London, UK (SPX) May 16, 2024
MBDA has signed an agreement with the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) on behalf of the partners of the HYpersonic Defence Interceptor Study (HYDIS2) Consortium. The European Defence Fund grant agreement and a Linked Procurement Contract were signed on May 15, launching the HYDIS2 concept phase. The European Commission selected the HYDIS2 project for funding in July 2023

Boston MA (SPX) May 16, 2024
Need a moment of levity? Try watching videos of astronauts falling on the moon. NASA's outtakes of Apollo astronauts tripping and stumbling as they bounce in slow motion are delightfully relatable. For MIT engineers, the lunar bloopers also highlight an opportunity to innovate. "Astronauts are physically very capable, but they can struggle on the moon, where gravity is one-sixth that

An international team of astronomers have used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to find evidence for an ongoing merger of two galaxies and their massive black holes when the Universe was only 740 million years old. This marks the most distant detection of a black hole merger ever obtained and the first time that this phenomenon has been detected so early in the Universe.

Washington DC (SPX) May 16, 2024
As construction continues on the Vera Rubin Observatory, the skies above its mountaintop home grow more and more crowded following every rocket launch. Astronomers, conscious of the plans for mega-constellations of new satellites in the next few years, are rightfully worried: will these satellites and the tiny bits of debris that come with every deployment and collision affect the new telescope'

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 16, 2024
Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: IRDM), a global provider of voice and data satellite communications, announced a significant development for uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations. American Aerospace Technologies, Inc. (AATI), an Iridium partner, received a unique waiver from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct UAS surveillance of

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 16, 2024
ATT and AST SpaceMobile have finalized a commercial agreement to create a space-based broadband network for cell phones, effective until 2030. Previously, the companies collaborated under a Memorandum of Understanding. This marks significant progress towards improved connectivity for consumers and businesses nationwide. This summer, AST SpaceMobile plans to launch its first commercial sate

Boston MA (SPX) May 16, 2024
Astronomers at MIT, the University of Liege, and elsewhere have discovered a new planet orbiting a small cold star, a mere 55 light years away. The nearby planet is similar to Earth in its size and rocky composition, though that's where the similarities end. Because this new world is likely missing an atmosphere. In a paper appearing in Nature Astronomy, the researchers confirm the detecti

London, UK (SPX) May 16, 2024
An international team of astronomers has detected a new Earth-sized planet orbiting an ultra-cool red dwarf star, located 55 light years away. The planet, named SPECULOOS-3 b, is the second of its kind discovered around this type of star. It completes an orbit of the star in about 17 hours. The star is more than twice as cold as our sun and significantly less massive and luminous. SP

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 16, 2024
NASA's Juno spacecraft has provided high-definition images of Jupiter's moon Europa, supporting the theory that the icy crust at the poles has shifted. A new image shows signs of potential plume activity and ice shell disruption. The findings were published in the Planetary Science Journal and JGR Planets. On September 29, 2022, Juno flew within 220 miles of Europa's surface, capturi

Washington DC (UPI) May 15, 2024
Boeing's Starliner flight to the International Space Station was delayed again due to a helium leak. NASA, Boeing and the United Launch Alliance said in a statemen Tuesday that the launch date will now come no earlier than Tuesday at 4:43 p.m. EDT. "Starliner teams are working to resolve a small helium leak detected in the spacecraft's service module traced to a flange on a singl