Science

WASHINGTON — Apollo Fusion announced Jan. 26 it won an order from York Space Systems for a set of satellite electric propulsion systems. Apollo Fusion said it will provide its Apollo Constellation Engine (ACE) electric propulsion system for a low Earth orbit constellation of at least 10 satellites York is building for launch in 2022.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force on Dec. 31 officially terminated launch technology partnerships signed in October 2018 with Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman. The Air Force awarded Launch Service Agreements to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman and United Launch Alliance. These were six-year public-private partnerships where both the government and the contractors agreed to invest

Fibre-optic gyroscopes (FOGs) rely on a pair of laser beams travelling in opposite directions around the same fibre-optic coil. If the reference frame of the beams is not inertial – that is, if the gyroscope is rotating – the beam travelling counter to the direction of the rotation will experience a slightly shorter path. This

HELSINKI — The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is moving ahead with testing of its new H3 rocket as it seeks to replace its aging flagship H-IIA launch vehicle. The first stage of the 5.2-meter-diameter H3 launcher was unveiled to press at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Tobishima plant in Aichi Prefecture Jan. 24. The core stage is

WASHINGTON — Less than a week after leaving the agency, former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine is joining a private equity firm that invests in the aerospace and defense industries. Acorn Growth Companies, a private equity firm based in Oklahoma City, said Jan. 25 that it had hired Bridenstine as a senior adviser, assisting the company

Moving forward: A trade deal late last year between the UK and the EU came as a relief to many scientists as it allows continued British participation in the Horizon Europe programme. (Courtesy: iStock/microstockhub) Following years of negotiations, delays and disagreements, on Christ­mas Eve the United Kingdom and the European Union finally agreed a trade

For the first time in decades, the space industry is proving to be very popular again. With the recent successes of SpaceX’s crewed missions, the upcoming landing NASA’s Mars 2020 rover, Japan’s returned sample from the asteroid Ryugu, China’s lunar landing, and the test flights of Elon Musk’s Starship, public sentiment is becoming extremely positive

WASHINGTON — A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched 143 small satellites for a wide range of customers Jan. 24 on the company’s first dedicated rideshare mission, a service that poses a competitive threat to emerging small launch vehicles. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida

In this episode of the Physics World Stories podcast, scientists and engineers from the CERN describe how the pandemic has affected the particle physics lab and the way they collaborate with colleagues. CERN’s large hadron collider (LHC) is currently in shutdown ahead of its third run scheduled for later in 2021. José Miguel Jimenez, head

Gen. John Hyten said space is “is critical to everything we do” and the Space Force plays an important role protecting U.S. assets WASHINGTON — What does a change in administration mean for the U.S. Space Force? “I get that question a lot,” Gen. John Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said

Space Command crews will attempt to track as many as 143 commercial and government satellites that Transporter-1 will deploy. WASHINGTON — U.S. Space Command’s traffic watchers have been working with SpaceX and satellite operators in recent days in preparation for Transporter-1, a rideshare mission scheduled to launch Jan. 23 that could set a new record

WASHINGTON — A proposal to replace the giant radio telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico with a new facility suggests it could be used for tracking space objects as well as for scientific research. Plans for a potential replacement of the 305-meter radio telescope at Arecibo, whose observing platform collapsed Dec. 1, are still

Northrop Grumman’s and L3Harris’ satellite designs were selected from a field of four competitors. WASHINGTON — Northrop Grumman and L3Harris were selected by the Defense Department’s Missile Defense Agency to each build a prototype sensor satellite capable of tracking hypersonic and ballistic missiles. The Missile Defense Agency awarded Northrop Grumman a $155 million contract Jan.

Hiding in heterogeneity: an African elephant in Kruger National Park in South Africa (Courtesy: Bernard DUPONT/CC BY-SA 2.0) Back when I was a lad, “so big it can be seen from space” was a superlative reserved for truly massive features that can be seen with the naked eye from an orbiting space capsule. These days,

WASHINGTON — After fraying relations in recent years, officials with the European Union and European Space Agency say they’re committed to rebuilding a more cooperative relationship on space programs. At the 13th European Space Conference Jan. 12, Thierry Breton, commissioner for the internal market at the European Union, extended an olive branch to ESA, saying

WASHINGTON — Northrop Grumman announced Jan. 21 it completed a static firing of the strap-on solid booster it developed for United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan Centaur rocket.  The test fire of the extended length 63-inch-diameter Graphite Epoxy Motor (GEM 63XL) took place on Thursday at the company’s facility in Promontory, Utah.  Northrop Grumman in August

By: Hannah Pell Nuclear power is an important aspect of our diverse energy infrastructure. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, nuclear power plants produced 19.6% of the total electricity generated in the U.S. in 2019. Over the last several years, however, there has been a decline in the number of operating nuclear power plants.