Gen. DT Thompson: ‘You’re going to see a significant increase in the resources for the United States Space Force’ WASHINGTON — Gen. David “DT” Thompson, U.S. vice chief of space operations, said the Space Force is likely to see continued funding increases to counter China’s rapid advances in its space program. “You’re going to see
Science
This article is the second in a series of essays written by Black physicists and co-published with Physics Today as part of #BlackInPhysics Week 2022, an event dedicated to celebrating Black physicists and their contributions to the scientific community, and to revealing a more complete picture of what a physicist looks like. This year’s theme
LAS VEGAS — Orbit Fab, a startup developing infrastructure for in-space refueling of satellites, announced Oct. 25 it lined up a new investor to support those plans. Orbit Fab said that 8090 Industries was a “new major investor” in the company, but did not disclose the size of the investment. The company had previously raised
SAN FRANCISCO – Looking for immortality? Space Crystals LLC might have the answer. The startup, founded in 2021 by Waypoint 2 Space CEO Kevin Heath, plans to send crystals grown in microgravity and infused with customer DNA to the moon next year. “We’ve got the technology,” Heath told SpaceNews. “We are in the midst of
This article is the first in a series of essays written by Black physicists and co-published with Physics Today as part of #BlackInPhysics Week 2022, an event dedicated to celebrating Black physicists and their contributions to the scientific community, and to revealing a more complete picture of what a physicist looks like. This year’s theme
SAN FRANCISCO – French startup Preligens is expanding its U.S. subsidiary in a bid to become a long-term supplier of geospatial data analysis software to the U.S. Department of Defense. Since establishing a U.S. subsidiary about three years ago, Preligens has participated in the Defense Department’s Foreign Comparative Testing program, an effort to satisfy military
WASHINGTON — The European Space Agency is putting the finishing touches on a package of programs it will ask its member states to support at a council meeting in November. At a press briefing after a meeting of the ESA Council in Paris Oct. 20, agency leaders said they were finalizing proposals and related documents
Join the audience for a live webinar at 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. EST on 30 November 2022 looking at the electrochemical studies that support Canada’s plan to safely contain and isolate used nuclear fuel Want to take part in this webinar? The Nuclear Waste Management Organization is responsible for Canada’s plan to manage used nuclear
SAN FRANCISCO – French startup Grasp SAS has acquired Baltimore, Maryland-based AirPhoton to create Grasp Global, a European and U.S. Earth-observation company with plans for a cubesat constellation. Grasp, which stands for Generalized Retrieval of Atmosphere and Surface Properties, was founded in 2015 to provide software and remote-sensing services primarily to agencies including the European
WASHINGTON — A new report by The Aerospace Corporation calls for a more holistic approach to space safety, from avoiding collisions in orbit to cybersecurity. The 2022 Space Safety Compendium, released Oct. 19, offers a wide range of recommendations on topics that include space situational awareness, launch and reentry, spectrum and cybersecurity, and human spaceflight
Leaders and followers alike: mathematical models have provided new insights into the dynamics of sheep flocks. (Courtesy: Jesus Solana/CC BY 2.0) Murmurations of starlings, the purposeful motion of some bacteria, and the stopping and starting of traffic on a busy motorway are all examples of collective motion that have been studied by physicists. Now, we
TAMPA, Fla. — Initial direct-to-smartphone services from Iridium’s constellation will support occasional communications for emergencies and other unforeseen needs in remote areas worldwide, CEO Matt Desch said Oct. 20. Similar to rival low Earth orbit (LEO) operator Globalstar’s plan to bring basic SOS connectivity to the iPhone 14 next month, Desch said its incoming service
Vendors will compete for task orders under a five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract WASHINGTON — The Space Force is changing its approach to buying satellites for the Space Test Program, which for decades has launched experiments for the U.S. government and allies. Instead of awarding separate contracts for STP missions, the Space Force will
Janina Moereke is a development engineer at Avancis in Munich, Germany, where she uses optical and electrical techniques to characterize and develop thin-film solar cells. With a PhD in semiconductor devices from the University of Bristol in the UK, she previously worked at United Monolithic Semiconductors in Ulm and was a post-doc at the CEA-Leti
WASHINGTON — The launch of a set of OneWeb satellites on an Indian rocket could be the harbinger of a greater role India will play in a commercial launch industry straining to satisfy demand. A Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark 3 rocket, also designated LVM3, is scheduled to launch from India’s Satish Dhawan Space
Laser-vision star tracker, docking system, and desert landing proven as practical space applications of the future Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner docks with the International Space Station on May 20, 2022, completing an important objective of the uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2. Credit: NASA One day after launching May 19 from Florida’s Space Coast on a United Launch
Join the audience for a live webinar at 2 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. CET on 24 November 2022 exploring the underlying physics involved in ultrashort femtosecond lasers Want to take part in this webinar? Granular detail: Femtosecond lasers were used to produce this multiphoton microscopy image of lung tissue. (Source: M L Groot, VU Amsterdam/Flash Pathology
WASHINGTON — Launch vehicle developer Relativity Space will expand its engine test site at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, the second company in as many months to announce new or expanded facilities there. Relativity said Oct. 18 it will build test stands, office buildings and a vehicle hangar on more than 150 acres of land at