Space & Time

Military satellites acquired under fixed-price contracts get high praise in a report submitted to Congress by the Department of the Air Force. The post Fixed-price satellite contracts earn high grades in Space Force report card appeared first on SpaceNews.

The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory awarded Northrop Grumman a contract worth $80.3 million to conduct communications experiments using multiple commercial space internet services. The post Northrop Grumman gets $80 million Air Force contract for satcom experiments appeared first on SpaceNews.

A European spacecraft around Mars sent its first livestream from the red planet to Earth on Friday to mark the 20th anniversary of its launch, but rain in Spain interfered at times.

How do you weigh a galaxy? It’s an astronomical challenge, particularly if it’s the galaxy you call home. It turns out there are several ways to get a handle on the mass of the Milky Way, and a recent study posted on the arXiv pre-print server summarizes these methods to present the best value.

New theoretical research has shown that Stephen Hawking was likely right about black holes, although not completely. Due to Hawking radiation, black holes will eventually evaporate, but the event horizon is not as crucial as had been believed. Gravity and the curvature of spacetime cause this radiation too. This means that all large objects in the universe, like the remnants of stars, will eventually evaporate.

In the early 1980s, astronomers discovered gigantic, one-dimensional filaments dangling vertically near Sagittarius A*, our galaxy’s central supermassive black hole. Now, astronomers have discovered a new population of filaments — but these threads are much shorter and lie horizontally or radially, spreading out like spokes on a wheel from the black hole.

Experts and innovators from across the space sector supply chain are convening at Space-Comm Expo, taking place 7-8 June 2023 at Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre. Brought to the The post Space-Comm Expo 2023 – Where Space Does Business appeared first on SpaceNews.

Fifty years ago, on June 1, 1973, astronomers around the world were introduced to a powerful and perplexing new phenomenon called GRBs (gamma-ray bursts). Today sensors on orbiting satellites like NASA’s Swift and Fermi missions detect a GRB somewhere in the sky about once a day on average. Astronomers think the bursts arise from catastrophic occurrences involving stars in distant galaxies, events thought to produce new black holes.

A study conducted by group of scientists from Nagoya City University (NCU), Japan Space Forum (JSF), Advance Engineering Services (AES), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and ANSTO has revealed a clustering of charged particles in the microgravity environment of International Space Station (ISS), with implications for the development of photonic materials, improved drugs, and a range of new and innovative materials that depend on the mixing of two or more charged particles.

Week in images: 29 May – 02 June 2023 Discover our week through the lens

An international team of astrophysicists has discovered something wholly new, hidden in the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

The food we eat determines how we feel, and nothing beats a good fry-up, although in moderation of course. As we prepare for missions to the Moon and on to Mars, astronauts will be happy to hear from researchers that one staple comfort food is not out of reach, even in space: fries.

Hyperspectral imaging startup Pixxel raised $36 million in a Series B funding round led by Google. The post Google leads $36 million funding round for Pixxel appeared first on SpaceNews.

