Washington DC (UPI) Feb 7, 2025
Researchers said on Thursday that they had discovered twin-lobed radio jets they suspect were formed when the universe was 1.2 billion years old, stretching at least twice the length of the Milky Way galaxy. Scientists added, however, that the black hole fueling the quasar producing the jets is small compared to other black holes, equaling 450 million suns. The discovery was made by the

Bath UK (SPX) Feb 06, 2025
A new study led by the University of Bath suggests that investigating 'starquakes'-seismic activity in neutron stars-could unlock profound insights into the properties of nuclear matter. These findings have the potential to reshape current methodologies in nuclear physics and astronomy, with possible long-term applications in health, security, and energy. The research, conducted by an inte

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Feb 10, 2025
The discovery of the new belts, made possible by NASA's Colorado Inner Radiation Belt Experiment (CIRBE) satellite and published Feb. 6, 2025, in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, is particularly important for protecting spacecraft launching into geostationary orbits, since they travel through the Van Allen Belts several times before reaching their final orbit. Temporary

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 06, 2025
A new study from the University of British Columbia (UBC) has found that there is a 26 percent chance each year that debris from space rockets will re-enter Earth's atmosphere and pass through an area of high air traffic density. Although the probability of such debris striking an aircraft remains low, the findings underscore the growing risk of space junk disrupting flights and imposing f

Optical technology has the potential to revolutionise the field of positioning, navigation and timing. To drive the development of this technology, ESA has signed a contract with a consortium of European companies that will conduct a definition study (Phase A/B1) and associated critical technology predevelopment.

This is the first step toward a potential in-orbit demonstrator for optical time synchronisation and ranging (OpSTAR) that will be proposed at the ESA Council at Ministerial Level in November 2025, to validate intersatellite optical links before future use in operational satellite navigation systems.

Video: 00:00:46

Over the course of a whole day, Norway’s plasma sampler, the multi-Needle Langmuir Probe (m-NLP), is seen being slowly moved around by a robotic arm to be slotted into place on the outside porch of Bartolomeo – the Airbus-operated platform attached to the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station (ISS).

Since its integration on Bartolomeo in September 2023, the task of this instrument has been to sample its immediate space weather environment by measuring the plasma surrounding the ISS. It does so to an extraordinarily high level of detail, making a few thousand measurements per second.

Plasma, sometimes

Image: The ranges and valleys of the Swiss Alps stand out in this image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission in December 2024.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has endorsed the United Nations' (UN) designation of 2029 as the International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence.

The initiative will foster international collaboration in the field of planetary defence and educate the public on the risks and opportunities associated with near-Earth asteroids.

Paris, France (SPX) Feb 04, 2025
Arianespace has confirmed at the 17th European Space Conference the signing of a launch services agreement with the European Commission and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA). Under this contract, Ariane 6 will deploy the first pair of second-generation Galileo navigation satellites (L17). Each satellite, weighing between 2,200 kg and 2,400 kg and outfitted with electrical

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 05, 2025
Momentus Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTS), a US-based commercial space provider that develops satellite buses, technology, and in-space transport solutions, announced that AFWERX, part of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), has chosen a Momentus proposal to test low-cost multispectral sensors for Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO). AFWERX serves as the Air Force's innovation hub and l