WASHINGTON — NASA Administrator Bill Nelson asked Senate appropriators to provide additional funding so NASA can support a second lunar lander developer, warning that the agency needed to stay ahead of a “very aggressive” Chinese space program. Nelson, testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee’s commerce, justice and science subcommittee June 15 about NASA’s fiscal year
Science
In June 1925 Werner Heisenberg retreated to Helgoland in the North Sea, a treeless island offering the 23-year-old German physicist a space to think, along with some respite from the extreme hay fever he was suffering. On that remote outpost, Heisenberg had an idea that would revolutionise physics and bring profound implications for philosophy and
SAN FRANCISCO – SkyWatch Space Applications raised 20.9 million Canadian dollars ($17.2 ) in a Series B funding round, less than 17 months after welcoming investors to its Series A round. The rapid pace of fundraising was not in the Canadian startup’s original plan but necessitated by demand for TerraStream, a data management and distribution
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has taken yet another step toward having a domestic satellite industry that is driven by the private sector. Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), a state-funded university that has developed several satellites, has agreed to share its spacecraft-manufacturing technologies and know-how with three major South Korean aerospace
By: Hannah Pell On 11 June 2021, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) released a report titled “The Race Against Time for Smarter Development.” This report consolidates a culmination of research over five years (2014-2018) on worldwide science policy trends and governance, centering on three key areas: research spending, digital technologies, and sustainability.
From free-to-view webinars to podcasts, interviews, research updates and a quiz, there’s lots to enjoy in the inaugural Physics World Quantum Week, which runs on 14–18 June 2021 It’s an exciting time for anyone involved in quantum science and technology, with fields such as quantum computing, quantum communication and quantum cryptography all moving from a
WASHINGTON — NASA announced June 11 that it is requesting proposals for two private astronaut missions to the International Space Station that would fly between the fall of 2022 and the end of 2023. NASA said it is seeking proposals from companies who want to fly private astronauts to the space station. One mission would
The mission is part of the Space Force’s tactically responsive launch program WASHINGTON — A Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket launched the U.S. Space Force’s Tactically Responsive Launch-2 (TacRL-2) mission June 13 at 1:11 a.m. Pacific from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The payload was successfully deployed to low Earth orbit, a Space Force spokesman said Sunday.
A Bose-Einstein condensate of exciton-polaritons. (Credit: Johannes Michl) Physicists have taken a step towards realizing the smallest-ever solid-state laser by generating an exotic quantum state known as a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) in quasiparticles consisting of both matter and light. Although the effect has so far only been observed at ultracold temperatures in atomically thin crystals
WASHINGTON — The European Space Agency has selected a Venus orbiter as its next medium-class science mission, just a week after NASA announced the section of two Venus missions of its own. ESA announced June 10 that EnVision will be the agency’s next M-class, or medium-class, science mission. The orbiter will carry a suite of
WASHINGTON — A seat on the first crewed flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital vehicle sold for $28 million at an auction June 12. The live auction wrapped up a bidding process that the company announced May 5 to sell the seat on the flight, scheduled for July 20 from the company’s West Texas
Taken from the June 2021 issue of Physics World. Members of the Institute of Physics can enjoy the full issue via the Physics World app. The conceptual worlds of physics have long inspired artists and thinkers across disciplines. Anna Starkey explores how different approaches to visualizing physics can open up the way that society thinks
TAMPA, Fla. — Seraphim Capital plans to trade stakes it has amassed in space technology startups on the public market through an investment trust. The Seraphim Space Investment Trust will eventually comprise bets in 19 international startups, including satellite data specialist Spire Global, quantum encryption firm ArQit and space-based cellular network operator AST Space Mobile.
TAMPA, Fla. — The United States and five other countries are banding together with the United Kingdom to develop a satellite-based quantum technology encryption network. The Federated Quantum System (FQS) will be based on the one British startup Arqit is developing for commercial customers, using quantum technology breakthroughs to guard against increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks. But
[embedded content] On 14–18 June Physics World is celebrating Quantum Week, so today’s Red Folder is celebrating the growing influence that quantum science and technology is having on society. The Canadian rapper and playwright Baba Brinkman is not a physicist, but that hasn’t stopped him from writing and recording this wonderfully clever rap about quantum
WASHINGTON — Phase Four has raised $26 million in a Series B round that will allow it to accelerate production of its satellite electric propulsion systems. The company announced June 11 it raised the round led by venture capital firm New Science Ventures LLC. The company had raised about $20 million in earlier funding rounds.
The bulk of the increase in DoD’s space budget for 2022 is for classified research and development programs WASHINGTON — In the Biden administration’s 2022 budget proposal, the Pentagon is requesting $15.3 billion for investments in space technology, an increase of $1.8 billion over what Congress enacted in 2021, according to a new report by
Bright lights: electrical discharge within the Z Pulsed Power Facility at Sandia National Laboratory. (Courtesy: Randy Montoya) Robust new calibration standards for studying materials at extreme pressures have been developed by researchers in the US. Dayne Fratanduono at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNI) and colleagues used dynamic compression experiments to establish clear relationships between