Paris, France (SPX) Jun 06, 2024
The first ESA instrument to land on the Moon has detected the presence of negative ions on the lunar surface produced through interactions with the solar wind. The European team working with the Negative Ions at the Lunar Surface (NILS) instrument confirmed the success of this scientific mission that flew to the far side of the Moon aboard the Chang'e-6 spacecraft. The discovery of a

Washington DC (UPI) Jun 5, 2024
SpaceX is gearing up to launch Starship's fourth test flight just after sunrise Thursday from Texas, two days after the Federal Aviation Administration gave the mega rocket a license to fly. "The FAA has approved a license authorization for SpaceX Starship Flight 4," the agency said in a statement Tuesday. "SpaceX met all safety and other licensing requirements for this test flight."

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 06, 2024
A rare exoplanet near its host star has retained a puffy atmosphere, defying expectations of being stripped down to bare rock due to the star's intense radiation. This discovery is challenging current theories about planetary evolution in extreme environments. Nicknamed "Phoenix," the newly discovered planet shows the vast diversity of solar systems and the complexity of planetary evolutio

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 06, 2024
Exoplanets are common in our galaxy, with some located in the habitable zone of their stars. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is currently observing several of these small, potentially habitable planets. Drs. Knicole Colon and Christopher Stark, Webb project scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, discuss the challenges in studying these worlds. "A potentially habitable planet i

Paris, France (SPX) Jun 06, 2024
Ever since aurora chasers discovered Steve, a mysterious ribbon of purple light in the night sky, scientists have wondered whether it might have a secret twin. Thanks to a photographer's keen eye and data from ESA's Swarm satellites, we may have found it. Steve was first identified a few years ago by the Alberta Aurora Chasers Facebook group. Its mauve hue and fleeting appearance different

London, UK (SPX) Jun 06, 2024
Scientists have detected what they believe to be a neutron star spinning at an unprecedentedly slow rate - slower than any of the more than 3,000 radio-emitting neutron stars measured to date. Neutron stars, the dense remnants of a dead star, typically rotate at extremely high speeds, taking just seconds or even less to fully spin on their axis. However, the newly discovered neutron star,

Paris, France (SPX) Jun 06, 2024
Over 200 professionals from ESA, EUSPA, and European industry across four Galileo centres and seven external entities have successfully upgraded Galileo's extensive ground segment. This operation involved the deployment of 400 items and five months of rehearsals, culminating in the seamless transition to System Build 2.0. With 30 satellites in orbit, Galileo provides metre-level accuracy t