The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has enabled another long-sought scientific breakthrough, this time for Solar System scientists studying the origins of the water that has made life on Earth possible. Using Webb’s NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph) instrument, astronomers have confirmed gas – specifically water vapour – around a comet in the main asteroid belt for the first time, proving that water from the primordial Solar System can be preserved as ice in that region. However, the successful detection of water comes with a new puzzle: unlike other comets, Comet 238P/Read had no detectable carbon dioxide.

Munich, Germany (SPX) May 12, 2023
Bacteria that feed on methanol are able to grow on certain rare earth elements as well as their radioactive relatives. These findings suggest a possible role for such bacteria in the decontamination of areas where actinides are spilled, or in the separation of lanthanides and actinides for analytical or preparative purposes, according to a study published in the journal Angewandte Chemie.

Washington DC (UPI) May 14, 2023
SpaceX on Sunday morning successfully deployed another batch of Starlink satellites into space and successfully landed its first-stage booster. The Falcon 9 rocket with the satellites lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station just after midnight, illuminating the night skies over Florida's central east coast. The first-stage booster then returned to Earth and landed

Beijing, China (SPX) May 15, 2023
On May 10, 2023, the Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft was successfully launched aboard the Long March 7 Yaoqi carrier rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China at 21:22 Beijing time. Roughly ten minutes after the launch, the spacecraft separated from the rocket and entered its predetermined orbit, with the solar panels operating smoothly, marking the launch as a complete success. The follow

Turku, Finland (SPX) May 15, 2023
The Universe is a violent place where even the life of a star can be cut short. This occurs when a star finds itself in a "bad" neighbourhood, specifically near a supermassive black hole. These black holes weigh millions or even billions of times the mass of the Sun and typically reside in the centres of quiet galaxies. As a star moves closer to the black hole, it experiences the ever-incr

Pasadena CA (JPL) May 15, 2023
While the CubeSat couldn't reach the lunar South Pole to help seek ice, it fulfilled several technology goals that will empower future missions for the benefit of humanity. NASA's Lunar Flashlight launched on Dec. 11, 2022, to demonstrate several new technologies, with an ultimate goal to seek out surface ice in the permanently shadowed craters of the Moon's South Pole. Since then, the bri

Pasadena CA (JPL) May 12, 2023
Drilling campaigns force us to sit and stop, whilst the "Ubajara" drill sample is analyzed. This takes a week or two, depending on the types of analysis that CheMin and SAM chose to do. This might sound like we are sitting quietly, just waiting but drill campaigns are furiously busy and "power hungry." CheMin planned the first part of their analysis on Wednesday, and today, they added a se

Long Beach CA (SPX) May 15, 2023
Virgin Orbit Holdings, Inc., a responsive space launch provider, has issued an update regarding its ongoing sale process. As part of its court-approved bid procedures, the company has received more than 30 indications of interest as of May 4, 2023. Several potential buyers have proposed to retain the existing business operations and workforce, aiming to operate Virgin Orbit as an ongoing, integr

San Jose CA (SPX) May 15, 2023
Momentus Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTS) has announced a significant contract with SpaceX to secure a port on the Transporter-12 mission, anticipated to launch no earlier than October 2024. This new development solidifies Momentus' plans to participate in three missions with SpaceX in 2024. These missions include all Transporter rideshare missions scheduled for the coming year: Transporter-10 in Janua

Washington DC (SPX) May 15, 2023
NASA is set to hold a public meeting concerning the categorization and evaluation of data on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) at 10:30 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 31. In an effort to ensure transparency and encourage public engagement, NASA has announced it will also host a media teleconference at the conclusion of the meeting. NASA defines UAP as observations of unidentifiable events