Science

Merger afterglow: artist’s impression of the afterglow that followed the merger of a neutron star with another star. (Courtesy: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) and M Weiss (NRAO/AUI/NSF)) The aftermath of the merger of a neutron star with another star has been observed using millimetre-wavelength light for the first time. The distant merger occurred when the universe was

The Pentagon approved the transfer last year in an effort to consolidate space programs under the new military branch WASHINGTON — Satellite ground stations that for decades have been operated by the U.S. Army will be officially handed over to the Space Force on Aug. 15. The Space Force will take over control of the

WASHINGTON — NASA and the U.S. Space Force have resolved an issue with the flight termination system on the Space Launch System that could have cut short the vehicle’s inaugural launch campaign. In an update late Aug. 12, NASA said it worked with Space Launch Delta 45, the Space Force unit that operates the Eastern

Gripping demonstration: researchers test the Octa-glove in the lab of Michael Bartlett. (Courtesy: Alex Parrish/Virginia Tech) Inspired by the way the skin on octopus arms works, researchers at Virginia Tech in the US have developed a new rapidly switchable adhesive that sticks securely to objects underwater. The material could find use in robotics, healthcare and

TAMPA, Fla. — Mobile satellite connectivity specialist Anuvu is looking for more avenues for growth with the acquisition of Signal Mountain Networks, a satellite communications provider to the U.S. government. Anuvu said Aug. 11 that the 20-year-old mission-critical solutions provider could help unlock new revenue streams ahead of plans to start deploying its own constellation

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris said Aug. 12 that the National Space Council will work to revise commercial space regulations that have become “simply outdated” as the industry evolves. Harris, in a brief speech at a science center in Oakland, California, said a “new rules framework” for commercial space activities will be discussed at

Kid’s stuff: two examples of the linear mosaics used in the baby study. (Courtesy: Irene de la Cruz-Pavía. UPV/EHU) You are never too young to start learning about physics – and now researchers in Europe have backed this up by showing that babies just seven months old have a grasp of symmetry. Irene de la

TAMPA, Fla. — Intelsat said Aug. 11 it has signed a global distribution deal with OneWeb to provide multi-orbit inflight connectivity solutions for airlines. The agreement enables Intelsat, which currently uses satellites in geostationary orbit (GEO) to connect airline passengers, to also provide low Earth orbit (LEO) solutions once OneWeb deploys the last third of

LOGAN, Utah — In-space transportation company Momentus plans to reduce spending to conserve cash while moving ahead with its next series of tug missions. Momentus announced Aug. 11 that its next mission, called Vigoride-5, remains on schedule for a launch on the SpaceX Transporter-6 rideshare mission in November as the company implements fixes in the

Many physicists are keen to share their enthusiasm for science with the public, and this often involves participating in events at different venues across a community. In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast, we meet four people in the Canadian city of Guelph who believe that their community’s appetite for science is so

LOGAN, Utah — The growth of the small launch vehicle industry is slowing, with fewer new vehicles entering the market and more vehicles going defunct, as demand for such vehicles lags expectations. In a presentation at the Small Satellite Conference Aug. 11, Carlos Niederstrasser of Northrop Grumman discussed the latest version of an annual survey

LOGAN, Utah — Canada’s MDA sees a growing opportunity to expand its international space business from the United Kingdom, where it plans to double its team to 80 employees in the next 12 months. Anita Bernie, who was appointed managing director for MDA’s U.K. unit in March, said the company has just moved into a

Layered approach: both teams created excitonic insulators by twisting the relative orientations of thin sheets in layered materials. (Courtesy: Shutterstock/Mopic) Excitonic insulators – an exotic type of matter with a ground state comprising bound electron–hole pairs – have been made by two independent research groups. The excitonic insulators were created in layered materials called van

LOGAN, Utah — The Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) has completed the first of a constellation of cubesats for NASA that will act as a giant radio telescope in space to study space weather. At an Aug. 8 briefing, project officials from SDL and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory showed off the first completed cubesat for the

LOGAN, Utah — Blue Canyon Technologies won its largest constellation order to date, a contract with weather technology company Tomorrow.io. Under a contract announced Aug. 9, Blue Canyon, a Raytheon subsidiary, will provide products and services for 18 Tomorrow.io cubesats. In addition to providing cubesat buses and payloads elements, Blue Canyon will support payload integration,

Magnetic spins that ‘freeze’ when heated (Courtesy: Radboud University) Usually, when materials heat up, they become more disordered. Now, researchers at Radboud University in the Netherlands have found evidence for the opposite happening in the element neodymium, which develops long-range order as its temperature increases. The presence of this phase transition could shed light on

LOGAN, Utah — Small satellite manufacturer Terran Orbital reported increased revenues Aug. 9 as it ramps up work on satellites for the Space Development Agency, but is planning to sell stock as its cash reserves decline. Terran Orbital reported $21.4 million in revenue in the second quarter of 2022, an increase of 127% over the

LOGAN, Utah — Canadian launch startup SpaceRyde said Aug. 8 it has added a second member to its advisory board with the appointment of Mina Mitry, the CEO of small satellite operator Kepler Communications. Mitry joins Jeff Thornburg, SpaceRyde’s inaugural advisory board member and a former vice president of propulsion engineering at SpaceX. Kepler, also