Washington (AFP) May 26, 2023
NASA has launched the final pair of a satellite quartet designed to track tropical cyclones hour by hour, in a project that could improve weather predictions on devastating storms. The storm trackers, sent into orbit on a rocket built by US company Rocket Lab and launched from New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula early Friday, completed the TROPICS constellation of shoebox-sized satellites. Th

Houston TX (SPX) May 26, 2023
Visually striking layers of burnt orange, yellow, silver, brown and blue-tinged black are characteristic of banded iron formations, sedimentary rocks that may have prompted some of the largest volcanic eruptions in Earth's history, according to new research from Rice University. The rocks contain iron oxides that sank to the bottom of oceans long ago, forming dense layers that eventually t

Berlin, Germany (SPX) May 24, 2023
On 23 May 2023, at 09:00, a very special Airbus A310 taxied to the runway at Bordeaux-Merignac Airport. The aircraft set off on a special flight - the first of a total of three flights that make up the 40th parabolic flight campaign of the German Space Agency at DLR, which will take place in Bordeaux from 15 to 25 May 2023. On board are 11 experiments - three from the fields of biology and human

Beijing, China (SPX) May 24, 2023
Publishing in the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, scientists from McGill University, University of Illinois, and University of Science and Technology of China comprehensively reviewed the most recent discoveries in the field of the mechanics of 2D materials by discussing various key mechanical properties, including the elastic properties, in-plane failure, fatigue, interfacial sh

Boston MA (SPX) May 25, 2023
To launch extended missions in space, the NASA is borrowing a page from the nuclear engineering industry: It is trying to understand how boiling works. Planning for long-term missions has NASA researching ways of packing the least amount of cryogenic fuel possible for efficient liftoff. One potential solution is to refuel the rocket in space using fuel depots placed in low Earth orbits. This way

Washington (AFP) May 25, 2023
The United States on Thursday called Iran's missile program a "serious threat" after the clerical state unveiled a new model with its longest range to date. "Iran's development, and proliferation of, ballistic missiles poses a serious threat to regional and international security and remains a significant non-proliferation challenge," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

Seoul (AFP) May 25, 2023
South Korea said Thursday it had successfully launched its homegrown Nuri rocket and placed working satellites into orbit, hailing a key step forward for the country's burgeoning space programme. It was the third launch of the Nuri, which successfully put test satellites into orbit last year after a failed 2021 attempt saw the rocket's third-stage engine burn out too early. The three-sta

Los Angeles AFB CA (SPX) May 26, 2023
The U.S. Space Force's Small Launch and Targets Division's Office at Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico, part of the Space Systems Command (SSC) Assured Access to Space organization, awarded a $45.5 million task order to Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation on May 24 via an Orbital Services Program (OSP)-4 Indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. The contract will

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 25, 2023
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) recently completed a Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command's Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Polar (NGP) program. The company is on track to begin production of the early-warning missile system in defense of the nation. The design review establishes the company's technical approach for the full i

Merrimack NH (SPX) May 26, 2023
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded BAE Systems' FAST LabsTM research and development organization a $7 million contract for the Oversight autonomous space-based target custody program. Traditional space intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) collection can be siloed, labor intensive, and unable to dynamically re-evaluate quickly enough to take a