Washington DC (SPX) Apr 18, 2023
A team of researchers, including an astronomer with NSF's NOIRLab, has developed a new machine-learning technique to enhance the fidelity and sharpness of radio interferometry images. To demonstrate the power of their new approach, which is called PRIMO, the team created a new, high-fidelity version of the iconic Event Horizon Telescope's image of the supermassive black hole at the center of Mes

San Antonio TX (SPX) Apr 18, 2023
An international research team led by UTSA Associate Professor of Astrophysics Thayne Currie has made a breakthrough in accelerating the search for new planets. In a paper slated for publication April 14 in Science, Currie reports the first exoplanet jointly discovered through direct imaging and precision astrometry, a new indirect method that identifies a planet by measuring the position

Liege, Belgium (SPX) Apr 18, 2023
An international team of researchers from the University of Liege (Belgium) and Monash University (Australia) has just published the results of the analysis of data from the SPHERE instrument of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), which confirms a new protoplanet. This result was made possible thanks to advanced image processing tools developed by the PSILab of the University of Liege.

Heidelberg, Germany (SPX) Apr 18, 2023
Researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have taken a first look at their data that probe the chemistry of the regions of disks around young stars where rocky planets form. Already at that stage, the data reveal the disks to be chemically diverse and rich in molecules such as water, carbon dioxide, and organic hydrocarbon compounds like benzene as well as tiny grains of carbon and

Lafayette CO (SPX) Apr 18, 2023
Orbit Fab, the leading provider of on-orbit refueling services, has completed a successful Series A round of $28.5 million in funding during an up-round that will allow the company to accelerate fuel sales and the deployment of fuel delivery and storage infrastructure in GEO, LEO, and VLEO orbits. The milestone funding round is led by 8090 Industries, with major investments by Stride Capit

Birmingham UK (SPX) Apr 18, 2023
The UK's space sector has shown a remarkable dynamism in the past few years. According to the latest official figures, the sector's revenue grew about 5.1% in 2021, outpacing the global space industry. This is even more impressive considering the UK's economy declined over the same period. And there is more to it than just the numbers. The new regulatory f

Austin TX (SPX) Apr 18, 2023
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) appears to be finding multiple galaxies that grew too massive too soon after the Big Bang, if the standard model of cosmology is to be believed. In a study published in Nature Astronomy, Mike Boylan-Kolchin, an associate professor of astronomy at The University of Texas at Austin, finds that six of the earliest and most massive galaxy candidates observ

On 30 April 2023, all nominal operations of Aeolus, the first mission to observe Earth’s wind profiles on a global scale, will conclude in preparation for a series of end of life activities.

ESA has signed contracts for two parallel concept studies for commercial-scale Space-Based Solar Power plants, representing a crucial step in the Agency’s new SOLARIS initiative – maturing the feasibility of gathering solar energy from space for terrestrial clean energy needs.  

Starbase, United States (AFP) April 17, 2023
SpaceX has rescheduled for Thursday the first test flight of Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, designed to send astronauts to the Moon, Mars and beyond, after a technical glitch forced a halt to the countdown. A planned liftoff Monday of the gigantic rocket was called off less than 10 minutes ahead of the scheduled launch because of a pressurization issue in the first-stage boos