Science

REYKJAVÍK, Iceland — A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched a new set of Starlink satellites Dec. 18, setting a new reusability mark for the vehicle in the process. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 7:41 a.m. Eastern. The rocket’s upper stage deployed a payload

Lt. Gen. Armagno: ‘We are no longer the subject of jokes of year one’ WASHINGTON — On the second anniversary of the U.S. Space Force, officials are calling attention to its accomplishments as well as looming challenges posed by Russian and Chinese anti-satellite weapons. The Space Force, an independent military service under the Department of

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is scheduled to launch on 24 December. To mark the event, Physics World is publishing a series of blog posts on the telescope’s technological innovations and scientific missions. This post is the second in the series. Read the first here. Honeycomb: The 18 hexagonal segments of the JWST’s primary

REYKJAVÍK, Iceland — With a communications glitch resolved, NASA and the European Space Agency have rescheduled the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope on an Ariane 5 for Dec. 24. While a formal announcement from NASA and ESA was still pending as of late Dec. 17, various sources, including the Space Telescope Science Institute,

In 1969, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin climbed out of Apollo 11’s Eagle lander and stepped onto the moon, they were several hours ahead of schedule. Back on Earth, the moon had not yet risen sufficiently for the Goldstone dish antenna in California to pick up the video. All of America and much of

TAMPA, Fla. —  Pléiades Neo 4, the second of four planned high-resolution images satellites built and operated by Airbus Defense and Space, entered service Dec. 15 free from an issue that prompted an insurance claim for Pléiades Neo 3. Francois Lombard, Airbus Defense and Space head of intelligence, told SpaceNews that Pléiades Neo 4 “is

The NDAA authorized a $645.7 million increase for military space programs in fiscal year 2022 WASHINGTON — The 2022 National Defense Authorization Act — which Congress just passed and now awaits the president’s signature — adds more than $645 million to Defense Department space programs above the Biden administration’s request, analysts estimated.  “Space industry leaders

PARIS — Earth observation company Satellogic expects to begin trading on the Nasdaq next week after completing a merger with special purpose acquisition corporation (SPAC). Speaking at Euroconsult’s World Satellite Business Week here Dec. 16, Satellogic Chief Executive Emiliano Kargieman said that shareholders of CF Acquisition Corp. V, the SPAC that announced plans in July

TAMPA, Fla. — Intelsat is poised to exit Chapter 11 in early 2022, after its bankruptcy court approved a restructuring plan that cuts the satellite operator’s debt from about $16 billion to $7 billion. The approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia marks the final court milestone for a Chapter

For the demonstration, PredaSAR will install an optical communications terminal made by SA Photonics on one of its satellites WASHINGTON — Radar imaging startup PredaSAR won a $2 million contract from the U.S. Space Force to demonstrate interoperability between its satellites and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Blackjack constellation.  Under the contract, announced last

HELSINKI — A new heavy-lift rocket designed to be capable of sending Chinese astronauts to the moon could have its first flight in 2026, according to a senior engineer. Long Lehao, a senior space industry figure and Long March launch vehicle designer, told state media CCTV Dec. 10 that the new rocket would launch for

PARIS — Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) won a contract from British Earth observation startup Satellite Vu to build the first satellite in a constellation designed to provide thermal infrared imaging for climate change applications. SSTL said Dec. 16 that it will build the satellite as a pathfinder for Satellite Vu’s proposed seven-satellite constellation. The

SEOUL, South Korea — Malaysia is developing a national space blueprint to drive the growth of its space sector, particularly the manufacturing of remote-sensing satellites, satellite components and data-driven downstream services. During a Dec. 13 parliamentary hearing, a deputy minister shared the latest update on the “Malaysia Space Exploration 2030” blueprint being fleshed out by

For more than 50 years, near space has been viewed as a vast resource to exploit with few limits. In reality, near space is a very scarce resource. While international agreements such as the Outer Space Treaty and the Registration Convention take steps to protect this precious resource, no single global body is responsible for

Join the audience for a live webinar at 3 p.m. GMT/4 p.m. CET on 20 January 2022 exploring thin film deposition using Bipolar High-Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering Want to take part in this webinar? In this webinar, Daniel Lundin will give an introduction to thin film deposition using Bipolar High-Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (Bipolar HiPIMS),

Tissue-friendly microelectrodes: First author Matilde Forni holds the micron-scale electrodes used to stimulate the brain. (Courtesy: Agata Garpenlind, Lund University) Worldwide, 1.5 billion people live with chronic pain, with greater prevalence among adults living in poverty, women and the elderly. In the US alone, chronic pain costs an estimated $560–635 billion per year in direct

Taken from the December 2021 issue of Physics World where it appeared under the headline “Ethics in the quantum age”. Members of the Institute of Physics can enjoy the full issue via the Physics World app. Mauritz Kop assesses the ethical principles we must all adopt so that the application of quantum technologies is equitable

This year’s ASTRO annual meeting saw Siemens Healthineers and Varian focus on artificial intelligence (AI). In this short video, filmed at ASTRO 2021, Lisa-Marie Petzold from Siemens Healthineers explains how AI can support radiotherapy, for example, via the introduction of deep learning-based contouring of organs-at-risk. Varian’s Michelle Nystrom then describes how this autocontouring system integrates