Cambridge MA (SPX) Oct 09, 2025
MIT researchers have unveiled a prediction method that blends a physics-based plasma model with machine learning to manage tokamak rampdowns more safely and reliably. The approach targets disruption avoidance when plasma current is reduced, a critical step for future grid-scale fusion plants. Tested on Switzerland's TCV device using several hundred plasma pulses, the hybrid model accuratel

St.Petersburg, FL (SPX) Oct 13, 2025
A team of scientists has uncovered a rare isotope in microscopic fossils, offering fresh evidence that ocean ecosystems may be more resilient than once feared. In a new study co-led by Patrick Rafter of the University of South Florida, researchers show that warming in the tropical Pacific - home to some of the world's most productive fisheries - may not trigger the severe declines predicte

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 09, 2025
GEO-MEASURE, the new handheld GNSS rover from GEODNET, is redefining field surveying by combining professional-grade accuracy with consumer-level simplicity and affordability. The compact device integrates robust hardware, a mobile app, and preloaded RTK corrections in a single turnkey package priced at just $695, including one year of correction service. Equipped with 1,408 satellite chan

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Oct 13, 2025
Observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have captured the motion of spiral structures in the disk of dust and gas surrounding the young star IM Lup, offering new evidence that these features are linked to the earliest stages of planet formation. Located 515 light-years away in the constellation Lupus, IM Lup's protoplanetary disk displays spirals that astr

Helsinki, Finland (SPX) Oct 13, 2025
Whether an asteroid spins smoothly or tumbles chaotically has now been linked to its history of collisions, according to new findings from ESA's Gaia mission presented at the EPSC-DPS2025 Joint Meeting. The research provides a method to probe asteroid interiors, an advance with major implications for planetary defense strategies. "By leveraging Gaia's unique dataset, advanced modelling and

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Friday the 13th of April 2029 will be our lucky day.

Apophis, a 375-metre-wide asteroid, will safely pass Earth at a distance of less than 32 000 kilometres. For a few hours, Apophis will be closer than satellites in geostationary orbit and visible to the naked eye from Europe and Africa.

Space agencies have sent a number of spacecraft to asteroids, but we have never had a mission at an asteroid as it sweeps past a planet. This grand natural experiment offers a unique opportunity to study in real time how an asteroid responds to a strong external force – and the European Space Agency aims to have a front-row seat.

To this end, ESA’s Space Safety Programme has proposed the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses). If approved, Ramses would launch a

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 10, 2025
Momentus Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTS), the U.S. commercial space company specializing in in-space transportation and orbital services, has secured two new NASA contracts totaling $7.6 million to advance space-based manufacturing and propulsion technologies. The first award, a $5.1 million contract granted on September 26 through NASA's Flight Opportunities program, will support the Commercial Orbit

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Oct 10, 2025
Faraday Factory Japan LLC, a global leader in superconducting tape manufacturing, has partnered with New Zealand-based Zenno Astronautics to advance the development of next-generation high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets designed specifically for space use. Building on more than three decades of expertise in HTS materials science, Faraday Factory is tailoring superconducting mate

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 10, 2025
Using a global network of telescopes, astronomers have detected the lowest-mass dark object yet found in the universe. Finding more such objects and understanding their nature could rule out some theories about the nature of dark matter, the mystery substance that makes up about a quarter of the universe. The work is described in two papers published Oct. 9 in Nature Astronomy and Monthly Notice

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Oct 10, 2025
For the first time, astronomers have produced a radio image revealing two black holes orbiting each other, confirming long-suspected black hole pairs. The system sits at the core of quasar OJ287, where a supermassive black hole powers an intensely bright galactic nucleus by feeding on surrounding gas and dust. An international team aligned space and ground radio telescopes to resolve two c