Image: A delicate tracery of dust and bright star clusters threads across this image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. The bright tendrils of gas and stars belong to the barred spiral galaxy NGC 5068, whose bright central bar is visible in the upper left of this image. NGC 5068 lies around 17 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo.This portrait of NGC 5068 is part of a campaign to create an astronomical treasure trove, a repository of observations of star formation in nearby galaxies. Previous gems from this collection can be seen here and here. These observations are particularly valuable to astronomers for two reasons. The first is because star formation underpins so many fields in astronomy, from the physics of the tenuous plasma that lies between stars to the evolution of entire galaxies. By observing the formation of stars in nearby galaxies, astronomers hope to kick-start major scientific advances with some of the first available data from Webb.The second reason is that Webb’s observations build on other studies using telescopes including the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and some of the world’s most capable ground-based observatories. Webb collected images of 19 nearby star-forming galaxies which astronomers could then combine with catalogues from Hubble of 10 000 star clusters, spectroscopic mapping of 20 000 star-forming emission nebulae from the Very Large Telescope (VLT), and observations of 12 000 dark, dense molecular clouds identified by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). These observations span the electromagnetic spectrum and give astronomers an unprecedented opportunity to piece together the minutiae of star formation.With its ability to peer through the gas and dust enshrouding newborn stars, Webb is the perfect telescope to explore the processes governing star formation. Stars and planetary systems are born amongst swirling clouds of gas and dust that are opaque to observations in visible light, like many from Hubble or the VLT. The keen vision at infrared wavelengths of two of Webb’s instruments — MIRI and NIRCam — allowed astronomers to see right through the gargantuan clouds of dust in NGC 5068 and capture the processes of star formation as they happened. This image combines the capabilities of these two instruments, providing a truly unique look at the composition of NGC 5068. NGC 5068 MIRI imageNGC 5068 NIRCam image[Image description: A close-in image of a spiral galaxy, showing its core and part of a spiral arm. Thousands upon thousands of tiny stars that make it up can be seen, most dense in a whitish bar that forms its core. Clumps and filaments of dust form an almost skeletal structure that follows the twist of the galaxy and its spiral arm. Large, glowing bubbles of red gas are hidden in the dust.]

A new mosaic of Mars marks 20 years since the launch of ESA’s Mars Express, and reveals the planet’s colour and composition in spectacular detail.

Boeing’s astronaut capsule faces more launch delays after the discovery of problems that should have been caught earlier, officials said.

A new work by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón, written for an upcoming NASA mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa, is a glance at outer space that returns back to Earth.

Image: 20 years and counting: Mars Express in numbers

New theoretical research by Michael Wondrak, Walter van Suijlekom and Heino Falcke of Radboud University has shown that Stephen Hawking was right about black holes, although not completely. Due to Hawking radiation, black holes will eventually evaporate, but the event horizon is not as crucial as had been believed. Gravity and the curvature of spacetime cause this radiation too. This means that all large objects in the universe, like the remnants of stars, will eventually evaporate.

NASA and Boeing will further delay the first crewed launch of the company’s CST-100 Starliner, which had been scheduled for July, to address two newly discovered issues with the spacecraft. The post Parachute and wiring issues to delay Starliner crewed test flight appeared first on SpaceNews.

The Relay Ground Station-Asia (RGS-A) was funded by the U.S. Naval Information Warfare Center under a five-year $99.6 million contract. The post Northrop Grumman’s ground station for missile warning satellites passes design review appeared first on SpaceNews.

On Feb. 10, 2009, disaster struck hundreds of miles above the Siberian Peninsula. That evening, a defunct Russian satellite orbiting Earth crashed into a communications satellite called Iridium 33 moving at a speed of thousands of miles per hour. Both spacecraft erupted into a rain of shrapnel, sending more than 1,800 chunks of debris spiraling around the globe.

After the Big Bang, the universe expanded and cooled sufficiently for hydrogen atoms to form. In the absence of light from the first stars and galaxies, the universe entered a period known as the cosmic dark ages. The first stars and galaxies appeared several hundred million years later and began burning away the hydrogen fog left over from the Big Bang, rendering the universe transparent, like it is today. Researchers have now confirmed the existence of a distant, faint galaxy typical of those whose light burned through the hydrogen atoms; the finding should help them understand how the cosmic dark ages ended.

Robots will be one of the keys to the expanding in-space economy. As launch costs decrease—hopefully significantly when Starship and other massive lift systems come online—the most significant barrier to entry for the space economy will finally come down.

NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter on Mars has exceeded everyone’s expectations, recently completing its 51st flight when it was supposed to fly just a few times as a demonstration mission. But flights 50 and 51 almost didn’t happen.

Astronomers have revealed that the smallest and most common kinds of stars in the universe, called red dwarfs, very rarely host big, Jupiter-like planets. This absence of Jupiter analogs could have major impacts on the development of Earth-like planets around red dwarfs and in the search for worlds capable of supporting alien life.

