Washington (AFP) Oct 14, 2022
Astronomers have observed the brightest flash of light ever seen, from an event that occurred 2.4 billion light years from Earth and was likely triggered by the formation of a black hole. The burst of gamma-rays - the most intense form of electromagnetic radiation - was first detected by orbiting telescopes on October 9, and its afterglow is still being watched by scientists across the wor

Gothenburg, Sweden (SPX) Oct 13, 2022
Massive neutron stars colliding in space are thought to be able to create precious metals such as gold and platinum. The properties of these stars are still an enigma, but the answer may lie beneath the skin of one of the smallest building blocks on Earth - an atomic nucleus of lead. Getting the nucleus of the atom to reveal the secrets of the strong force that governs the interior of neutron st

Oxford UK (SPX) Oct 13, 2022
Tiny dust molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the most widespread organic molecules in the universe and important astronomical tools. For instance, they are considered to be fundamental building blocks of prebiotic compounds, which may have played a key role in the origin of life. PAH molecules produce extremely bright emission bands in the infrared region when t

Forres UK (SPX) Oct 18, 2022
UK-based spaceflight company Orbex has secured 40.4 million pounds for its Series C funding round, led by a new investor, the Scottish National Investment Bank. The new round of funding will allow the company to scale up its resources as it counts down to the first vertical launch from UK soil, as well as unlocking additional funding to support future projects. Orbex recently revealed its

McLean VA (SPX) Oct 13, 2022
Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: IRDM) has announced that Iridium partners MetOcean Telematics, NAL Research, and Trace Systems are now Iridium Certus service providers for U.S. government customers, joining Satcom Direct, in this capacity. These unique, long-term deals will allow these companies to provide Iridium's secure global satellite broadband and midband connectivity for mobile

Washington DC (SPX) Oct 13, 2022
NASA has selected two companies - Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) USA of Denver and SpaceLink Corporation of McLean, Virginia - to develop capability studies to explore and demonstrate communications and navigation services in support of Artemis missions to the Moon. The awards, under the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships-2 (NextSTEP-2) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA

London, UK (SPX) Oct 13, 2022
Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) has hosted a Strategic Update on the proposed combination with OneWeb, announced in July 2022. Eutelsat and key OneWeb shareholders signed a Memorandum of Understanding in July 2022, with a view to combining Eutelsat and OneWeb in an all-share transaction, whereby Eutelsat and OneWeb shareholders will each hold 50% of the Eutelsat shares2. The

Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany (SPX) Oct 17, 2022
Satellites are increasingly becoming network nodes of the internet. Terrestrial nodes are integrated via fibre optic networks, and satellites can only keep up with current developments on the ground if they are also optically networked. European Commission programmes such as the 'Secure Connectivity Initiative' depend on this technology, as do many commercial networks such as Starlink or Oneweb,

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 17, 2022
Phase Four, the creator of the radio-frequency thruster for satellite propulsion, reports that it will expand its Maxwell turn-key plasma propulsion line and offer satellite manufacturers an industry-first high performance engine using an inexpensive, domestically sourced iodine-based propellant. Max-V leverages the Maxwell Block 2 engine's innovative architecture and builds on the radio-frequen