Weak force has strong impact on nanosheets
Tuesday, 22 December 2020 05:46You have to look closely, but the hills are alive with the force of van der Walls. Rice University scientists found that nature's ubiquitous "weak" force is sufficient to indent rigid nanosheets, extending their potential for use in nanoscale optics or catalytic systems. Changing the shape of nanoscale particles changes their electromagnetic properties, said Matt Jones, the Norman an
New fullerene crystal production method 50 times faster than predecessor
Tuesday, 22 December 2020 05:46Researchers from Yokohama National University and the University of Electro-Communications in Japan have developed a highly efficient technique for producing a unique fullerene crystal, called fullerene finned-micropillar (FFMP), that is of significant use for next-generation electronics. Fullerene is a popular choice for developing technologies not only due to its small size, it is also v
Space Development Agency to reevaluate proposals for missile-tracking satellites
Monday, 21 December 2020 23:04WASHINGTON — Companies that competed earlier this year for Space Development Agency satellite contracts awarded to L3Harris and SpaceX were asked to resubmit their proposals following several protests of the awards.
Airbus and Raytheon on Oct.
SLS Exploration Upper Stage passes review
Monday, 21 December 2020 18:12WASHINGTON — An upgraded upper stage for the Space Launch System rocket has passed a major review, allowing its prime contractor, Boeing, to start producing hardware.
Boeing announced Dec. 21 that the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) of the SLS completed a critical design review with NASA.
Omnibus spending bill gives Space Force its first separate budget
Monday, 21 December 2020 18:10WASHINGTON — The massive $2.3 trillion appropriations package Congress passed for fiscal year 2021 provides $696 billion for the Defense Department, including $15.2 billion for the U.S. Space Force.
The bill passed the House and Senate Dec.
Raytheon completes acquisition of Blue Canyon Technologies
Monday, 21 December 2020 17:23WASHINGTON — Raytheon Technologies’ acquisition of satellite manufacturer Blue Canyon Technologies has been completed, the company announced Dec. 22.
Boulder, Colorado-based Blue Canyon from now on will be part of Raytheon Intelligence & Space, a business unit of Raytheon Technologies based in Arlington, Virginia.
ESA highlights 2020
Monday, 21 December 2020 16:202020 has been another year of progress for ESA. The launch and commissioning of Solar Orbiter heralded a new era of space science, whilst Eutelsat Konnect revolutionised telecommunications. The new Vega SSMS began a cost-effective new launch system for small satellites, deploying exciting new technologies such as PhiSat and ESAIL. ESA’s Earth Observation activities were also showcased, with the launch of Sentinel-6 and an international effort to monitor the environmental and economic impact of COVID-19. Gaia and Cheops yielded new findings about our universe; ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano returned successfully from orbit. With a lunar programme agreement
Image: Instruments installed on Euclid spacecraft
Monday, 21 December 2020 13:30The optical and infrared instruments of Euclid, ESA's mission to study dark energy and dark matter, have passed the qualification and acceptance review and are now fully integrated into the spacecraft's payload module. This marks an important step forward in the assembly of the Euclid space telescope, which is scheduled for launch in 2022.
The visible and infrared instruments are crucial to measure the shapes and distances of billions of galaxies. This will enable scientists to reconstruct 10 billion years of cosmic history, and investigate the mysterious dark matter and dark energy that are thought to dominate the universe.
This image shows Euclid's payload module, which consists of a silicon baseplate supporting the telescope and two instruments. The visual imager is visible towards the top, which, with more than 600 megapixels, will be one of the biggest cameras in space. The near-infrared spectrometer and photometer is to the right. The telescope's primary and secondary mirrors are hidden from view and inside the white baffle with gold multi-layer insulation, underneath the baseplate in this orientation.
Op-ed | Building on the Artemis Accords to address space sustainability
Monday, 21 December 2020 13:00Ethiopia takes over operation of Chinese-built satellite
Monday, 21 December 2020 12:16The Ethiopian Remote Sensing Satellite-1, the African nation's first satellite, has been handed over to its Ethiopian operators, according to the China Academy of Space Technology, which designed and built the spacecraft. A delivery ceremony was held earlier this month in Beijing with participants from both countries, it said in a statement. Ethiopian Ambassador to China Teshome Toga
Japan's signs historic MOU with the US Space Force
Monday, 21 December 2020 12:16The U.S. Space Force and Japan's Office of National Space Policy signed an historic Memorandum of Understanding this week to launch two U.S. payloads on Japan's Quasi Zenith Satellite System. The Department of the Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center is developing the payloads, which feature Space Domain Awareness optical sensors and will launch from Japan's Tanegashima Space Cente
What's with all the US space-related agencies?
Monday, 21 December 2020 12:16For centuries, the U.S. military has fought wars on land and sea. For that, America has the Army, the Navy and the Marine Corps. Then, in 1909, the U.S. Army bought America's first military aircraft with a $30,000 contract awarded to the Wright brothers. Less than four decades later, in 1947, the U.S. military gave birth to the U.S. Air Force to operate in the air domain. Now, the Defense
ULA aims for launch of new Vulcan rocket at end of 2021
Monday, 21 December 2020 12:16United Launch Alliance, which has been a launch provider to the U.S. government for 14 years, plans to send its new Vulcan rocket aloft by late 2021, CEO Tory Bruno said Thursday. The company had been aiming for the first Vulcan launch in mid-2021, but the timeline slipped for the first mission - the Peregrine lunar rover being builkt by Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic, Bruno said.
Next lunar mission to sample pole or far side
Monday, 21 December 2020 12:16China plans to use its next moon mission, Chang'e 6, to collect samples from the moon's south pole or possibly the celestial body's far side, according to a key figure in the nation's lunar exploration program. Wu Yanhua, deputy head of China National Space Administration, told China Daily on Thursday after a news conference in Beijing that project managers' current plans call for the Chan
China's space landing site chosen with utmost care
Monday, 21 December 2020 12:16For Siziwang Banner of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, falling spacecraft are nothing unusual. Before the landing of Chang'e 5 at 1:59 am on Thursday, the site also welcomed back 11 Shenzhou spacecraft designed for China's manned spaceflight program, as well as 14 astronauts over the past two decades. Siziwang Banner is located at the center of Inner Mongolia, about 80 kilomete