Pasadena CA (JPL) Jun 30, 2025
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is testing a series of large spacecraft rolls that will help it hunt for water. After nearly 20 years of operations, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is on a roll, performing a new maneuver to squeeze even more science out of the busy spacecraft as it circles the Red Planet. Engineers have essentially taught the probe to roll over so that it's nearly

Chicago IL (SPX) Jun 30, 2025
The earliest light in the universe has been traveling across space since just after the Big Bang. Known as the cosmic microwave background, it is imperceptible to the human eye. But if scientists can capture it, using some of the most sensitive detectors ever made, it can tell us about how our universe formed and evolved over time. Researchers have released unprecedentedly sensitive measur

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jun 30, 2025
ICEYE and the Finnish Ministry of Defense have signed a Letter of Intent that will allow Finland's Defense Forces to acquire ICEYE Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites. This partnership is intended to enhance the country's space-based intelligence and surveillance capabilities. The agreement includes a preliminary delivery schedule and outlines the technical systems required to create

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jun 30, 2025
Astronomers at Heidelberg University's Konigstuhl Observatory have found that Earth-sized planets are particularly prevalent around low-mass stars, according to new findings from the CARMENES project. The study led to the discovery of four new exoplanets and offers compelling evidence that stars with less than one-sixth the mass of our Sun frequently host terrestrial worlds. The observatio

Image: A starburst shines in infrared (MIRI)

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On 11 June, engineers at OHB’s facilities in Germany joined together the two main parts of ESA’s Plato mission. 

They used a special crane to lift Plato’s payload module, housing its 26 ultra-sensitive cameras, into the air and carefully line it up over the service module. The supporting service module contains everything else that the spacecraft needs to function, including subsystems for power, propulsion and communication with Earth. 

With millimetre-level precision, the engineers gently lowered the payload module into place. Once perfectly positioned, the team tested the electrical connections. 

Finally, they securely closed a panel that connects

New York (AFP) June 29, 2025
The world's most advanced AI models are exhibiting troubling new behaviors - lying, scheming, and even threatening their creators to achieve their goals. In one particularly jarring example, under threat of being unplugged, Anthropic's latest creation Claude 4 lashed back by blackmailing an engineer and threatened to reveal an extramarital affair. Meanwhile, ChatGPT-creator OpenAI's o1 t

Washington DC (UPI) Jun 28, 2025
SpaceX early Saturday launched another 27 Starlink satellites, breaking its own record by preparing the launchpad for another liftoff two days after a launch from the same pad in Florida. And 13 hours later, the private company launched more satellites from California. Saturday's first mission went off from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40 at 12:26 a.m. EDT. This was just t

Washington DC (UPI) Jun 28, 2025
With the of peak hurricane season looming, forecasters will be without key information starting Monday because the Defense Department said it will no longer provide them with data from the weather satellites. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published a notice Wednesday about the change. "Due to recent service changes, the Defense Meteorological Satellite Progr