by Poornima Apte for MIT News
Boston MA (SPX) Jan 14, 2026 Going to the moon was one thing; going to Mars will be quite another. The distance alone is intimidating. While the moon is 238,855 miles away, the distance to Mars is between 33 million and 249 million miles. The propulsion systems that got us to the moon just will not work. Taylor Hampson, a master's student in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineeri

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jan 14, 2026
Aerospacelab, a satellite manufacturing and design company, has been selected by Xona Space Systems to produce eight additional satellites for Pulsar, a low Earth orbit navigation constellation designed to deliver high performance positioning, navigation and timing services. The new order is intended to bridge early commercial demand, with launches scheduled to begin in late 2026 as Xona develop

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 14, 2026
Nullspace Inc. has released a new version of its electromagnetic simulation suite that targets large-scale antenna and radar applications with faster frequency analysis and streamlined CAD preparation for RF engineers. The company positions the software as a way to shorten design cycles and time-to-market for complex RF systems by combining high-accuracy solvers with new automation features.

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jan 14, 2026
As lunar exploration intensifies, the cislunar space is experiencing increasing congestion. Traditional two body Keplerian elements, which have long been the standard for Earth orbiting objects, prove insufficient for accurately describing the complex orbits near the Earth Moon Lagrange points due to the chaotic and non integrable nature of three body dynamics. This fundamental deficiency

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jan 12, 2026
The EUMETSAT Council has formally endorsed the EUMETSAT Polar System Sterna (EPS Sterna), clearing the way for a new constellation of polar orbiting microsatellites that will deliver frequent microwave measurements of atmospheric temperature, humidity and cloud properties. The decision confirms EPS Sterna as a mandatory programme for EUMETSAT and authorises full scale activities targeting the la

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 14, 2026
Firefly Aerospace has announced a Block II configuration upgrade for its Alpha small launch vehicle, with qualification testing for the new second stage hardware now underway at the companys Rocket Ranch test facility in Briggs, Texas. The Block II program is intended to boost reliability, streamline manufacturing, and improve launch operations to better support commercial, civil, and national s

Berkeley, United States (SPX) Jan 12, 2026
For 21 years, between 1999 and 2020, millions of people worldwide loaned UC Berkeley scientists their computers to search for signs of advanced civilizations in our galaxy. The project - called SETI@home, after the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) - generated a loyal following eager to participate in one of the most popular crowd-sourced projects in the early days of the int