Kyzyl-Kiya, Kyrgyzstan (AFP) July 7, 2025
It may look like an ordinary building site but Akmatbek Uraimov's new house in Kyrgyzstan is being built with blocks of rice. The eco-friendly alternative to conventional construction materials is booming in the Central Asian country, which is vulnerable to global warming and grapples with water shortages. Before selecting the unorthodox material, Uraimov had researched other options, b

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 08, 2025
Globalstar Inc has signed a new launch services agreement with SpaceX to deploy the final batch of its second-generation replacement satellites. The launch, set to follow an initial deployment later this year, is part of Globalstar's ongoing satellite upgrade under its 2022 procurement contract with Macdonald, Dettwiler and Associates Corporation (MDA). The agreement covers nine satellites

MIDLAND TX (SPX) Jul 08, 2025
AST SpaceMobile has secured a $100 million equipment financing facility from Trinity Capital Inc., offering the satellite telecom innovator long-term, non-dilutive liquidity to accelerate manufacturing and deployment plans through 2026. The agreement marks AST SpaceMobile's first such financing deal and reflects its transition from research and development to full-scale commercial operations.

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jul 08, 2025
OKI Electric Cable, the cabling division of the OKI Group, has introduced custom long flexible printed circuits (FPCs) designed for small-lot production to support the evolving needs of the New Space industry. Available beginning July 8, 2025, the circuits are engineered for integration into spaceborne platforms such as rockets and satellites. Manufactured at the company's Gunma Factory in

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jul 08, 2025
Under mounting concerns over space debris, scientists at Northwestern Polytechnical University have developed a breakthrough method for detumbling malfunctioning satellites using a hybrid vibration suppression and control strategy. Their approach integrates a nonlinear energy sink with active variable stiffness (NES-AVS) device and a composite prescribed performance controller to improve the saf

Raleigh, NC (SPX) Jul 08, 2025
Researchers have found clouds of cold gas embedded deep within larger, superheated gas clouds - or Fermi bubbles - at the Milky Way's center. The finding challenges current models of Fermi bubble formation and reveals that the bubbles are much younger than previously estimated. "The Fermi bubbles are enormous structures of hot gas that extend above and below the disk of the Milky Way, reac

London, UK (SPX) Jul 08, 2025
Ice commonly found in space is not entirely amorphous, as long believed, but instead contains nanoscale crystals, according to a new study by scientists at University College London (UCL) and the University of Cambridge. The findings revise long-held views about low-density amorphous ice, which forms under extremely cold conditions in comets, icy moons, and interstellar dust clouds. The re

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 08, 2025
K2 Space Corporation has marked two major milestones as it advances toward its first full satellite launch, the GRAVITAS mission, set for early 2026 to Medium Earth Orbit (MEO). The company successfully executed its first in-space demonstration mission, launched in January 2025. This mission validated numerous vertically integrated satellite components-such as the flight computer, reaction

London, UK (SPX) Jul 08, 2025
Orbex, a UK-based provider of orbital launch services, has been pre-selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) for participation in the European Launcher Challenge (ELC), marking a significant recognition of its capabilities and strategic role in Europe's space ambitions. Launched by ESA in November 2023, the ELC initiative is designed to enhance sovereign European launch options and incr

An autonomous drone has beaten human drone racing champions in an international competition for the first time. A team of scientists from Delft University of Technology has taken first place at the A2RL Drone Championship in Abu Dhabi – and the AI taking their drone to victory got off to a flying start in the lab of the European Space Agency’s Advanced Concepts Team just a few years prior.