London, UK (SPX) Dec 03, 2024
A study led by astronomers at the University of Cambridge has determined that Venus has likely remained a dry, inhospitable planet for its entire history, countering long-standing speculation that the planet may have once hosted liquid water or conditions suitable for life. Using an analysis of the chemical composition of Venus's atmosphere, the team inferred that the planet's interior lac

Tucson AZ (SPX) Dec 05, 2024
A mysterious object discovered in the main asteroid belt in 2021 was determined to be a main-belt comet by Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Henry Hsieh, Scott Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution for Science and Audrey Thirouin of Lowell Observatory. Main-belt comets are icy objects found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter - rather than the cold outer Solar System wh

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Dec 05, 2024
A 16-year study conducted by the STELLA observatory in Tenerife has unveiled unprecedented insights into the chaotic nature of star spot behavior on XX Trianguli. Using advanced robotic spectroscopy and Doppler imaging, researchers documented the star's surface evolution, showcasing a noncyclic dynamo mechanism fundamentally different from the Sun's. The findings are published in Nature Communic

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 05, 2024
Sierra Space, a leader in commercial space innovation and defense technology, announced two significant agreements aimed at advancing manufacturing in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). These collaborations highlight the growing role of microgravity in developing next-generation technologies. The company has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with California-based Astral Materials and Space Forg

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Dec 03, 2024
China's space ambitions took another step forward as the Long March 12 rocket completed its inaugural flight Saturday night, launching from the Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site in Hainan province. The event marked the first mission conducted by the nation's first commercial-dedicated spaceport. A crowd of onlookers witnessed the late-night liftoff at 10:25 pm, as the rocket ascended f

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 03, 2024
Maxar Intelligence has been chosen by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) to support its Luno A program, a $290 million, five-year indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract. This initiative aims to deliver advanced geospatial insights and automated object detections using Maxar's cutting-edge capabilities. Through the Luno A contract, Maxar will deploy its soph

Washington DC (UPI) Dec 4, 2024
SpaceX set a record for the most launches by a first-stage booster Wednesday morning when one of its Falcon 9 rockets lifted a new round of Starlink satellites into space. The Cape Canaveral Space Force Staton launch at 5:13 a.m., EDT from Florida was the 24th time the first stage was used. The booster landed safely on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas roughly nine minutes after t

Boston MA (SPX) Dec 05, 2024
Dry river channels and lake beds on Mars point to the long-ago presence of a liquid on the planet's surface, and the minerals observed from orbit and from landers seem to many to prove that the liquid was ordinary water. Not so fast, the authors of a new Perspectives article in Nature Geoscience suggest. Water is only one of two possible liquids under what are

Washington (AFP) Dec 4, 2024
US President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated Jared Isaacman, a billionaire online payments entrepreneur and the first private astronaut to conduct a spacewalk, as the next head of NASA. The nod raises questions about potential conflicts of interest, given Isaacman's financial ties to SpaceX chief Elon Musk, who is set to co-lead a government efficiency commission and is one of Trum

Using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, an international team of astronomers have found new galaxies in the Spiderweb protocluster. Their characteristics reveal that new galaxies are forming in these large cosmic cities, with the finding that gravitational interactions in these dense regions are not as important as previously thought.