Protecting ocean biodiversity with satellite data
Tuesday, 15 April 2025 12:05
An ESA-funded study that used satellite data to define biodiversity zones and shipping lanes in the Atlantic Ocean suggests it is possible to protect 30% of ocean habitats, with little impact on fishing and shipping.
Beyond Gravity and Rocket Lab join forces to streamline satellite constellation deployment
Tuesday, 15 April 2025 11:06
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Apr 15, 2025
Beyond Gravity and Rocket Lab have announced a strategic partnership to deliver an integrated avionics and software solution designed to accelerate satellite constellation missions. The collaboration merges Beyond Gravity's high-volume constellation On Board Computer (cOBC) with Rocket Lab's advanced MAX Constellation flight software and InterMission ground operations suite, offering a ready-to-

Blue Skies Space to Design CubeSat Constellation for Lunar-Based Cosmology Research
Tuesday, 15 April 2025 11:06
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 15, 2025
Blue Skies Space has secured funding from the Italian Space Agency (ASI) to explore the design of a CubeSat-based satellite constellation capable of orbiting the Moon and conducting observations of the early universe.
The initiative, known as RadioLuna, will assess whether a network of compact satellites placed in lunar orbit could detect the elusive radio emissions from the universe's for

Crew examines spaceflight-related eye changes as three astronauts prepare to return home
Tuesday, 15 April 2025 11:06
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 15, 2025
Expedition 72 astronauts kicked off the week investigating how extended spaceflight alters human vision, while simultaneously conducting other scientific studies, maintaining vital systems, and preparing for an upcoming crew return.
Prolonged exposure to microgravity can impair vision, posing a potential risk to astronauts on long-duration missions to the Moon or Mars. NASA's CIPHER study,

Engineer targets next frontier in lunar welding technology
Tuesday, 15 April 2025 11:06
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 14, 2025
As plans to establish long-term human presence on the Moon and Mars accelerate, researchers are developing new techniques to enable construction in hostile, low-gravity environments. One such breakthrough effort is underway at The University of Texas at Dallas, where Dr. Wei Li is creating a virtual lunar welding platform to support the assembly of large-scale structures in space.
Dr. Li,

Haywood Appointed to Lead Military Space Integration and Command Efforts
Tuesday, 15 April 2025 11:06
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 10, 2025
Brig. Gen. (ret) James E. "Woody" Haywood has been named Senior Advisor to the Service Acquisition Executive (SASAE) at Space Systems Command (SSC), taking on a pivotal role in driving integration and interoperability across the military space enterprise. The appointment by Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration (ASAF(SA&I)), si

Heavy methane leaks found in Swedish crater lake puzzle scientists
Tuesday, 15 April 2025 11:06
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Apr 14, 2025
Unexpectedly high levels of methane have been detected in Sweden's Lake Siljan, raising new questions about greenhouse gas emissions from freshwater systems. A team from Chalmers University of Technology made the discovery using a novel measurement technique, revealing unusually concentrated and persistent leaks never previously recorded in a lake setting. The findings prompt broader investigati

How next-gen wearables support astronaut health monitoring
Tuesday, 15 April 2025 11:06
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Apr 15, 2025
As human space missions extend in duration and complexity, maintaining astronaut health has become a top priority. A recent review in Wearable Electronics explores how flexible wearable technologies are emerging as vital tools in aerospace medicine, offering continuous, real-time health monitoring in the demanding environment of space.
These adaptable devices are built with integrated sens

NASA adds critical stage adapter to Artemis II Moon rocket
Tuesday, 15 April 2025 11:06
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 15, 2025
NASA's Artemis II rocket has taken another step toward launch readiness with the installation of a major structural component. On April 12, technicians at the Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building successfully placed the launch vehicle stage adapter atop the core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The operation, conducted by NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program, invol

NASA's Lucy Spacecraft Prepares Second Asteroid Encounter
Tuesday, 15 April 2025 11:06
San Antonio TX (SPX) Apr 15, 2025
NASA's Lucy spacecraft is 6 days and less than 50 million miles (80 million km) away from its second close encounter with an asteroid; this time, the small main belt asteroid Donaldjohanson.
This upcoming event represents a comprehensive "dress rehearsal" for Lucy's main mission over the next decade: the exploration of multiple Trojan asteroids that share Jupiter's orbit around the Sun. Lu

Northrop Grumman completes milestone undocking of MEV-1 in GEO orbit
Tuesday, 15 April 2025 11:06
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 15, 2025
Northrop Grumman Corporation's Space Logistics LLC has achieved a significant milestone in commercial satellite servicing, successfully completing the first-ever undocking between two commercial spacecraft in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO). The Mission Extension Vehicle-1 (MEV-1) disengaged from Intelsat's IS-901 satellite, marking the conclusion of a five-year mission that extended the operat

Saltzman details Space Force's international partnership strategy at Space Symposium
Tuesday, 15 April 2025 11:06
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 14, 2025
Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman gave insights into a new, soon-to-be-released International Partnership Strategy to unify like-minded nations' efforts in the space domain during his keynote at the 40th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, April 9.
Saltzman described this strategy as a critical evolution in response to growing threats and rapid technological advancements, dec

Space Rider ALEK clears launch vibration and shock trials
Tuesday, 15 April 2025 11:06
Paris, France (SPX) Apr 14, 2025
The ALEK structure, part of ESA's uncrewed Space Rider vehicle, has successfully completed an extensive battery of mechanical qualification tests at the agency's facilities. Over a two-month campaign, ALEK was subjected to a full suite of stress simulations replicating the extreme conditions of launch aboard a Vega-C rocket.
The initial phase of testing focused on vibration endurance. Tech

Space Systems Command Launches Orbital Watch, Providing Critical Threat Information to Commercial Sector
Tuesday, 15 April 2025 11:06
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 14, 2025
Orbital Watch, a first-of-its-kind initiative produced by Space Systems Command's (SSC) Front Door, will provide critical, unclassified threat information as a resource to assist companies across the commercial sector in developing capabilities pre-designed to defend against current and emerging threats.
Front Door is a first-step portal for early-stage startups, non-traditional partners,

Two-dimensional semiconductors demonstrate space readiness for next-gen devices
Tuesday, 15 April 2025 11:06
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Apr 14, 2025
In a landmark demonstration of material resilience, researchers at Tsinghua University's School of Materials Science and Engineering have confirmed that two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor materials can endure the extreme environment of space. The investigation, led by Professor Ruitao Lv, involved launching both 2D materials and field-effect transistors (FETs) into low Earth orbit aboard China's
