Science

WASHINGTON — SpaceX launched another set of Starlink satellites Feb. 25 as the company argues its satellite constellation is consistent with the safe and sustainable use of low Earth orbit. A Falcon 9 lifted off at 12:12 p.m. Eastern from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The rocket deployed its

SAN FRANCISCO – Capacity is the biggest constraint for Orbital Sidekick, the hyperspectral imaging startup that is acquiring data from Aurora, its first satellite launched in June. “There’s huge demand for dual-use satellite technology,” Daniel Katz, Orbital Sidekick CEO and co-founder told SpaceNews. “We are working to ramp up production and get hyperspectral data into

In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast, we speak to Mirella Koleva and Gaby Slavcheva, who are the co-founders of the UK-based company Quantopticon. The firm develops software for simulating quantum photonics devices and Koleva and Slavcheva explain why there is a need to understand the fundamental physics behind the devices that underpin

WASHINGTON — AE Industrial Partners is buying the part of Firefly Aerospace currently owned by Noosphere Venture Partners, which previously announced it was being forced by the federal government to sell its stake in the launch vehicle developer. The companies announced Feb. 24 that AE Industrial Partners (AEI) was taking a “significant stake” in Firefly

WASHINGTON — NASA’s plans to shift from the International Space Station to commercial space stations may force one key partner to rethink how it cooperates in low Earth orbit. Speaking at a panel on space diplomacy organized by George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute Feb. 23, Sylvie Espinasse, head of the European Space Agency’s Washington

Taken from the February 2022 issue of Physics World, where it appeared under the headline “Physics on the cheap”. Members of the Institute of Physics can enjoy the full issue via the Physics World app. The simplest questions are often the best. Robert P Crease tries to answer one from a physics student in Kenya

Scolese said both government and commercial satellites systems are potential targets CHANTILLY, Va. — As the Ukraine crisis escalates, the director of the National Reconnaissance Office Christopher Scolese warned that satellites in space could be targeted by Russia’s military in an effort to disrupt communications and GPS services.  “I think we’re seeing pretty clearly that

WASHINGTON — Virgin Galactic executives said Feb. 22 that they remain on schedule to begin commercial human suborbital missions before the end of the year but acknowledged it will take several years for the company to become profitable. In an earnings call after the release of Virgin Galactic’s fourth quarter and fiscal year 2021 financial

Going faster: In the race for computational advantage, classical machines are less far behind than previously thought. (Courtesy: istock/UroshPetrovic) For quantum computers to be considered viable, they need to successfully and verifiably perform tasks that are hard to reproduce on any classical computer – a situation known as “quantum advantage”. As both quantum computers and

Joint statement: ‘Militaries have an important role in contributing to international efforts to ensure freedom of access to and use of space’ WASHINGTON — The Defense Department announced Feb. 22 that the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom have signed a joint vision document that calls for greater cooperation

WASHINGTON — SpaceX launched a set of Starlink satellites Feb. 21 after more than three-fourths of the satellites from the previous launch were lost because of a solar storm. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 9:44 a.m. Eastern after a one-day delay

Current connection: Schematic diagram of the ion-wire-ion system. Two ions are trapped at either end of an electrically floating wire that is at room temperature. (Courtesy: Da An) Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley have persuaded two trapped ions to interact over a distance of 620 µm – much larger than would be possible

The first customer for the Mission Robotic Vehicle is Optus, Australia’s largest satellite operator WASHINGTON — SpaceLogistics, a satellite-servicing firm owned by Northrop Grumman, announced Feb. 21 it plans to send to orbit a new servicing vehicle in 2024 on a SpaceX rocket. This will be the debut of the company’s Mission Robotic Vehicle, a

WASHINGTON — The European Union is rolling out a new space traffic management initiative to build up its abilities in the field while working with both the United States and the United Nations. The European Commission released Feb. 15 a “joint communication” outlining the E.U.’s approach to space traffic management (STM), calling for increasing E.U.

Creating colour: Nanothin clay double layers (DBLs) can generate structural colours. The colour is determined by the distance between the layers, which is modified by altering the clay concentration (shown far right) or the amount of salt in the material that the clay is suspended in. (Courtesy: Norwegian University of Science and Technology) Researchers in

Michigan colleges and universities offer extensive instruction in aerospace research and engineering. After college, though, many graduates leave the state for jobs in California, Florida and Texas. “We’re looking at building an entire ecosystem of value that supports growth and the retention of that talent that’s being trained here,” said Gavin Brown, executive director of

At the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, city officials in Brownsville, Texas, anticipated double-digit declines in sales and property tax revenues. To their surprise, residential property values, sales tax collections and hotel tax revenues have continued to climb. Much of the credit goes to SpaceX. The Hawthorne, California-based rocket builder has been steadily expanding the

Changing times: JILA researchers measured time dilation within this tiny cloud of strontium atoms. (Courtesy: R Jacobson/NIST) Two independent teams of researchers in the US have used differential measurement techniques to remove laser noise from atomic clocks, allowing them to observe tiny differences in how gravity affects atoms separated by a centimetre or less in