Sydney, Australia (SPX) Feb 21, 2025
Herders in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region may soon have access to a unique variety of forage, as researchers are set to cultivate grass seeds that have undergone a journey to the moon. These seeds, having endured deep-space exposure, are expected to undergo genetic mutations that could yield superior plant varieties. Carried aboard China's Chang'e 6 lunar probe, which embarked on its mis

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Feb 25, 2025
A research collaboration between the University of Bern and the University of Science and Technology Houari Boumediene in Algeria has yielded significant progress in astrobiology. Their recent study demonstrates the successful detection of fossil microorganisms in Messinian gypsum deposits in Algeria using the Bernese Laser Ionization Mass Spectrometer (LIMS). The findings suggest that LIMS coul

Washington (AFP) Feb 24, 2025
Elon Musk's SpaceX is preparing for the next test flight of its Starship megarocket on Friday, following a dramatic mid-air explosion over the Caribbean during its last trial. A launch window from the company's Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, opens at 5:30 PM (2330 GMT), pending regulatory approval. It will mark the eighth test flight of Starship, the largest and most powerful ro

The latest analysis from the European Space Agency (ESA) Planetary Defence Office has reduced the probability that asteroid 2024 YR4 might impact Earth in 2032 to 0.001%.

The Red Planet’s iconic rusty dust has a much wetter history than previously assumed, find scientists combining European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA spacecraft data with new laboratory experiments on replica Mars dust. The results suggest that Mars rusted early in the planet’s ancient past, when liquid water was more widespread.

London UK (SPX) Feb 24, 2025
Researchers at Heriot-Watt University have secured approval to initiate an innovative project designed to deliver affordable connectivity to everyone. A consortium of agencies that includes Heriot-Watt has been allocated GBP6 million through the UK Space Agency's Connectivity in Low Earth Orbit (C-LEO) programme. Under the leadership of Cardiff-based tech firm Excelerate Technology Ltd, the team

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Feb 24, 2025
ATMOS Space Cargo a leading European space logistics startup has received a total funding package of euro 13.1 million from the European Innovation Council Accelerator a flagship component of the European Union Horizon Europe framework This financial boost reinforces the companys innovative role in the space sector The EIC Accelerator targets firms that develop breakthrough innovations ca

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Feb 24, 2025
Earth is immersed in material streaming from the Sun. This stream, called the solar wind, is washing over our planet, causing breathtaking auroras, impacting satellites and astronauts in space, and even affecting ground-based infrastructure. NASA's PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission will be the first to image the Sun's corona, or outer atmosphere, and solar win

Paris, France (SPX) Feb 24, 2025
ClearSpace has commenced the consolidation phase of its GEO Life Extension Mission. Backed by the Government of Luxembourg and supported by an ESA contract under the Luxembourg National Space Programme LuxIMPULSE, which is implemented by the Luxembourg Space Agency, this initiative represents a major operational milestone. The mission underscores ClearSpace's steadfast commitment to sustai

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Feb 24, 2025
Optical atomic clocks hold the promise of enhancing timekeeping and positioning in everyday devices by a factor of one thousand. Yet their large size and complex design have kept them confined to advanced laboratories. Researchers at Purdue University, USA, and Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have now devised a method using on-chip microcombs to dramatically reduce the size of these p