On National Security | SmallSat Alliance steps up push for a military comms ‘outernet’
Tuesday, 16 August 2022 13:15
A legislative proposal in the 2023 defense spending bill calling on DoD to leverage commercial space networks marks a victory of sorts for the SmallSat Alliance.
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War in Ukraine highlights the growing strategic importance of private satellite companies
Tuesday, 16 August 2022 12:27
Satellites owned by private companies have played an unexpectedly important role in the war in Ukraine. For example, in early August 2022, images from the private satellite company Planet Labs showed that a recent attack on a Russian military base in Crimea caused more damage than Russia had suggested in public reports. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted the losses as evidence of Ukraine's progress in the war.
Soon after the war began, Ukraine requested data from private satellite companies around the world. By the end of April, Ukraine was getting imagery from U.S. companies mere minutes after the data was collected.
My research focuses on international cooperation in satellite Earth observations, including the role of the private sector.
NASA moves up launch of massive moon rocket
Tuesday, 16 August 2022 11:14
NASA announced Monday that it will roll out its Artemis I Moon rocket on Tuesday evening, which is two days earlier than originally planned.
Tuesday's planned roll out represents the final prelaunch test before the scheduled launch on Aug. 29. The uncrewed test flight will remain in space for 42 days before returning to Earth.
Rick LaBrode, the lead flight director for Artemis I, Space mission shows Earth's water may be from asteroids
Tuesday, 16 August 2022 11:14
Water may have been brought to Earth by asteroids from the outer edges of the solar system, scientists said after analysing rare samples collected on a six-year Japanese space mission.
In a quest to shed light on the origins of life and the formation of the universe, researchers are scrutinising material brought back to earth in 2020 from the asteroid Ryugu.
The 5.4 grams (0.2 ounces) of Kayhan Space unveils next-gen spaceflight safety platform
Tuesday, 16 August 2022 11:14
With thousands of satellites and countless debris bound for busy orbits, Kayhan Space has unveiled its next-gen Pathfinder spaceflight safety platform to enable satellite and mission operators to better manage operational risks and make preemptive maneuvers based on precision analytics to avoid pileups in space.
Capella Space, Globalstar, and Lynk Global are among an initial group of leadi Astrobotic bids for Masten Space Systems assets
Tuesday, 16 August 2022 10:20
Astrobotic Technology, a lunar lander developer, has made a formal bid for “substantially all” of the assets of Masten Space Systems, another lander company that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month.
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China’s spaceplane remains in orbit but clues emerge from recovered launch debris
Tuesday, 16 August 2022 10:10
A Chinese reusable experimental spacecraft remains in orbit nearly two weeks after launch, despite passing directly over its expected landing site early Monday.
Op-ed | DoD falling short on responsive space capabilities
Monday, 15 August 2022 20:00
While there have been successful projects demonstrating readily available industry capability, the Department of Defense has not yet successfully institutionalized the imperative of responsive space
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D-Orbit cancels SPAC merger plan
Monday, 15 August 2022 16:02
Space logistics company D-Orbit said Aug. 12 it has canceled plans to go public by merging with Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC).
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SpaceX gets $1.9 million Air Force contract for Starlink services in Europe and Africa
Monday, 15 August 2022 14:29
The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command awarded SpaceX a $1.9 million one-year contract to provide Starlink internet services in Europe and Africa starting this month.
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The new generation of Starlink satellites remain above the accepted brightness threshold
Monday, 15 August 2022 12:33
It's one of the stranger sights of the modern Space Age. Recently, we found ourselves under the relatively dark skies of southern Spain. Sure enough, within a few minutes, we caught sight of a chain of flashing "stars" winking in and out of view in quick succession.
Starlink trains are now a familiar sight, the boon and bane of the modern era. While SpaceX's mega-satellite promises to become a true disruptor in the worldwide internet game, it also has the potential to add to the burden of light pollution in the night sky. Will there soon come a time in the not-too-distant future when moving artificial "stars" outnumber real ones?
The rise of Starlink
The problem for astronomers didn't really become apparent until the first launch of 60 Starlink satellites in May 2019. To date, SpaceX has launched Starlink batches at a breakneck pace, with over 2,900 total deployed and 2,286 still in orbit and in service as of early August 2022.
Iran seeks 3 more Khayyam satellites
Monday, 15 August 2022 09:32
Iran plans to commission three more versions of a satellite launched this week by Russia, Tehran's government spokesman said Friday.
The Khayyam blasted into orbit on Tuesday, prompting US accusations that it is intended for spying. Iran dismissed Washington's claim as "childish."
"The construction of three other Khayyam satellites with the participation of Iranian scientists is on the g Pitt is the only university in the U.S. with this giant 3D printer for metal
Monday, 15 August 2022 09:32
Tucked away in the sub-basement of Pitt's Benedum Hall, past the racecar parts spilling into hallways, you'll find a giant machine that looks like a cross between a car garage and the entry port of a sci-fi spaceship. It's a state-of-the-art 3D printer for metal - the first Gefertec arc605 at any university in the U.S.
For producing big, specialized metal parts, the machine is unbeatable, A step towards quantum gravity
Monday, 15 August 2022 09:32
In Einstein's theory of general relativity, gravity arises when a massive object distorts the fabric of spacetime the way a ball sinks into a piece of stretched cloth. Solving Einstein's equations by using quantities that apply across all space and time coordinates could enable physicists to eventually find their 'white whale': a quantum theory of gravity.
In a new article in EPJ Historica Matter at extreme temperature and pressure turns out to be remarkably simple and universal
Monday, 15 August 2022 09:32
Scientists at Queen Mary University of London have made two discoveries about the behaviour of 'supercritical matter' - matter at the critical point where the differences between liquids and gases seemingly disappear.
Previously, while the behaviour of matter at reasonably low temperature and pressure was well understood, the picture of matter at high temperature and pressure was blurred.