The Space Force is considering options to acquire small polar-orbiting weather satellites that could launch as early as 2026. The post Space Force exploring options to build weather monitoring constellation appeared first on SpaceNews.

The Department of the Air Force selected Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen as the next commander of Space Launch Delta 45, the Space Force unit that oversees launch operations in the Eastern Range. The post Space Force selects new leader for Eastern Range appeared first on SpaceNews.

An international research team led by UCLA astrophysicists has confirmed the existence of the faintest galaxy ever seen in the early universe. The galaxy, called JD1, is one of the most distant identified to date, and it is typical of the kinds of galaxies that burned through the fog of hydrogen atoms left over from the Big Bang, letting light shine through the universe and shaping it into what exists today.

The sun’s strong, dynamic magnetic field can catapult huge jets of plasma known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs) out into the solar system. Sometimes these hit Earth, where they can knock out power grids and damage satellites.

An international team of astronomers reports the detection of a new, hot-dust-obscured galaxy (DOG). The galaxy, which received designation WISE J190445.04+485308.9, was found at a relatively low redshift of 0.415, which makes it the first confirmed low-redshift hot DOG. The discovery was presented in a paper published May 23 on the arXiv preprint server.

Fortify plans to use the $12.5 million investment to accelerate development of its Digital Composite Manufacturing platform, which prints composite materials designed down to the nanoscale for high performance. The post Fortify raises $12.5 million for digital composite manufacturing appeared first on SpaceNews.

Join us live to follow the ‘Ready for the Moon’ event, a high-level political conference on the challenges and ambitions for Europe’s space sector. ESA Web TV will broadcast on its Channel Two the conference, including the media briefing on 2 June starting at 14:00 CEST (13:00 BST).

Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser took a step closer to its long-awaited first flight by powering up its systems in a key test. The post Dream Chaser moves a step closer to first launch appeared first on SpaceNews.

The Department of the Air Force announced May 31 it selected Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, as the preferred location for the headquarters of the Space Training and Readiness Command and Space Delta 10. The post Florida Space Coast selected as home of U.S. Space Force training command appeared first on SpaceNews.

U.S. Space Command has officially been assigned responsibilities for protecting the United States from missile attacks, a job previously held by U.S. Strategic Command. The post U.S. Space Command takes over responsibility for protecting homeland from missile strikes appeared first on SpaceNews.

The truth is out there—but we’re going to need to look harder.

If you’ve ever played Kerbal Space Program, you know how difficult it can be to get your spacecraft into the orbit you want. It’s even more difficult in real life. This is why it’s pretty impressive to see a proposal to study all of Saturn’s large inner moons in one go.

There’s an intriguing exoplanet out there — 400 light-years out there — that is so tantalizing that astronomers have been studying it since its discovery in 2009. One orbit for WASP-18 b around its star that is slightly larger than our Sun takes just 23 hours. There is nothing like it in our Solar System. A new study about this exoplanet, an ultra-hot gas giant 10 times more massive than Jupiter.

Research using the world’s most energetic laser has shed light on the properties of highly compressed matter — essential to understanding the structure of giant planets and stars, and to develop controlled nuclear fusion, a process that could harvest carbon-free energy.

The Kuiper Belt is a massive disk of icy bodies, including Pluto, that is located just outside of Neptune’s orbit in our solar system. Objects observed in the Kuiper Belt exhibit a more diversified color range than any other solar system population, with colors ranging from white to dark reddish. While the source of this diversity in colors is unknown, scientists have speculated that it is likely the result of the prolonged exposure to radiation of organic materials by galactic cosmic rays.

Ever since humanity gained access to space, observation satellites, also known as “reconnaissance satellites,” have become a highly sought-after strategic capability for many nations. These satellites employ optical sensors for The post Cutting-Edge Reconnaissance Satellites: Revolutionizing National Security from Space appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASA held its first public meeting on UFOs on Wednesday a year after launching a study into unexplained sightings and insisted it’s not hiding anything.

