Optical technology has the potential to revolutionise the field of positioning, navigation and timing. To drive the development of this technology, ESA has signed a contract with a consortium of European companies that will conduct a definition study (Phase A/B1) and associated critical technology predevelopment.

This is the first step toward a potential in-orbit demonstrator for optical time synchronisation and ranging (OpSTAR) that will be proposed at the ESA Council at Ministerial Level in November 2025, to validate intersatellite optical links before future use in operational satellite navigation systems.

Euclid, the European Space Agency’s dark Universe detective, has made an astonishing discovery – right in our cosmic backyard.

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 06, 2025
A new study from the University of British Columbia (UBC) has found that there is a 26 percent chance each year that debris from space rockets will re-enter Earth's atmosphere and pass through an area of high air traffic density. Although the probability of such debris striking an aircraft remains low, the findings underscore the growing risk of space junk disrupting flights and imposing f

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Feb 10, 2025
The discovery of the new belts, made possible by NASA's Colorado Inner Radiation Belt Experiment (CIRBE) satellite and published Feb. 6, 2025, in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, is particularly important for protecting spacecraft launching into geostationary orbits, since they travel through the Van Allen Belts several times before reaching their final orbit. Temporary

Boulder CO (SPX) Feb 06, 2025
There are trillions of charged particles - protons and electrons, the basic building blocks of matter - whizzing around above your head at any given time. These high-energy particles, which can travel at close to the speed of light, typically remain thousands of kilometers away from Earth, trapped there by the shape of Earth's magnetic field. Occasionally, though, an event happens that can

Bath UK (SPX) Feb 06, 2025
A new study led by the University of Bath suggests that investigating 'starquakes'-seismic activity in neutron stars-could unlock profound insights into the properties of nuclear matter. These findings have the potential to reshape current methodologies in nuclear physics and astronomy, with possible long-term applications in health, security, and energy. The research, conducted by an inte

Washington DC (UPI) Feb 7, 2025
Researchers said on Thursday that they had discovered twin-lobed radio jets they suspect were formed when the universe was 1.2 billion years old, stretching at least twice the length of the Milky Way galaxy. Scientists added, however, that the black hole fueling the quasar producing the jets is small compared to other black holes, equaling 450 million suns. The discovery was made by the

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 06, 2025
A leading hypothesis about the origins of life suggests that simple chemical compounds gradually evolved into complex structures, ultimately giving rise to protocells-primitive precursors to living cells. A new study conducted by the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) at the Institute of Science Tokyo expands our understanding of one such candidate for protocells: polyester microdroplets.

Daejeon, South Korea (SPX) Feb 06, 2025
A new study led by the IBS Center for Climate Physics (ICCP) at Pusan National University, South Korea, explores the potential consequences of a medium-sized (~500 m) asteroid impact on Earth's climate and ecosystems. Published in Science Advances, the research presents detailed simulations that examine atmospheric and biospheric reactions to such a colli

Washington DC (UPI) Feb 8, 2025
SpaceX on Saturday launched 21 more Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station into lower Earth orbit on a sunny afternoon after the private company's plans to fly Friday were scrubbed. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from pad 30 at 2:18 p.m. Following stage separation, the first stage landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, which is stationed in the Atlantic Oc