Washington (AFP) Dec 13, 2024
Washington and Beijing, locked in a fierce economic and political rivalry, renewed a scientific and technological cooperation agreement for five years on Friday following criticism by detractors, including US Republicans, that China is being given an advantage. The signing is part of an effort to stabilize relations just weeks before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, who h

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 13, 2024
Researchers have introduced an innovative approach, the Cross-Satellite Atmospheric Correction (CSAC) system, to standardize satellite ocean color data from diverse sources. This development enables the creation of reliable, global-scale, long-term records of bio-optical properties in the upper ocean. These "big data" records are essential for assessing marine ecosystems and their responses to c

Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 16, 2024
A new NASA-led study has found that how rain falls in a given year is nearly as important to the world's vegetation as how much. Reporting Dec. 11 in Nature, the researchers showed that even in years with similar rainfall totals, plants fared differently when that water came in fewer, bigger bursts. In years with less frequent but more concentrated rainfall, plants in drier environments li

Paris, France (SPX) Dec 13, 2024
ESA's EarthCARE satellite, launched in May 2024, is approaching the end of its commissioning phase, with its first data release on clouds and aerosols anticipated early next year. Meanwhile, an international team of scientists has leveraged artificial intelligence to transform existing satellite data into groundbreaking 3D cloud profiles. Clouds are central to Earth's climate system, influ

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Dec 08, 2024
"Our results have no clear or direct application right now. It's basic research that lays the foundation for future technologies in quantum information and quantum computers. There's enormous potential for completely new discoveries in many different research fields," says Guilherme B Xavier, researcher in quantum communication at Linkoping University, Sweden. To grasp the significance of

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 16, 2024
The first Japanese satellite carrying a U.S. payload has reached a critical milestone with its successful integration and readiness for delivery to the launch site at Tanegashima Space Center, Japan. This achievement marks a significant step in the U.S.-Japan partnership, coming just four years after the U.S. Space Force (USSF) and Japan's Cabinet Office signed a Memorandum of Understanding to c

Orlando FL (SPX) Dec 16, 2024
As the U.S. Space Force prepares to celebrate its fifth birthday, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman reflected on the organization's remarkable journey and outlined the six core truths that shape the Guardian identity and the service's purpose. Speaking at the second annual Spacepower Conference, Dec. 10 in Orlando, Saltzman emphasized the Space Force has come a long way since

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 16, 2024
Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command, addressed the Space Force Association's annual Spacepower Conference on Dec. 11, highlighting the necessity of a unified operational strategy to maximize warfighting effectiveness in the space domain. Speaking to an audience of Guardians, government officials, academics, and space industry leaders, Whiting underscored the value of leveraging

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 13, 2024
Maxar Intelligence and Satellogic, Inc. (NASDAQ: SATL) have unveiled a new agreement designed to enhance the delivery of near real-time monitoring and change detection capabilities for U.S. national security missions and their international partners. Under this tasking, data licensing, and distribution agreement, Maxar gains exclusive rights to direct task Satellogic's high-revisit satelli

University Park PA (SPX) Dec 11, 2024
For the first time, scientists have observed a collection of particles, also known as a quasiparticle, that's massless when moving one direction but has mass in the other direction. The quasiparticle, called a semi-Dirac fermion, was first theorized 16 years ago, but was only recently spotted inside a crystal of semi-metal material called ZrSiS. The observation of the quasiparticle opens the doo