Oort cloud resembles a galaxy, new study finds
Monday, 24 February 2025 08:31
Washington DC (UPI) Feb 23, 2025
A shell of icy objects at the edge of the solar system known as the Oort cloud has a pair of spiral arms that resemble a miniature galaxy, new research suggests.
Until now, the shape of the cloud and how it is affected by forces beyond our solar system have not been largely understood. But the new research, published Feb. 16 at arXiv, says the cloud may look like a spiral disk, one of t

Advanced Power Semiconductors Enhance Space Industry with Radiation Resistance
Monday, 24 February 2025 08:31
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 20, 2025
A research team led by Dr. Jae Hwa Seo at the Advanced Semiconductor Research Center of KERI has developed cutting-edge technology to evaluate radiation resistance and enhance the reliability of silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor devices for space applications.
Power semiconductors are critical in electronic systems, managing current flow and enabling power conversion. While silicon

Chip based microcombs boost gps precision
Monday, 24 February 2025 08:31
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Feb 24, 2025
Optical atomic clocks hold the promise of enhancing timekeeping and positioning in everyday devices by a factor of one thousand. Yet their large size and complex design have kept them confined to advanced laboratories. Researchers at Purdue University, USA, and Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have now devised a method using on-chip microcombs to dramatically reduce the size of these p

ClearSpace Initiates GEO Mission for Satellite Renewal
Monday, 24 February 2025 08:31
Paris, France (SPX) Feb 24, 2025
ClearSpace has commenced the consolidation phase of its GEO Life Extension Mission. Backed by the Government of Luxembourg and supported by an ESA contract under the Luxembourg National Space Programme LuxIMPULSE, which is implemented by the Luxembourg Space Agency, this initiative represents a major operational milestone.
The mission underscores ClearSpace's steadfast commitment to sustai

NASA's PUNCH Mission to Revolutionize Our View of Solar Wind
Monday, 24 February 2025 08:31
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Feb 24, 2025
Earth is immersed in material streaming from the Sun. This stream, called the solar wind, is washing over our planet, causing breathtaking auroras, impacting satellites and astronauts in space, and even affecting ground-based infrastructure.
NASA's PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission will be the first to image the Sun's corona, or outer atmosphere, and solar win

ATMOS EU Funding Drives PHOENIX 2 Advancement
Monday, 24 February 2025 08:31
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Feb 24, 2025
ATMOS Space Cargo a leading European space logistics startup has received a total funding package of euro 13.1 million from the European Innovation Council Accelerator a flagship component of the European Union Horizon Europe framework This financial boost reinforces the companys innovative role in the space sector
The EIC Accelerator targets firms that develop breakthrough innovations ca

New Satellite Terminal Aims To Bridge Global Connectivity Gap
Monday, 24 February 2025 08:31
London UK (SPX) Feb 24, 2025
Researchers at Heriot-Watt University have secured approval to initiate an innovative project designed to deliver affordable connectivity to everyone. A consortium of agencies that includes Heriot-Watt has been allocated GBP6 million through the UK Space Agency's Connectivity in Low Earth Orbit (C-LEO) programme. Under the leadership of Cardiff-based tech firm Excelerate Technology Ltd, the team

Week in images: 17-21 February 2025
Friday, 21 February 2025 13:14
Week in images: 17-21 February 2025
Discover our week through the lens
Moon or Mars? NASA's future at a crossroads under Trump
Friday, 21 February 2025 11:42
Washington (AFP) Feb 20, 2025
Is NASA still Moonbound, or will the next giant leap mean skipping straight to Mars?
Speculation is mounting that the Trump administration may scale back or cancel NASA's Artemis missions following the departure of a key official and Boeing's decision to lay off hundreds of employees working on its lunar rocket.
Late Wednesday, NASA abruptly announced the retirement of longtime associate

Musk in X spat with Danish astronaut over 'abandoned' ISS crew
Friday, 21 February 2025 11:42
Washington (AFP) Feb 20, 2025
The world's richest man Elon Musk got into a heated row Thursday with a Danish astronaut who criticized the tech billionaire's claim that former president Joe Biden intentionally abandoned two American astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
Andreas "Andy" Mogensen had shared on X a Fox News clip featuring Musk and his boss, US President Donald Trump, where Musk claimed NASA's But

Heriot-Watt University to Advance Affordable Satellite Connectivity with MAMUT Project
Friday, 21 February 2025 11:42
London, UK (SPX) Feb 21, 2025
Heriot-Watt University has joined forces with a multi-agency consortium to pioneer a next-generation satellite user terminal aimed at expanding global connectivity. The initiative, backed by a Pounds 6 million grant from the UK Space Agency's Connectivity in Low Earth Orbit (C-LEO) programme, seeks to develop an innovative, flexible, and cost-effective solution.
Spearheaded by Cardiff-bas

Chinese Scientists Identify "Rocket Effect" as Key Driver of Boulder Motion on Comet
Friday, 21 February 2025 11:42
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Feb 21, 2025
A team of Chinese scientists has linked the unexpected movement of a boulder on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko to a process known as the "rocket effect." This phenomenon, triggered by the uneven sublimation of volatile ice within the boulder, was observed by the European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta spacecraft during its mission between 2014 and 2016.
The study, recently published in *The

What Hundreds of Millions of Galaxies Can Teach Us About the Big Bang
Friday, 21 February 2025 11:42
Pasadena CA (SPX) Feb 21, 2025
Soon, a new cone-shaped spacecraft will launch into space on a mission to chart the skies like never before. Called SPHEREx (for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer), the NASA mission will provide a unique all-sky 3D map of hundreds of millions of galaxies in our universe. Among several big questions the mission is poised to answer is how o

PLD Space expands global launch network with new Oman spaceport
Friday, 21 February 2025 11:42
Madrid, Spain (SPX) Feb 21, 2025
PLD Space, a global provider of space services specializing in vertically integrated engineering and manufacturing, has announced its selection of the Etlaq spaceport in Oman as its second operational launch site for the MIURA rocket family. This addition strengthens the company's existing capabilities at the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) in Kourou, French Guiana, which is managed by CNES and ES

China Prepares for Launch of Tianwen 2 Asteroid Mission
Friday, 21 February 2025 11:42
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Feb 21, 2025
China is gearing up for its first asteroid sample-return mission, Tianwen 2, which is set to launch in the coming months from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
The space agency announced on Thursday that the robotic probe has already arrived at the launch facility. It stated that "facilities at the launch c