400 light-years out there is something that is so tantalizing that astronomers have been studying it since its discovery in 2009. One orbit for WASP-18 b around its star that is slightly larger than our sun takes just 23 hours. There is nothing like it in our solar system.

Multiple missions are destined for the moon in this decade. These include robotic and crewed missions conducted by space agencies, commercial space entities, and non-profit organizations. The risks and hazards of going to the moon are well-documented, thanks to Apollo Program and the six crewed missions it sent to the lunar surface between 1969 and 1972. But unlike the “footprints and flags” of yesterday, the plan for the coming decade is to create a “sustained program of lunar exploration and development.”

Astrophysicists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem published a new theoretical model that solves the mystery of the formation of early massive galaxies in the universe, in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The findings naturally explain recent observations conducted using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which revealed a surprising excess of massive galaxies in the universe—already in the first half billion years after the Big Bang—contrary to the commonly accepted theory.

A North Korean rocket failed shortly after liftoff May 31, plunging into the ocean with its spy satellite payload. The post North Korea’s spy satellite launch fails with second-stage malfunction appeared first on SpaceNews.

Using the AstroSat spacecraft and the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) onboard the International Space Station (ISS), Indian astronomers have observed an X-ray binary known as GX 349+2. Results of the observational campaign, published May 24 on the arXiv preprint server, deliver important insights into the behavior and nature of this system.

Viasat said May 31 it closed the acquisition of Inmarsat it announced a year and a half ago after clearing all regulatory hurdles to consolidate the satellite operators. The post Satellite operators Viasat and Inmarsat complete merger deal appeared first on SpaceNews.

A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico late May 30, concluding Axiom Space’s second private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. The post Second Axiom Space private astronaut mission concludes with splashdown appeared first on SpaceNews.

China is looking to greatly expand its satellite launch capacity by mass producing a medium-lift rocket to help build a communications megaconstellation. The post China looks to Long March 8 rocket to help launch its answer to Starlink appeared first on SpaceNews.

The maiden flight of the Spanish-built Miura 1 rocket was canceled Wednesday due to high winds, startup PLD Space said, in a setback for development of the small-scale space launcher.

A private flight carrying two Saudi astronauts and other passengers returned to Earth late Tuesday night after a nine-day trip to the International Space Station.

Spain is the latest European nation to sign the Artemis Accords, a central element of a new American strategic framework for space diplomacy. The post Spain signs Artemis Accords appeared first on SpaceNews.

Telesat plans to launch another low Earth orbit prototype satellite in the coming months to continue tests after an aging demonstrator for its delayed broadband constellation ran out of fuel. The post Telesat orders prototype satellite to continue LEO broadband tests appeared first on SpaceNews.

A graduate student is spearheading an extraordinary scientific endeavor — a groundbreaking mission to uncover periodic signals emanating from the core of the Milky Way called the Breakthrough Listen Investigation for Periodic Spectral Signals (BLIPSS). Such repetitive patterns could be the key to unlocking the mysteries of extraterrestrial intelligence in our galaxy.

A deep-space radar developed by Northrop Grumman for the U.S. Space Force passed a critical design review, the company announced May 30. The post Northrop Grumman’s deep-space radar passes critical design review appeared first on SpaceNews.

A spacecraft can estimate the attitude state by comparing external measurements from attitude sensors with reference information. CubeSats tend to use 4-quadrant analog solar sensors which have the advantages of extremely low power consumption, minimal volume, low complexity, low cost, and high reliability as attitude sensors, considering the limitation of satellite volume and payload. The performance of the sensor can be importantly improved by the calibration procedure and compensation model.

The Breakthrough Listen Investigation for Periodic Spectral Signals (BLIPSS), led by Akshay Suresh, Cornell doctoral candidate in astronomy, is pioneering a search for periodic signals emanating from the core of our galaxy, the Milky Way. The research aims to detect repetitive patterns, a way to search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) within our cosmic neighborhood.