Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 04, 2024
In a significant leap for mobile connectivity, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket has successfully launched the first set of Starlink satellites equipped with Direct to Cell capabilities, as reported by T-Mobile. This launch, part of the livestreamed event last night, marks a pivotal step in the Coverage Above and Beyond initiative, a joint venture between T-Mobile and SpaceX. This ambitious project aims

Pasadena CA (JPL) Jan 04, 2024
Earth planning date: Tuesday, January 2, 2024: Curiosity was busy over the holiday break, working independently through 11 pre-planned sols. As Earth transitioned into a new year, dawn broke once again on Mars, and Curiosity awaited a call in the form of a fresh set of instructions. The return to planning for Curiosity's science team today was not immune to plot twists and suspense. While

Birmingham Uk (SPX) Jan 04, 2024
Two commercial spacecraft are scheduled to launch to the Moon early in 2024 under a Nasa initiative called the Commercial Lunar Payload Service CLPS. This programme is intended to kickstart a commercial transportation service that can deliver Nasa experiments and other payloads to the lunar surface. If successful, these missions will represent the first landings on the Moon by spacecraft d

Boston MA (SPX) Jan 04, 2024
A colorful, festive image shows different types of light containing the remains of not one, but at least two, exploded stars. This supernova remnant is known as 30 Doradus B (30 Dor B for short) and is part of a larger region of space where stars have been continuously forming for the past 8 to 10 million years. It is a complex landscape of dark clouds of gas, young stars, high-energy shocks, an

Madison WI (SPX) Jan 04, 2024
Humans are racing to harness the ocean's vast potential to power global economic growth. Worldwide, ocean-based industries such as fishing, shipping and energy production generate at least US$1.5 trillion in economic activity each year and support 31 million jobs. This value has been increasing exponentially over the past 50 years and is expected to double by 2030. Transparency in monitori

An international team of astronomers has assembled and reprocessed observations of the exoplanet WASP-121 b that were collected with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope in the years 2016, 2018 and 2019. This provided them with a unique dataset that allowed them not only to analyse the atmosphere of WASP-121 b, but also to compare the state of the exoplanet’s atmosphere across several years. 

The team found clear evidence that the observations of WASP-121 b were varying in time. Using sophisticated modelling techniques, they demonstrated that these temporal variations could be explained by weather patterns in the exoplanet's atmosphere.

Huginn - leading the Space Station

Huginn

Rochester NY (SPX) Jan 03, 2024
In the quest to understand the potential for life beyond Earth, researchers are widening their search to encompass not only biological markers, but also technological ones. While astrobiologists have long recognized the importance of oxygen for life as we know it, oxygen could also be a key to unlocking advanced technology on a planetary scale. In a new study published in Nature Astronomy,

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 03, 2024
AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTS) has recently shared an interim update regarding its ongoing fundraising efforts. Known for their ambitious initiative to establish the first and only space-based cellular broadband network directly accessible by conventional smartphones, AST SpaceMobile is currently in a strategic investment process involving multiple parties. As the company moves forwa

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jan 01, 2024
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has announced the official commencement of operations for the L-SAR 01 satellite group, following the successful completion of in-orbit tests. This significant development marks a major step forward in China's capabilities in earth observation and environmental monitoring. Comprising two satellites, L-SAR 01A and L-SAR 01B, the L-SAR 01 group