Beijing (XNA) Apr 16, 2023
China's space station, with the Shenzhou-15 crew now in orbit, can produce 100 percent of its oxygen supply through its onboard regeneration system, according to a space technology conference in Harbin, capital of China's northernmost Heilongjiang Province. The development reflects that fundamental transformation of the environmental control and life-support system for China's manned space

Pasadena CA (JPL) Apr 18, 2023
A new NASA study offers an explanation of how quakes could be the source of the mysteriously smooth terrain on moons circling Jupiter and Saturn. Many of the ice-encrusted moons orbiting the giant planets in the far reaches of our solar system are known to be geologically active. Jupiter and Saturn have such strong gravity that they stretch and pull the bodies orbiting them, causing moonqu

Beijing (XNA) Apr 18, 2023
Shenzhou XV mission members conducted their fourth spacewalk on Saturday, surpassing previous crews, according to China Manned Space Agency. In a news release on Sunday afternoon, the agency said that mission commander Major General Fei Junlong and Senior Colonel Zhang Lu completed the spacewalk and then returned to the Wentian science module. The third crew member, Senior Colonel Deng Qin

Beijing (XNA) Apr 18, 2023
The Shenzhou XV mission crew members carried out their fourth spacewalk on Saturday, topping previous crews, according to the China Manned Space Agency. The agency said in a news release on Sunday afternoon that mission commander Major General Fei Junlong and Senior Colonel Zhang Lu completed the spacewalk and then returned to the Wentian science module. The third crew member, Senior Colon

Washington DC (SPX) Apr 18, 2023
A team of researchers, including an astronomer with NSF's NOIRLab, has developed a new machine-learning technique to enhance the fidelity and sharpness of radio interferometry images. To demonstrate the power of their new approach, which is called PRIMO, the team created a new, high-fidelity version of the iconic Event Horizon Telescope's image of the supermassive black hole at the center of Mes

San Antonio TX (SPX) Apr 18, 2023
An international research team led by UTSA Associate Professor of Astrophysics Thayne Currie has made a breakthrough in accelerating the search for new planets. In a paper slated for publication April 14 in Science, Currie reports the first exoplanet jointly discovered through direct imaging and precision astrometry, a new indirect method that identifies a planet by measuring the position

Liege, Belgium (SPX) Apr 18, 2023
An international team of researchers from the University of Liege (Belgium) and Monash University (Australia) has just published the results of the analysis of data from the SPHERE instrument of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), which confirms a new protoplanet. This result was made possible thanks to advanced image processing tools developed by the PSILab of the University of Liege.

Heidelberg, Germany (SPX) Apr 18, 2023
Researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have taken a first look at their data that probe the chemistry of the regions of disks around young stars where rocky planets form. Already at that stage, the data reveal the disks to be chemically diverse and rich in molecules such as water, carbon dioxide, and organic hydrocarbon compounds like benzene as well as tiny grains of carbon and

Lafayette CO (SPX) Apr 18, 2023
Orbit Fab, the leading provider of on-orbit refueling services, has completed a successful Series A round of $28.5 million in funding during an up-round that will allow the company to accelerate fuel sales and the deployment of fuel delivery and storage infrastructure in GEO, LEO, and VLEO orbits. The milestone funding round is led by 8090 Industries, with major investments by Stride Capit

Birmingham UK (SPX) Apr 18, 2023
The UK's space sector has shown a remarkable dynamism in the past few years. According to the latest official figures, the sector's revenue grew about 5.1% in 2021, outpacing the global space industry. This is even more impressive considering the UK's economy declined over the same period. And there is more to it than just the numbers. The new regulatory f