Berlin, Germany (SPX) Dec 10, 2024
Mercury, the smallest and innermost planet in the solar system, continues to intrigue planetary researchers with its unique composition and structure, which differ significantly from Earth's Moon despite surface similarities. BepiColombo, a collaborative mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), aims to resolve these mysteries. Launched in 2018, th

Paris, France (SPX) Dec 10, 2024
The Anthropic Principle (AP), first proposed by Brandon Carter in 1973, suggests that the universe is uniquely fine-tuned to support life. This idea has long sparked philosophical and scientific debates but has lacked empirical methods for validation. A recent paper in the *Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics (JCAP)*, co-authored by Nemanja Kaloper from the University of California, D

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 10, 2024
In 1989, NASA's Voyager mission made history by capturing humanity's first close-up glimpse of Neptune, completing its exploration of the solar system's four giant outer planets. Since their 1977 launches, the twin spacecraft, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, revealed Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune to be far more intricate than scientists had previously imagined, prompting continued exploration.

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 10, 2024
A team of planetary scientists from the University of Colorado Boulder has shed new light on the dynamics behind Mars' infamous dust storms. These events, which sometimes enshroud the entire planet in fine particles, may be triggered by warmer and sunnier conditions on the Martian surface. Lead researcher Heshani Pieris emphasized the importance of understanding these storms for the safety

Boston MA (SPX) Dec 10, 2024
The asteroid that extinguished the dinosaurs is estimated to have been about 10 kilometers across. That's about as wide as Brooklyn, New York. Such a massive impactor is predicted to hit Earth rarely, once every 100 million to 500 million years. In contrast, much smaller asteroids, about the size of a bus, can strike Earth more frequently, every few years. These "decameter" asteroids, meas

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 10, 2024
NASA researchers have announced the discovery of seven additional dark comets, celestial bodies that appear asteroid-like but exhibit cometary behavior. This finding doubles the total known count to 14 and reveals two distinct populations based on size, location, and orbital characteristics within the solar system.

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Dec 10, 2024
The Long March 8A rocket, developed to become China's primary launch vehicle for medium- and low-Earth orbit missions, is set to make its maiden flight in January 2025, as announced by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT). On Monday, the rocket was loaded onto a ship to begin its journey to the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan province, South China. "The Long Mar

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 10, 2024
TransAstra has announced a pivotal agreement with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), which manages the ISS National Lab, to conduct an in-space demonstration of its Capture Bag technology. The demonstration, scheduled for late 2025, will see CASIS covering half of the transactional costs for this mission. This initiative highlights TransAstra's efforts to address o

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Dec 10, 2024
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) has successfully executed a suborbital hypersonic mission in November, advancing technology testing for the Department of Defense under the Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonics Test Bed (MACH-TB) initiative. The MACH-TB project, designed to enhance hypersonic flight testing capabilities, supports technology development for the United States. Thi

Washington DC (UPI) Dec 8, 2024
SpaceX early Sunday launched 23 Starlink spacecraft from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The 229-foot tall Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 40 at 12:11 a.m. as it lit up the sky. The first stage booster landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas drone ship on the Atlantic Ocean 8 1/2 minutes later. This was the second time this booster l