Science

WASHINGTON — While operations of the International Space Station continue without “serious interruptions,” sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine are starting to have an effect on some activities, NASA’s safety advisers said. At a May 12 meeting of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP), members reiterated past comments by agency officials that the

HELSINKI — An orbital launch attempt by Chinese startup iSpace suffered failure early Friday, following on from two failures last year. The fourth Hyperbola-1, a four-stage solid rocket, lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert at 3:09 a.m. Eastern May 13.  Apparent launch footage appeared on a Chinese social media

Observed changes in Neptune’s thermal-infrared brightness, a measure of temperature in Neptune’s atmosphere. Credit: Michael Roman/NASA/JPL/Voyager-ISS/Justin Cowart The atmosphere of the planet Neptune has undergone significant and “frankly unexpected” changes to its atmospheric temperature over the past two decades, say scientists at the University of Leicester, UK. The team drew this conclusion by analysing images

WASHINGTON — Space technology company Redwire said that while it still sees the commercial sector as its biggest prospect for long-term growth, volatility among its customers may cause delays. Redwire, which went public through a SPAC merger last year, reported revenue of $32.9 million in its first quarter earnings release May 12. The company had

“We’re all hoping to move forward with a final decision as quickly as we can,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall with regard to the relocation of U.S. Space Command WASHINGTON – During a hearing May 13 of the House Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee, Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) asked Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall to lay

Up-conversion: The new scheme converts single photons from a lower frequency to a higher one by scattering them off a moving refractive index grating created by molecular vibrations in an optical fibre filled with hydrogen gas. (Courtesy: Nicholas Joly) A new technique that keeps two photons entangled while greatly increasing the frequency of one of

WASHINGTON — The private astronauts who spent two weeks on the International Space Station in April said they tried to pack too much into their schedules while on the station, putting a strain on both themselves and the professional astronauts there. At a May 13 news conference, the four people who flew on Axiom Space’s

TAMPA, Fla. — Inmarsat is seeking permission from Greece to move a ground station there from the Netherlands, which wants to sell the C-band spectrum the site uses for maritime safety services to 5G wireless operators. The British satellite operator previously argued that moving out of the northern Netherlands village of Burum was unnecessary because

[embedded content] Have you ever wondered what would happen to a deflated ball if you put it in a vacuum chamber? I think most of us would guess that the remaining air inside the ball would cause the ball to inflate as the pressure dropped around it. And that is exactly what happened in the

WASHINGTON — Astra disclosed details about its new launch vehicle that will be capable of carrying heavier payloads and flying more frequently. At its “Spacetech Day” event at its Alameda, California, headquarters May 12, company executives offered some details about what it calls Launch System 2.0, a system that includes a new rocket called Rocket

On April 18, Vice President Kamala Harris announced a U.S. commitment to forgo “destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile testing.” This carefully designed ban has the potential to be the first step in a new approach to security and sustainability in space. If so, the United States will be well-positioned to ensure peace and prosperity in space

In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast I report from Edinburgh, where I attended a meeting for student members of the Scottish Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) in Condensed Matter Physics and Quantum Materials. While in the Scottish capital I discovered how CDTs are helping students make the most out of their PhDs

WASHINGTON — Despite a widening loss in the first quarter, Virgin Orbit executives said they believe they have enough financial runway for their air launch business to gain altitude this year. In its first quarter financial results released May 11, the company announced a net loss of $62.6 million and an adjusted earnings before interest,

TAMPA, Fla. — British microlauncher startup Orbex unveiled a full-scale prototype May 11 of what it hopes will be the first-ever vertical rocket launched to orbit from British soil. The 19-meter two-stage Prime orbital rocket was successfully integrated and delivered to its dedicated pad on the north coast of Scotland, paving the way for tests

Taken from the May 2022 issue of Physics World. Members of the Institute of Physics can enjoy the full issue via the Physics World app. The University of Liverpool’s synchrocyclotron helped define physics in the 20th century, yet little trace of it remains. Rob Lea looks into the history of this lost machine

The IG determined that the basing decision “complied with Federal Law and DoD policy and that the process was reasonable” WASHINGTON — After a year-long investigation, the Defense Department’s Office of Inspector General concluded that the January 2021 recommendation to relocate U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama, was reasonable and not

Despite the challenges many industries encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic, the past few years have been phenomenal for the global space sector. Three nations launched missions to Mars, U.S. astronauts returned to the International Space Station, and private space companies have taken all-civilian crews on their first space tourism launches. Aerospace companies responded to the