BlackSky Secures $24M AFRL Contract to Advance AI-driven Global Target Tracking Solutions
Monday, 18 March 2024 16:54
BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY) has been awarded a significant $24 million contract by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to enhance moving target engagement capabilities through development and demonstration. The contract showcases BlackSky's innovative approach to integrating artificial intelligence (AI) with satellite technology for improved detection, tracking, and identification UTS and Space Machines Company Forge Pioneering Partnership for Space Sustainability
Monday, 18 March 2024 16:54
In an ambitious move marking a new chapter for Australia's space industry, the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has joined forces with Space Machines Company (SMC), aiming to enhance space sustainability. This collaboration is set against the backdrop of Australia's goal to expand its space economy from AU$4 billion to AU$12 billion by 2030, alongside creating 20,000 jobs.
During a st U.S. Space Force Invests $15M in Defense Unicorns for Strategic Space Software Enhancements
Monday, 18 March 2024 16:54
In a significant boost to national security and space capabilities, Defense Unicorns, a pioneering open-source software and Artificial Intelligence (AI) provider, has secured a $15 million funding boost from the U.S. Space Force. This Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI), in collaboration with the Program Executive Office Assured Access to Space (AATS), aims to enhance and expand secure software Chinese scientists push for Solar Polar Orbiter
Monday, 18 March 2024 16:54
Yang Mengfei, a prominent spacecraft scientist and advisor, has urged for state backing in developing a satellite designed for solar observations from a unique solar polar orbit. This initiative aims to deepen our understanding of solar phenomena that significantly influence earthly technologies and natural occurrences.
Yang, a senior researcher at the China Academy of Space Technology and Algorithms help chart the origins of heavy elements
Monday, 18 March 2024 16:54
The origin of heavy elements in our universe is theorized to be the result of neutron star collisions, which produce conditions hot and dense enough for free neutrons to merge with atomic nuclei and form new elements in a split-second window of time. Testing this theory and answering other astrophysical questions requires predictions for a vast range of masses of atomic nuclei. Los Alamos Nation Webb finds ethanol, other icy ingredients for making planets
Monday, 18 March 2024 16:54
What do margaritas, vinegar, and ant stings have in common? They contain chemical ingredients that NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has identified surrounding two young protostars known as IRAS 2A and IRAS 23385. Although planets are not yet forming around those stars, these and other molecules detected there by Webb represent key ingredients for making potentially habitable worlds.
An in Aerospacelab Achieves Milestone with Quadruple Satellite Launch
Monday, 18 March 2024 16:54
Aerospacelab has successfully doubled its number of satellites in orbit by launching four new satellites. The launch took place at Vandenberg Space Force Station in California, USA, at 2:05 pm PT on March 4th aboard a Falcon 9 rocket as part of SpaceX's Transporter-10 mission.
Shortly after takeoff from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E), the satellites were confirmed to be in good condition Loathed by scientists, loved by nature: sulfur and the origin of life
Monday, 18 March 2024 16:54
Many artists have tried to depict what Earth might have looked like billions of years ago, before life made its appearance. Many scenes trade snow-covered mountains for lava-gushing volcanoes and blue skies for lightning bolts pummeling what's below from a hazy sky.
But what did early Earth actually look like? This question has been the subject of intense scientific research for decades. 
Hubble views dwarf galaxy LEDA 4216
Monday, 18 March 2024 16:00
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows LEDA 42160, a galaxy about 52 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo. The dwarf galaxy is one of many forcing its way through the comparatively dense gas in the massive Virgo cluster of galaxies. The pressure exerted by this intergalactic gas, known as ram pressure, has dramatic effects on star formation in LEDA 42160.
Orbith orders small Astranis GEO broadband satellite for Argentina
Monday, 18 March 2024 15:23
National Reconnaissance Office embracing mix of big and small satellites
Monday, 18 March 2024 14:45
SpaceX is building a spy satellite network for US, news agency says
Monday, 18 March 2024 14:00
Elon Musk's SpaceX is building a network of hundreds of spy satellites under a classified contract with a U.S. intelligence agency, Reuters reported, citing five people familiar with the program.
SpaceX's Starshield business unit is building the network as part of a $1.8 billion contract signed in 2021 with the National Reconnaissance Office, Reuters said. The new spy system comprises of hundreds of satellites bearing Earth-imaging capabilities that can operate as a swarm in low orbits, according to the news agency.
The contract signals a strengthening relationship between the billionaire's space company and the US government's national security agencies, Reuters said.
SpaceX and the NRO did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent after regular business hours. The NRO said last year that it planned to quadruple its orbiting spacecraft by 2033.
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ESA kicks off two new navigation missions
Monday, 18 March 2024 13:06
ESA has signed contracts with several European companies for an overall amount of € 233 million to develop Genesis and a LEO-PNT demonstrator, two new missions within the FutureNAV programme that will keep Europe at the forefront of satellite navigation worldwide.
Gaia maps largest ever collection of quasars in space and time
Monday, 18 March 2024 13:00
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Astronomers have created the largest yet cosmic 3D map of quasars: bright and active centres of galaxies powered by supermassive black holes. This map shows the location of about 1.3 million quasars in space and time, with the furthest shining bright when the Universe was only 1.5 billion years old.
The new map has been made with data from ESA’s Gaia space telescope. While Gaia’s main objective is to map the stars in our own galaxy, in the process of scanning the sky it also spots objects outside the Milky Way, such as quasars and other galaxies.
The graphic