Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 25, 2024
New findings about the "popcorn planet" WASP-107b have emerged, thanks to NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). This gas giant, previously noted for its exceptionally low density and puffed-up atmosphere, has provided scientists with even more unexpected details through advanced atmospheric observations. WASP-107b, a gas planet roughly the size of Jupiter but only one-tenth as massive,

Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Sept 25, 2024
Elon Musk's X is in hot water with the EU for allegedly breaking new content rules - and the world's richest man risks multibillion-dollar fines even he might find prohibitive. The European Union could decide within months to take action against X, including possible fines, as part of a probe into whether the social platform is breaching a landmark content moderation law, the Digital Servic

Paris, France (SPX) Sep 25, 2024
A new mystery in space is leading to a groundbreaking planetary defense mission aimed at making Earth safer. The European Space Agency's (ESA) Hera mission is now preparing to follow up on a critical experiment that began in 2022. On September 26, 2022, NASA's DART spacecraft impacted the Dimorphos asteroid at 6.1 km/s. This event altered Dimorphos's orbit around its larger companion, Didy

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Sep 25, 2024
China is preparing to offer a broader variety of food for astronauts in future deep-space exploration missions, as discussed at the Second Frontier Forum of Space Medicine in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, East China. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, a holiday celebrating family unity, the crew of Shenzhou XVIII aboard China's space station had a special treat of "space mooncakes" filled with

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 25, 2024
NASA and the Republic of Korea's newly established Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) have signed a joint statement of intent aimed at expanding cooperation in space exploration, science, and aeronautics. The signing ceremony took place at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., marking KASA's first official visit since its creation in May 2024. "Building on years of work together both o

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 25, 2024
NASA has chosen Firefly Aerospace, Inc., based in Cedar Park, Texas, to provide launch services for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) QuickSounder mission. This selection falls under NASA's Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) launch services contract. The VADR contract offers fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity awards over

New York (AFP) Sept 26, 2024
In the single week that world leaders convened for high-level UN talks in New York, nearly 100,000 water bottles' worth of microplastics swirled through the city's air, posing known and still unknown risks to human health. "We talk a lot about plastic in the marine environment, but it's all around," Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, the Norwegian international development minister who is helping lead