'We signed a piece of paper that explains the roles and responsibilities of each organization'

This is a bonus edition of Space Minds by SpaceNews.

'In maritime domain awareness, timeliness is often the deciding factor between actionable insight and stale data'

Constellations aim to bridge gap between space-based monitoring and ground-level firefighting efforts

Edwards AFB CA (SPX) May 19, 2025
NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft successfully completed a critical series of tests in which the airplane was put through its paces for cruising high above the California desert - all without ever leaving the ground. "The idea behind these tests is to command the airplane's subsystems and flight computer to function as if it is flying," said Yohan Lin, the X-59's lead avionics

Boston MA (SPX) May 21, 2025
One of the most profound open questions in modern physics is: "Is gravity quantum?" The other fundamental forces - electromagnetic, weak, and strong - have all been successfully described, but no complete and consistent quantum theory of gravity yet exists. "Theoretical physicists have proposed many possible scenarios, from gravity being inherently classical to fully quantum, but the

Sydney, Australia (SPX) May 21, 2025
Paladin Space, a startup incubated at the University of South Australia's Innovation and Collaboration Centre, has introduced Triton, the first reusable space payload designed to capture and store multiple pieces of orbital debris for potential recycling. This breakthrough technology was demonstrated at a private event hosted by the ICC. The company's next objectives include securing early

Storrs CT (SPX) May 21, 2025
Earth - our tiny blue dot in the galaxy - is approximately 26,000 light years away from a fascinating and active region of the Milky Way called the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ). This region holds clues about how stars are born, how energy moves through our galaxy, and maybe even some details about dark matter. However, analyzing this area is challenging, because we do not have a clear top-

Berlin, Germany (SPX) May 21, 2025
New imaging technology developed by the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) has enabled the Vacuum Tower Telescope (VTT) in Tenerife to capture unprecedented, high-resolution views of solar activity. The upgrade bridges a long-standing observational gap between wide-field solar monitoring and fine-structure resolution. The enhanced camera system restores the VTT's full observa