Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 10, 2024
Despite decades of research, much remains unknown about the origins and early evolution of life on Earth. A recent paper from the University of California - Riverside aims to bridge this gap, suggesting future studies that could also inform climate change predictions and the search for extraterrestrial life. "This paper strives to inform the Earth sciences community where the research need

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 10, 2024
Auroras, long a source of wonder and myth, have a newfound significance in our technologically reliant world. The same space weather phenomena that create these stunning light displays can also induce currents that threaten electrical infrastructure, such as pipelines. Recent research published in *Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences* reveals that the angle at which interplanetary shocks s

Paris, France (SPX) Jul 10, 2024
Neutron stars, with their extreme densities and mysterious interiors, remain enigmatic to astrophysicists. Despite having a radius of around twelve kilometers, they can possess over twice the mass of the sun, with matter packed up to five times denser than an atomic nucleus. Alongside black holes, neutron stars are the densest objects in the universe. Under such intense conditions, matter can tr

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jul 10, 2024
A team from the SKAO, South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), and China's CETC54 successfully mounted the 15-meter-wide main reflector onto the SKA-Mid telescope pedestal in South Africa. This milestone is part of a larger effort involving a consortium from ten countries, led by CETC54, which is also manufacturing the dishes. Over the past year, construction has accelerated at S

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jul 10, 2024
Scientists first noticed these radio waves decades ago, and over the years they've determined the radio waves come from solar flares and giant eruptions on the Sun called coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, which are a key driver of space weather that can impact satellite communications and technology at Earth. But no one knows where the radio waves originate within a CME. The CURIE mission a

London, UK (SPX) Jul 10, 2024
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and MIT have developed a novel technique to ensure microbial therapeutics remain effective under extreme conditions. These advancements are pivotal for applications in space exploration, healthcare, and agriculture. Extremophiles, microorganisms thriving in harsh environments like Yellowstone's hot springs and Antarctica's icy depths, offer insig

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jul 10, 2024
Exolaunch, a global leader in launch mission management, integration, and satellite deployment services, has successfully deployed four satellites aboard the maiden flight of Arianespace's Ariane 6. The launch took place on Tuesday, July 9 at 1600 GFT from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. This mission, representing customers ESA, NASA, and Spacemanic, underscores Exolaunch's piv

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 10, 2024
A team, including a University of Michigan astronomer, has discovered a promising exoplanet, LHS 1140 b, which may be an ice or water world within the habitable zone. The study, led by Universite de Montreal, indicates that LHS 1140 b is unlikely to be a mini-Neptune, a type of small gas giant. Located about 48 light-years away in the constellation Cetus, this exoplanet is one of the most

Image:

Launch of Ariane 6 VA262 on 9 July 2024 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

This is Europe’s newest heavy-lift rocket, designed to provide greater power and flexibility at a lower cost than its predecessors. The launcher’s configuration – with an upgraded main stage, a choice of either two or four powerful boosters and a new restartable upper stage – will provide Europe with greater efficiency and possibility as it can launch multiple missions into different orbits on a single flight, while its upper stage will be able to deorbit itself at the end of missions.

Image: The first Ariane 6 rocket soars to the sky