Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 20, 2024
LeoLabs has received a second Consolidated Pathfinder order from NOAA's Office of Space Commerce (OSC) to support the development of the civil-led U.S. Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS). This order allows LeoLabs to continue assisting with TraCSS as the OSC extends the live data collection period of the pathfinder project. The extension aims to explore opportunities to improve

Greenbelt MD (SPX) May 20, 2024
May 2024 has already proven to be a particularly stormy month for our Sun. During the first full week of May, a barrage of large solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) launched clouds of charged particles and magnetic fields toward Earth, creating the strongest solar storm to reach Earth in two decades - and possibly one of the strongest displays of auroras on record in the past 500 year

Sydney, Australia (SPX) May 20, 2024
Recently, an international team led by Prof. GE Jian from the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences used deep learning neural networks to search for rare weak signals in quasar spectral data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III) program. This study, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, presents a new method for exploring ga

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 20, 2024
The solar storm that recently drove the aurora borealis was also affecting compasses deep in the ocean, according to new findings by Ocean Networks Canada (ONC), a University of Victoria initiative. ONC's subsea observatories on Canada's coasts recorded temporary distortions in the Earth's magnetic field on instrument platforms deployed as deep as 2.7 kilometers. These are some of the most

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 20, 2024
A team led by University of Maryland chemists has found a new method to create carbenes, highly reactive molecules essential for many chemical reactions, including those that produce carbohydrates. Carbenes are important precursors to the building blocks of life on Earth and potentially in space. The researchers created hydroxymethylene (HCOH), a carbene, by breaking down methanol (CH3OH)

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 20, 2024
Orbex has announced a partnership with MSP to enhance the automation of component production for its orbital launch services from the UK. MSP will supply technology to automate the production of components for Orbex's orbital launch services, aiding in the company's preparations for its first launch. Based in North East England, MSP aims to optimize CNC machine productivity by automa

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 20, 2024
The Office of Space Commerce (OSC) has announced a one-month extension of the Consolidated Pathfinder project supporting the Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS). Launched in January 2024, the Consolidated Pathfinder is a short-term project focusing on space situational awareness (SSA) for the low Earth orbit (LEO) regime. The project examines how commercial SSA capabilities can

Paris, France (SPX) May 20, 2024
Europe's newest rocket, Ariane 6, is set to launch, carrying multiple space missions. One notable mission is Replicator, a project by Orbital Matter, which will demonstrate new 3D printing technology in space. The Replicator mission, a collaboration between Warsaw, Poland, and Berlin, Germany-based startup Orbital Matter, aims to show how 3D printing can be used in orbit, potentially enabl

Paris, France (SPX) May 20, 2024
The Juventas CubeSat, equipped with radar, is partially deployed from its Hera mission mothership inside ESA's Maxwell chamber for electromagnetic compatibility testing. The foam pyramids around Hera absorb radio signals, while the Maxwell chamber's 9-m high metal walls block external radio interference. This space mimics the void of space, allowing the Hera team to validate the spacecraft

Paris, France (SPX) May 20, 2024
BepiColombo, the joint ESA/JAXA mission to Mercury, has experienced an issue that is preventing the spacecraft's thrusters from operating at full power. BepiColombo consists of two scientific probes and the Mercury Transfer Module, designed to separate during the mission's Mercury orbit insertion. The solar arrays and electric propulsion system on the Mercury Transfer Module generate