Video: Ariane 6 liftoff from the launchpad
Wednesday, 17 July 2024 19:00
While no person could get this close during Ariane 6's inaugural flight on 9 July 2024, several small cameras bravely witnessed its take-off from the launchpad.
After years of preparations, the Vulcain main stage engine ignites, arms providing cryogenic fuels to the rocket until the very last moment retract and boosters fire—Ariane 6 is space-bound. As it lifts off, vast amounts of water are pumped at high speed to dampen vibrations at the launch site, which then come rushing towards one of these small cameras in a dramatic swirl, hiding the departing rocket from view.
Ariane 6 launched from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana at 16:00 local time (20:00 BST, 21:00 CEST), designed to provide more launch power with higher flexibility and at a lower cost than its predecessors.
The launcher's configuration—with an upgraded main stage, a choice of either two or four powerful boosters and a new restartable upper stage—will provide Europe with greater efficiency and a wider range of launch services, including for the launch of multiple payloads into different orbits on a single flight.
Planet Labs Secures Pilot Contract for AI-Enhanced Satellite Data
Wednesday, 17 July 2024 16:59
Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL), a top provider of daily Earth data and insights, announced a seven-figure pilot contract with an international defense ministry for its PlanetScope data, now enhanced with SynMax's AI-based Theia solution.
Together with SynMax, a Houston-based satellite analytics and intelligence company, Planet is offering an advanced maritime domain awareness (MDA) solution fo SwRI and UTD collaborate on space sensor testing
Wednesday, 17 July 2024 16:59
Researchers from Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) are working together to test an advanced sensor aimed at measuring neutral gas velocities in the Earth's upper atmosphere. The project, under the leadership of Dr. Joo Hwang from SwRI and Dr. Phillip Anderson from UTD, is funded by the new SwRI/UTD Seed Projects for Redwire to supply additional roll-out solar arrays for Thales Alenia Space satellites
Wednesday, 17 July 2024 16:59
Redwire Corporation (NYSE: RDW), a prominent player in space infrastructure, has announced a new order to provide more Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA) wings for Thales Alenia Space's Space Inspire* satellites. These satellites are part of Thales Alenia Space's latest geostationary telecommunications satellite line.
Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), i NASA spurs commercial development of news Fuel Cell technologies
Wednesday, 17 July 2024 16:59
NASA's involvement with fuel cell technology began in the 1960s, a time when fossil fuels dominated energy production. Fuel cells create electricity and heat through the combination of hydrogen and oxygen via an electrolyte, producing only water as a by-product, making them an environmentally friendly power source.
NASA's interest in fuel cells arose from the need to power Moon missions. E Scientists Advocate Major Study on Geoengineering for Glaciers
Wednesday, 17 July 2024 16:59
A group of scientists has published a significant report on glacial geoengineering-an emerging field exploring whether technology could halt the melting of glaciers and ice sheets due to climate change.
This white paper marks the first public effort by glaciologists to evaluate potential technological interventions that might address catastrophic sea-level rise scenarios.
Although it Hydrogen-Powered Flight Nears Reality with New Technological Advancements
Wednesday, 17 July 2024 16:59
The potential for hydrogen-powered flights opens up significant opportunities for fossil-free travel, with rapid technological advancements propelling this vision forward. Recent research from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden indicates that nearly all air travel within a 750-mile (1200 km) radius could be serviced by hydrogen-powered aircraft by 2045. Moreover, a new heat exchanger un No New Physics Found in Higgs Boson Properties Study
Wednesday, 17 July 2024 16:59
The Higgs boson, discovered over a decade ago in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) detectors, remains elusive, with its properties still not fully understood. Recent progress comes from a collaboration between the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IFJ PAN), RWTH Aachen University, and the Max Planck Institute for Physics, providing new insights into its origins. Spin Centers Propel Quantum Computing Forward
Wednesday, 17 July 2024 16:59
Quantum computing, harnessing the principles of quantum mechanics, is set to revolutionize fields such as medicine and machine learning by tackling problems too complex for classical computers. Quantum simulators, which consist of interacting quantum units, can be programmed to emulate intricate physical models, allowing scientists to extract valuable insights by controlling and measuring the in Tachyons Redefine Theoretical Boundaries in Modern Physics
Wednesday, 17 July 2024 16:59
Tachyons are hypothetical particles that exceed the speed of light. Often considered the "enfant terrible" of modern physics, these superluminal particles were previously thought to be incompatible with the special theory of relativity. However, a recent paper in Physical Review D by physicists from the University of Warsaw and the University of Oxford reveals that such assumptions were unfounde Three-Dimensional Acoustic Quantum Hall Effect Demonstrated in New Study
Wednesday, 17 July 2024 16:59
The quantum Hall effect (QHE) stands as a significant milestone in condensed matter physics, paving the way for advancements in topological physics. Extending QHE into three dimensions, however, presents substantial challenges. The primary difficulty lies in the extension of Landau levels into bands along the magnetic field direction, preventing the formation of bulk gaps.
A recent approac 
A meteor streaked across the NYC skyline before disintegrating over New Jersey
Wednesday, 17 July 2024 16:00
A meteor streaked across the New York City skyline before disintegrating over nearby New Jersey, according to NASA.
William Cooke, the head of the space agency's Meteoroid Environments Office, said the fireball was first sighted at an altitude of 51 miles (82 kilometers) above Manhattan at around 11:17 a.m. Tuesday.
The meteor passed over the southern part of Newark, New Jersey, before disintegrating 31 miles (50 kilometers) above the town of Mountainside, he said. No meteorites or other fragments of space debris reached the planet's surface.
The space rock moved at a speed of about 41,000 mph (66,000 kph) and descended at a relatively steep angle of 44 degrees from vertical, Cooke said.
Its exact trajectory is uncertain, since reports are based only on eyewitness accounts and no camera or satellite data is currently available, he said.
As of Wednesday morning, there had been approximately 40 eyewitness reports filed on the American Meteor Society website, which the agency used to generate its estimates, Cooke said.
The fireball was not part of the Perseid meteor shower, and reports of loud booms and shaking could be explained by military aircraft in the vicinity around the time of its appearance, he said.
A meteor streaked over the NYC skyline before disintegrating over New Jersey
Wednesday, 17 July 2024 16:00A meteor streaked across the New York City skyline before disintegrating over nearby New Jersey, according to NASA.
William Cooke, the head of the space agency's Meteoroid Environments Office, said the fireball was first sighted at an altitude of 51 miles (82 kilometers) above Manhattan at around 11:17 a.m. Tuesday.
The meteor passed over the southern part of Newark, New Jersey, before disintegrating 31 miles (50 kilometers) above the town of Mountainside, he said. No meteorites or other fragments of space debris reached the planet's surface.
The space rock moved at a speed of about 41,000 mph (66,000 kph) and descended at a relatively steep angle of 44 degrees from vertical, Cooke said.
Its exact trajectory is uncertain, since reports are based only on eyewitness accounts and no camera or satellite data is currently available, he said.
As of Wednesday morning, there had been approximately 40 eyewitness reports filed on the American Meteor Society website, which the agency used to generate its estimates, Cooke said.
The fireball was not part of the Perseid meteor shower, and reports of loud booms and shaking could be explained by military aircraft in the vicinity around the time of its appearance, he said.
