Month: December 2023

(Courtesy: Shutterstock/Mr-Aesthetics) Physics isn’t a popularity contest, but the 10 most read articles published on the Physics World website in 2023 nevertheless make an interesting collection of highlights, lowlights and every kind of light in between. If you didn’t spot these stories when they first appeared, here’s your chance to find out what the fuss

An illustration of the experiment showing two gold electrodes atop a thin magnetic layer. In the middle lies a superconducting electrode. With the left gold electrode, the researchers generate spin waves in the magnetic material, which travel to the right. On top of the electrodes is a square diamond membrane, which allows the researchers to

TAMPA, Fla. — The European Investment Bank (EIB) has agreed to explore the funding and advisory support needed to transform Belgium’s southern region Wallonia into a space powerhouse. EIB signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Belgian government officials Dec. 18 to develop Wallonia’s space industry, marking the first time Europe’s lending arm has entered

WASHINGTON — Intuitive Machines said Dec. 19 it is delaying the launch of its first lunar lander mission a month to mid-February, citing changes in SpaceX’s launch manifest. The Houston-based company had been planning a launch of its IM-1 mission in a window between Jan. 12 and 16 on a Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space

HELSINKI — Leading Chinese launch startup Galactic Energy has secured $154 million in funding for the development of its reusable Pallas-1 rocket. Galactic Energy announced the 1.1 billion yuan C and C+ funding rounds Dec. 18. The funding will go towards research and development of reusable launch vehicle technology for the Pallas-1 medium-lift rocket and

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Dec. 19 voted to confirm eleven senior officers to become four-star generals and admirals, including two Space Force leaders, Gen. Michael Guetlein and Gen. Stephen Whiting. The Senate vote came as the chamber delayed the holiday recess to work on a number of issues.  The confirmations of Guetlein and

WASHINGTON — The White House is releasing a policy framework to accompany its proposal to provide oversight of novel commercial space activities. The framework, to be announced at a Dec. 20 meeting of the National Space Council, is intended to accompany a separate legislative proposal for mission authorization it released Nov. 15. That proposal would

WASHINGTON — The European Space Agency says the first launch of the Ariane 6 remains on track for the middle of 2024 despite an aborted test of the rocket’s upper stage. In a Dec. 19 statement, ESA said it successfully completed a test of an Ariane 6 prototype called combined test loading, or CTLO3, at

Once upon a time, we thought that our actions were too insignificant to impact something as large as the natural environment — that it wouldn’t be possible for fishermen to exhaust a fishery, that groundwater was so plentiful that conservation was unnecessary, and that the sky was big enough that the odds of two human-created

WASHINGTON — Defense contractor L3Harris announced Dec. 20 it has received approval from the Space Development Agency to move into production on 16 satellites designed to detect and monitor hypersonic missiles aimed at the U.S. or its allies.  L3Harris said its satellites cleared a critical design review and a production readiness review.  The Space Development Agency

TAMPA, Fla. — Karim Michel Sabbagh has left megaconstellation startup E-Space to lead Space42, a proposed combination of regional satellite operator Yahsat and geospatial intelligence provider Bayanat valued at around $4 billion. Sabbagh, a former CEO of SES who joined Florida-based E-Space last year to oversee strategy in Europe and the Middle East, would be

SAN FRANCISCO — A delegation from the French Space Agency CNES visited Colorado and Texas last week to expand ties between French and American aerospace companies. The officials, who jokingly refer to themselves as France’s NewSpace Musketeers, plan to establish virtual hubs in Denver and Houston for Connect by CNES, a government initiative to spur