Science

When China fired a missile into one of its own weather satellites in a 2007 show of force, experts called the demo the beginning of a new antisatellite arms race. Fast forward to 2022, and a Chinese space tug is spotted towing a dead navigation satellite into a graveyard orbit above the geostationary belt. “This

WASHINGTON — The European Space Agency announced April 13 it was further cutting ties with Russia by dropping plans to cooperate on a series of lunar missions, turning instead to NASA and other agencies. At the conclusion of an ESA Council meeting, the agency said it was ending plans to cooperate with Roscosmos on that

Stored energy: rendition of a system that combines polymeric nitrogen (blue chain) and carbon nanotube (clear spheres). (Courtesy: Heba Megahd) From TNT to nitro-glycerine, nitrogen-rich compounds are known for packing an explosive punch. When these materials explode, bonds between atoms in the compounds are broken, which gives a chance for two nitrogen atoms to form

A $50 million experiment called Tetra-5 will seek to demonstrate on-orbit refueling of small satellites in geostationary orbit WASHINGTON – The U.S. Space Force in 2025 plans to launch to geostationary orbit three small satellites that will attempt to dock with a propellant tanker so they can be refueled in space. The idea is to

Hicks said DoD still has a long way to go in making its procurement process more  suitable for the commercial industry WASHINGTON – During a visit to Los Angeles last week, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks stopped by SpaceWERX, a new organization created to match technologies developed by commercial space businesses with Space Force buyers. 

Bit by qubit: A section of a 300 mm silicon wafer containing 82 unit cells (die) and more than 10,000 quantum dot arrays of various lengths. (Courtesy: Tim Herman/Intel) Researchers in the Netherlands and the US have shown for the first time that qubits – the building blocks of quantum computers – can be mass-produced

SEOUL, South Korea — The United States and India have agreed to cooperate on space situational awareness, a deal that the U.S. Department of Defense said would “lay the groundwork for more advanced cooperation in space.” The agreement was reached April 11 by officials of the two countries on the sidelines of the U.S.-India 2+2

CEO Dan Jablonsky: The capacity crunch will be an issue ‘until we get the Legions launched’ WASHINGTON – As Maxar Technologies’ satellites continue to collect images of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the company is working with customers so it can allocate more capacity to meet U.S. government needs, said Maxar’s CEO Daniel Jablonsky. With four

A film that protects perovskite solar cells from adverse conditions such as high temperatures and moisture. (Courtesy: © 2022 KAUST) A solar cell that incorporates both three-dimensional and two-dimensional forms of perovskite crystals retains its efficiency even after exposure to high heat and humidity – a first for a device made from this promising yet

The SpaceNews editorial team produced four show dailies, a nightly email newsletter and all-day web coverage during the 37th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs the week of April 4. We’ve compiled all our reporting into a special digital edition that’s free. SN Digital Edition | News from the 37th Space Symposium

WASHINGTON — The leaders of the House Science Committee have asked the Biden administration to withdraw a controversial proposed rule regarding commercial spaceflight investigations, calling it “plainly unlawful.” In an April 6 letter to President Biden, Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) and Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), the chair and ranking member, respectively, of the House Science

Glass globules found by Yutu-2. (Courtesy ©Science China Press) The Moon’s highlands may be scattered with transparent globules of a glass-like substance, say scientists involved in China’s Chang’e-4 mission. Initial observations from the mission’s Yutu-2 rover suggest that these structures are widespread, and their presence could help us better understand the early history of lunar

The Space Force is requesting an additional $200 in 2023 to fund two launches of missile-tracking satellites COLORADO SPRINGS – The U.S. Space Force is requesting an additional $200 million in fiscal year 2023 to launch satellites for the Space Development Agency’s missile-tracking constellation. The funding for additional launches was included in a $600 million

WASHINGTON — After discovering a problem with a valve on the Space Launch System’s upper stage, NASA is delaying a countdown rehearsal and fueling test and modifying it to limit fueling of the upper stage. NASA said in an April 9 blog post that it was delaying the wet dress rehearsal (WDR) for the SLS

A charged future: Batteries that exploit quantum effects to charge more quickly than conventional batteries could have applications in phone cameras and other small-scale devices. (Courtesy: iStock/Quardia) Your night-mode photos might get a lot crisper thanks to a new device that exploits quantum mechanics to absorb photons more efficiently. Known as a quantum battery, the

The company is developing an optical inter-satellite data relay service in medium Earth orbit called WarpHub InterSat WASHINGTON – Warpspace, a Japanese space startup developing an inter-satellite laser communications system, is establishing a U.S. presence to partner with American companies and compete for government and military contracts.  “Warpspace USA Inc. was recently incorporated in Delaware,”

COLORADO SPRINGS — The European Space Agency will launch its Sentinel-1C radar imaging satellite on a Vega C rocket in 2023 as the agency continues to study potential impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on that launch vehicle. Arianespace announced April 7 that it won a contract from ESA to launch Sentinel-1C in the first

Lower level: on the left is a conventional geophysics image showing a boundary wall. The image on the right was made using gamma rays at the same wall stands out in green because it is less radioactive than its surroundings. (Courtesy: University of Reading) Archaeologists have adapted several techniques from physicists and the next one