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

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 20, 2025
A research team led by Dr. Jae Hwa Seo at the Advanced Semiconductor Research Center of KERI has developed cutting-edge technology to evaluate radiation resistance and enhance the reliability of silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor devices for space applications. Power semiconductors are critical in electronic systems, managing current flow and enabling power conversion. While silicon

Washington DC (UPI) Feb 23, 2025
A shell of icy objects at the edge of the solar system known as the Oort cloud has a pair of spiral arms that resemble a miniature galaxy, new research suggests. Until now, the shape of the cloud and how it is affected by forces beyond our solar system have not been largely understood. But the new research, published Feb. 16 at arXiv, says the cloud may look like a spiral disk, one of t

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 24, 2025

Firefly's Blue Ghost Mission 1 is set to land on the Moon in less than a week with touchdown expected on Sunday March 2 after its launch on Jan 15. In preparation for descent, the spacecraft will execute its final lunar orbit maneuver on Monday, Feb 24, inserting it into a near-circular low orbit that brings it closer to the lunar surface. Approximately one hour before landing, a Descent Orbit

The European Space Agency (ESA) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have signed a Memorandum of Intent (MoI) to harness space technology for humanitarian assistance worldwide. The partnership will combine ESA's space expertise with ICRC's humanitarian reach to develop space-enabled solutions that can help protect and assist communities affected by disasters and conflicts across Europe and beyond.

The European Space Agency’s Proba-3 mission will create artificial solar eclipses in orbit, allowing scientists to study the Sun’s corona for longer periods of time than would be possible during eclipses observed from Earth. To test the functionality of Proba-3’s systems, researchers from the Royal Observatory of Belgium took a snapshot of a star field – in the very first image captured by the mission’s coronagraph.

Paris, France (SPX) Feb 21, 2025
How prepared is humanity to deflect an incoming asteroid? This question is addressed in two recent studies published in *Nature Communications*, stemming from a collaboration between Politecnico di Milano, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and other global research institutions. The studies analyze the outcomes of NASA's DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission, which successfully impa

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Feb 21, 2025
China is gearing up for its first asteroid sample-return mission, Tianwen 2, which is set to launch in the coming months from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The space agency announced on Thursday that the robotic probe has already arrived at the launch facility. It stated that "facilities at the launch c

Madrid, Spain (SPX) Feb 21, 2025
PLD Space, a global provider of space services specializing in vertically integrated engineering and manufacturing, has announced its selection of the Etlaq spaceport in Oman as its second operational launch site for the MIURA rocket family. This addition strengthens the company's existing capabilities at the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) in Kourou, French Guiana, which is managed by CNES and ES