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Inside a spherical cagelike structure, a small platform slowly spins as if floating. A single, bright lamp illuminates the scene, simulating the Sun. This setup constitutes the European Space Agency’s brand new facility for the testing of CubeSats – small satellites, usually no larger than a shoebox and weighing only a few kilograms.

This space-simulating facility, built for ESA by University of Bologna and Nautilus - Navigation in Space, is part of the Attitude and Control System (AOCS) & Pointing Systems laboratory at ESTEC, the Agency’s technical centre.

Just like any piece of machinery destined for space, CubeSats undergo

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 12, 2025
Math has long been the engine behind countless technological advancements, but the path to groundbreaking mathematical insights has traditionally been slow and labor-intensive, often taking years or even centuries to unfold. This delay limits the ability of mathematics to tackle urgent challenges in fields like national security, medicine, and advanced computing. To overcome this bottlenec

As the night closed in on Spain and Portugal on 28 April, polar satellites followed the blackout that lasted well into the early hours of the morning in several regions.

The European Space Agency will be present at the 55th edition of International Paris Air Show, taking place on 16-22 June at Le Bourget airport.

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 12, 2025
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) has announced that it will launch its new medium-lift reusable rocket, Neutron, for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) as part of a pioneering Rocket Cargo mission. This mission, set for no earlier than 2026, will serve as a critical step in developing rapid, point-to-point cargo transportation capabilities, aiming to bolster global defense logistic

Sydney, Australia (SPX) May 12, 2025
Liquid water, a critical component for the habitability of Mars, may still be present beneath its surface, according to a recent study conducted by an international team of geophysicists and geologists. The research, led by Dr. Weijia Sun from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, alongside Dr. Hrvoje Tkalcic of The Australian National University, Dr. Marco G. Mal

Sydney, Australia (SPX) May 12, 2025
A team of researchers from Griffith University has introduced a new technique that significantly simplifies the use of high-dimensional quantum information encoded in light, potentially advancing next-generation quantum technologies. This breakthrough, detailed in the journal Physical Review Letters, leverages a quantum effect known as Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference to streamline the de

Paris, France (SPX) May 12, 2025
The assembly of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Plato mission is making significant strides, with 24 of the 26 planned cameras now integrated into the spacecraft. Once operational in space, Plato will utilize this extensive array of cameras to survey a vast portion of the sky in its search for terrestrial planets, aiming to uncover potentially habitable worlds. Assembly work is progressi

London, UK (SPX) May 12, 2025
A new GBP 5 million, five-year research initiative aims to tackle some of the most fundamental questions in solar physics, with a focus on the complex and dynamic processes occurring within the Sun's atmosphere. The Solar Atmospheric Modelling Suite (SAMS) project, funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council's (STFC) new Large Award scheme, seeks to develop a next-generation modellin

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 12, 2025
Buried deep in the ice in the Antarctic are "eyes" that can see elementary particles called neutrinos, and what they've observed is puzzling scientists: a remarkably strong neutrino signal accompanied by a surprisingly weak gamma-ray emission in the galaxy NGC 1068, also known as the Squid Galaxy. The "eyes" are a collection of detectors buried in a cubic kilometer of ice called the IceCub