Science

Capella Space will use Mynaric laser communications terminals to test interoperability with DoD satellites SAN FRANCISCO – Capella Space will begin installing optical communications terminals on synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) satellites in 2022 as part of a campaign to quickly deliver data to DoD customers via the Space Development Agency’s low Earth orbit constellation, the company

WASHINGTON — A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft splashed down late Nov. 8, returning four astronauts from the International Space Station after nearly 200 days in space. The Crew Dragon spacecraft Endeavour splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico offshore from Pensacola, Florida, at 10:33 p.m. Eastern. The spacecraft reentry and splashdown went as planned. The

Additive advantage: A magneto-optical trap (MOT) constructed with 3D-printed components. (Courtesy: Somaya Madkhaly) A team led by physicists at the University of Nottingham, UK has created a 3D-printed magneto-optical trap (MOT) capable of holding more than 2 × 108 rubidium atoms at temperatures a fraction of a degree above absolute zero. The demonstration shows that 3D printing,

If you have been amazed by recent space breakthroughs like flying a robotic helicopter on Mars, reusable rockets that can land vertically, and the long-anticipated takeoff of space tourism, brace yourself: this is just the beginning. But with new moves into space, there is the risk that we will take our Earthbound cyber vulnerabilities with

Comments on a draft request for proposals for Tranche 1 ground operations and integration are due Dec. 1. WASHINGTON — The Space Development Agency in early 2022 will seek bids for the ground segment portion of its low-Earth orbit constellation. SDA last week issued a draft request for proposals for Tranche 1 ground operations and

WASHINGTON — NASA has delayed the undocking of a Crew Dragon spacecraft from the International Space Station by a day because of high winds at splashdown locations in the Gulf of Mexico, a move that won’t affect the launch of the next crew to the station. NASA announced early Nov. 7 that it was postponing

WASHINGTON — In her first speech devoted to space since taking office, Vice President Kamala Harris said she will direct the National Space Council to develop a “comprehensive framework” for national space priorities, with an emphasis on climate change. In a speech at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Nov. 5, Harris, as expected, announced that,

System simplicity: Bioengineer Joseph van Batenburg-Sherwood works on the new ventilator. (Courtesy: Thomas Angus/Imperial College London) Researchers at Imperial Colleague London have shown that the low-cost ventilator they developed for COVID-19 patients meets the international standard for critical care ventilators. This means that it could be used for other conditions and to address the shortage

TAMPA, Fla. — Lower broadcast revenues and the pandemic continue to drag on the financials of major satellite operators as they point to the traction they are gaining in their new connectivity growth engines. Intelsat, SES, Eutelsat and Telesat all recorded hits to their broadcast businesses in the three months to the end of September

The process by which clearances are acquired, granted and maintained remains slow and byzantine The U.S. government’s restrictive security clearance process is hindering its ability to access cutting-edge space technology and protect sensitive information from foreign espionage. The Space Force is embarking on an aggressive effort to incorporate commercial technology from new entrants into its

Sustainability table: the latest version of the periodic table. (Courtesy: European Chemical Society) We do love an alternative periodic table here at Physics World, so I was chuffed to discover that the European Chemical Society has put a sustainable twist on its version of the table that displays the elements in terms of their abundance

SEOUL, South Korea —Virgin Orbit has signed a non-binding agreement with ANA Holdings, the owner of All Nippon Airways, a major Japanese airline, for the procurement of 20 flights of its LauncherOne rocket originating from an airport in Japan’s Oita Prefecture. Under the terms of the memorandum of understanding that Virgin Orbit announced Nov. 4,

A solicitation for Small Business Technology Transfer proposals will be released Nov. 17 WASHINGTON — The Space Force’s technology arm known as SpaceWERX plans to award multiple contracts as early as February for the initial phase of the Orbital Prime program focused on on-orbit services. SpaceWERX officials on Nov. 4 provided new details on Orbital

Third dimension: example of an origami mechanical metamaterial. (Courtesy: Itai Cohen/Cornell University) New research shows that microscale robots can be made from shape shifting 2D sheets. Itai Cohen and Itay Griniasty of Cornell University in the US have developed a mathematical technique for encoding the motion cycle of a tiny robot onto the surface of

WASHINGTON — The Court of Federal Claims has ruled against Blue Origin in its suit about the agency’s selection of SpaceX for a single Human Landing System award. In a one-page filing Nov. 4, Judge Richard A. Hertling granted a motion by the federal government, the defendant in the case, to dismiss the case filed

TAMPA, Fla. — The Federal Communications Commission has approved Boeing’s application to develop and operate 147 non-geostationary (NGSO) broadband satellites. Boeing applied for a license for a constellation using high-frequency V-band spectrum nearly five years ago, amid a surge in NGSO applications from SpaceX, OneWeb and others. The company is the last in the FCC’s

Information handling: Amit Nagarkar holds a surface on which tiny dye molecules are used to store data. (Courtesy: Kris Snibbe/Harvard staff photographer) A technique for storing data within mixtures of fluorescent dye molecules that are deposited on an epoxy surface by an inkjet printer has been developed by George Whitesides, Amit Nagarkar and colleagues at