ESA, on behalf of the European Commission, has signed a €12 million contract with Leonardo S.p.A (Italy) and Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica to design and develop a new ultra-precise atomic clock technology for Galileo.

In just a few months, ESA’s EarthCARE satellite will be lofted into orbit to fill in a piece of the complex climate puzzle – that piece being how clouds and aerosols, small particles such as dust suspended in the air, affect Earth’s energy balance.

With the climate crisis upon us, this information is needed more urgently than ever – so much so, that the science of clouds and aerosols has been prioritised by the European Commission and ESA as part of their new Earth System Science Initiative.

Image: NGC 5468 – Cepheid host galaxy

St Louis MO (SPX) Mar 04, 2024
A roomsize computer equipped with a new type of circuitry, the Perceptron, was introduced to the world in 1958 in a brief news story buried deep in The New York Times. The story cited the U.S. Navy as saying that the Perceptron would lead to machines that "will be able to walk, talk, see, write, reproduce itself and be conscious of its existence." More than six decades later, similar claim

Pasadena CA (SPX) Mar 03, 2024
What do you picture in your mind's eye when you hear the word "laser"? A light saber? A cat toy? The sensor at the supermarket reading barcodes as fast as the eye can blink? These are all lasers, but there are so many more in so many sizes and colors with capabilities that have yet to be tapped or even imagined. Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics Alireza Mara

Washington DC (UPI) Mar 8, 2024
NASA said Friday the Europa Clipper Jupiter mission set to launch in October will carry profound messages from humanity as it gathers scientific data to determine if there are life-supporting conditions. The Europa Clipper spacecraft will be headed for Jupiter's moon, Europa. In addition to scientific instruments for experiments and data collection, it will include an engraving o

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Mar 11, 2024
Researchers at the Beijing Institute of Technology have made significant strides in tracking non-cooperative space targets through maneuvering, unveiling a novel methodology that substantially boosts tracking accuracy. Their study, focusing on maneuvering trajectories, introduces a dual-model approach for real-time and precise tracking, marking a leap in space surveillance capabilities. Th

Washington DC (UPI) Mar 8, 2024
NASA will accept applications through April 2 for future Artemis astronauts who could go to the moon and beyond. The opening of the application period concurred with 10 new astronaut graduates completing an initial two years of training. The space agency said that to apply to become an astronaut, applicants must be U.S. citizens with two years of work in toward a doctoral after already

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 11, 2024
Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP) has announced its selection by NASA for an Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract, boasting a ceiling value of $45 million. This contract is aligned with NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate's goals, which encompasses the Flight Opportunities program and the Small Spacecraft Technology program, pivotal arms in the agency's push for

Paris (AFP) Mar 10, 2024
False GPS signals that deceive on-board plane systems and complicate the work of airline pilots are surging near conflict zones, industry employees and officials told AFP. A ground collision alert sounds in the cockpit, for instance, even though the plane is flying at high altitude - a phenomenon affecting several regions and apparently of military origin. This includes the vicinity of