Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 07, 2024
Astrobotic recently tested its Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) system at Armstrong Trails in western Pennsylvania, marking an important step in refining this technology for space applications. LiDAR, which uses pulsed laser beams to measure distances, is crucial for mapping lunar surfaces in real time and supporting robotic spacecraft landings and operations. The company partnered with

Aalborg, Denmark (SPX) Oct 07, 2024
A partnership of three UK universities has chosen GomSpace to support the development of a satellite mission under a contract valued at 3.6 million SEK. The collaboration, which includes universities from the Space South Central region covering Surrey and Hampshire, is part of the Joint Universities Programme for In-orbit Training, Education, and Research (JUPITER). Their upcoming project,

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 08, 2024
Millennium Space Systems, a Boeing [NYSE: BA] subsidiary, has swiftly completed the preliminary design review (PDR) of its Fire-control On Orbit-support-to-the-war Fighter (FOO Fighter) system just four months after receiving authorization to proceed. This milestone is part of the company's contract to deliver a constellation of eight satellites, a ground system, and mission operations. "J

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Oct 04, 2024
Professional and amateur astronomers teamed up with artificial intelligence to find an unmatched stellar trio called TIC 290061484, thanks to cosmic "strobe lights" captured by NASA's TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite). The system contains a set of twin stars orbiting each other every 1.8 days, and a third star that circles the pair in just 25 days. The discovery smashes the reco

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Oct 08, 2024
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) has been chosen by NASA to conduct a study on retrieving rock samples from Mars and transporting them back to Earth. This mission aims to meet key exploration goals, potentially answering critical questions about life on Mars and helping prepare for future human expeditions to the planet. The NASA Rapid Mission Design Studies for Mars Sample Return initi

Washington DC (UPI) Oct 4, 2024
NASA announced the selection of 71 student teams that will build and launch amateur rockets and scientific payloads in a competition they hope will inspire the next generation of space explorers. The 71 teams are divided into a college division and high-school/middle-school division. The final on-site events will start April 30 with the final launches on May 3 at Bragg Farms in T

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 04, 2024
A team led by the University of Idaho has identified what appears to be a volcanic spatter cone on Mars, marking the first confirmed evidence of such a feature on the planet. This discovery was made during a collaborative research project involving postdoctoral researcher Ian T.W. Flynn, who worked under Erika Rader, an assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Spatial Sciences at the U

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 07, 2024
NASA has chosen two mission proposals to undergo further review as part of its new Probe Explorers class, a major step in its astrophysics research. The missions, focused on observing X-ray and far-infrared light from space, were announced by the agency on Thursday. Each proposal team will receive $5 million to conduct a 12-month study to refine their concepts. NASA expects to make a final selec

Chicago IL (SPX) Oct 10, 2024
Finding planets that could support life is a critical objective in astronomy, with the presence of an atmosphere being a key factor in determining a planet's habitability. Though scientists have discovered Earth-like exoplanets, none have been confirmed to possess atmospheres. A new study led by Qiao Xue, a PhD student at the University of Chicago, introduces a simpler and more efficient m

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 10, 2024
In 2023, NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission returned a sample of dust and rocks from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. Beyond the immediate scientific value of the samples, data from OSIRIS-REx has opened the door to investigating new physics. A study published in *Communications Physics*, a Nature journal, details how an international research team led by Los Alamos National Laboratory used Bennu's trackin