Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 22, 2025
At 4:12 a.m. EDT on Aug. 7, mission controllers at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory confirmed that New Horizons had safely entered hibernation mode. The spacecraft, operating more than 5.7 billion miles (9.2 billion kilometers) from Earth in the Kuiper Belt, acted on commands uploaded July 23. The confirmation signal required 8 hours and 31 minutes to reach Earth, traveling at light spee

Riverside CA (SPX) Aug 22, 2025

More than 5,000 planets have been discovered beyond our solar system, allowing scientists to explore planetary evolution and consider the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Now, a UC Riverside study published in Physical Review D suggests that these "exoplanets" could also serve as tools to investigate dark matter. The researchers examined how dark matter, which makes up 85% of the un

London, UK (SPX) Aug 22, 2025
Space-based solar power could significantly reshape Europe's energy system by 2050, according to new research in the journal Joule. The study estimates the technology could reduce Europe's reliance on Earth-based wind and solar generation by up to 80% while lowering overall grid costs by 7% to 15%. Researchers modeled the European energy system in 2050 using two NASA-developed designs for

Washington (AFP) Aug 24, 2025
Elon Musk's SpaceX is gearing up for the next test of its Starship megarocket on Sunday, after a string of recent failures that has prompted some observers to question its viability. The world's most powerful launch vehicle is set to lift off from the company's Starbase in southern Texas at 6:30 pm local time (2330 GMT) for its tenth flight. The mission aims to put the upper stage t

Stratospheric ballooning company Urban Sky has won a contract from the U.S. Air Force to support development of technologies that enable small balloons to complement, or replace, satellites.

Vancouver, Canada (SPX) Aug 21, 2025
Using a small bench-top reactor, researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have demonstrated that electrochemically loading a solid metal target with deuterium fuel can boost nuclear fusion rates. Large-scale magnetic confinement fusion-which puts plasmas under extreme temperatures and pressure-is being widely explored as a method for clean energy generation. The experiment p

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Aug 21, 2025
The extravehicular spacesuit B aboard China's space station has achieved a major milestone by supporting 20 spacewalks, according to the China Astronaut Research and Training Center. Astronaut Chen Dong most recently used the suit on Aug 15 during the Shenzhou XX crew's third series of extravehicular activities. This accomplishment marks the first time a Chinese spacesuit has met its exten