remnants

Space is not the safest place to be. During spaceflight, both devices and humans risk exposure to high levels of radiation. Without sufficient protection, instruments would malfunction, and astronauts might face serious health risks. A team of researchers from Ghent University in Belgium are testing the potential of 3D-printed hydrogels – materials that can soak up large amounts of water – to serve as highly-effective radiation shields.

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 04, 2025
Mission Space is preparing to make a major stride forward by sending its new Zohar space weather sensor payload into orbit aboard SpaceX's Transporter-13. This launch marks a significant milestone, as the sensor is designed to deliver continuous readings on solar activity, radiation levels, and magnetospheric variations in real time. Zohar is placed and managed in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) by

Paris, France (SPX) Feb 04, 2025
The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) has released the very first GNSS and Secure SATCOM User Technology Report, offering a unified resource that addresses two central space-based capabilities. This new publication builds upon earlier GNSS User Technology and Secure SATCOM Market and User Technology studies, presenting an extensive review of the most recent innovations

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 05, 2025
Coordinate your actions, unify your approach, and collaborate to fulfill a shared objective. This "pep talk" succinctly captures how NASA's latest swarm-based breakthrough operates. Known as Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy (DSA), it allows each satellite to make decisions independently while uniting with fellow spacecraft to pursue collective goals, all free from human oversight. Within NA

Huntsville AL (SPX) Feb 05, 2025
A graduate research assistant at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama system, has published a paper in the journal Astronomy and Physics that builds on an earlier study to help understand why the solar corona is so hot compared to the surface of the sun itself. To shed further light on this age-old mystery, Syed Ayaz, a Ph.D. candidate in the U

London, UK (SPX) Feb 05, 2025
Physicists have carried out an advanced simulation that they believe exposes fresh details about an elusive occurrence, potentially shaping the Universe's eventual destiny. The research centers on a concept called false vacuum decay, a scenario in which our Universe's apparent stability might be only temporary. Originally proposed in quantum field theory around five decades ago, the idea s

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 05, 2025
Three months after lifting off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Europa Clipper spacecraft still has 1.6 billion miles (2.6 billion kilometers) ahead before it settles into Jupiter's orbit in 2030. On arrival, it will capture detailed views of Europa's icy terrain. In the meantime, a pair of specialized cameras called star trackers is busy photographing deep space to confirm the c

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 05, 2025
Hall thrusters, an essential propulsion technology for space missions such as NASA's Psyche asteroid mission and SpaceX's Starlink satellites, operate using plasma to achieve efficient thrust. The research team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Hall thruster for CubeSats. This thruster will be integrated into t