Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 17, 2025
TL;DR: There are many great startup companies that may generate significant returns, but most of them don't pass the difficult threshold of being VC investable because their return profile doesn't close the "VC equation." Most people in the space industry are familiar with the concept of tyranny when trying to leave the planet, especially as so eloquently summarized by Austin Morris in a b

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 16, 2025
Slingshot Aerospace, a leader in AI-driven satellite tracking and space traffic solutions, has secured $1.9 million from the United States Space Force's (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC) to advance its capabilities in detecting and geolocating GPS jamming and spoofing threats. These tactics, often employed in conflict zones, undermine technology effectiveness and may signal future security thre

London, UK (SPX) Jan 14, 2025
Researchers from a leading Scottish university are making strides toward a future where orbital factories can manufacture advanced technology on demand in space. Dr Gilles Bailet, from the University of Glasgow's James Watt School of Engineering, has received a patent for a novel system designed to overcome the technical challenges of 3D printing in zero-gravity environments. This innovati

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 14, 2025
Astronomers have made significant progress in understanding how carbon, an element vital for life, is dispersed throughout the cosmos. Using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, scientists have taken a closer look at Wolf-Rayet 140, a system of two massive stars in the Milky Way that serves as a dynamic source of carbon-rich dust. When the stars in Wolf-Rayet 140 approach one another in thei

University Park PA (SPX) Jan 14, 2025
Researchers at the Penn State Extraterrestrial Intelligence (PSETI) Center have been awarded a three-year, $480,000 grant under the NASA Exoplanets Research Program to search for radio and laser signals from alien civilizations. The project is led by Pinchen Fan, a doctoral student in astronomy, astrophysics and astrobiology, under the supervision of her adviser, Jason Wright, professor of astro

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 14, 2025
Multiple NASA telescopes have contributed to a new study exploring the prevalence of supermassive black holes, focusing on those obscured by dense clouds of gas and dust. This comprehensive survey stands out for its ability to detect these hidden cosmic giants alongside their more visible counterparts. Scientists have long theorized that nearly every large galaxy houses a supermassive blac

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 16, 2025
Arweave, recognized as the first permanent storage network globally, has achieved a significant milestone: the Arweave Genesis Block is now on its way to the moon. Transported as molecular storage encoded in synthetic DNA, the Genesis Block was launched on January 15 aboard a lunar lander. Upon reaching the lunar surface, it will be preserved indefinitely, safeguarding it for the entirety of hum

Image: This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image captures the borders between North and South Dakota and Minnesota blanketed with snow and ice.

Image: Seed-sized space chip

Washington (AFP) Jan 17, 2025
Hours after Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin nailed its first-ever orbital mission, SpaceX seized back the spotlight on Thursday as its latest test of Starship, its gargantuan next-generation megarocket, ended with the upper stage dramatically disintegrating over the Atlantic. In terms of sheer excitement, Elon Musk's company didn't disappoint, underscoring its technical prowess by catching the fir