WASHINGTON — The European Space Agency has issued contracts to two European industry groups to begin concept studies of lunar satellite systems that would provide communications and navigation services. ESA announced the awards May 20 to two consortia, one led by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) and the other by Telespazio, to begin studies for
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The Space Enterprise Consortium plans to issue a request for prototype proposals by June 30 WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force next month will solicit industry bids for deep-space radar sensors that can track active satellites and debris in high orbits above 22,000 miles. One or more contractors will be selected to develop prototype concepts
Tungsten component produced by 3D printing using electron beam melting. Photo: Markus Breig, KIT Tungsten has many excellent properties. It resists corrosion, and its melting point of 3422 °C is the highest of all metals, making it an ideal material for components that operate at extreme temperatures. There is a problem, though: it is highly
HELSINKI — China’s Zhurong rover descended onto the surface of Mars late May 21, a week after the vehicle’s historic landing in Utopia Planitia. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced Saturday that the six-wheeled Zhurong had reached the surface at 10:20 p.m. Eastern Friday. The rover will now begin science and exploration tasks in
WASHINGTON — Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo made its first flight to space in more than two years May 22, completing the first in a series of four suborbital flights planned by the company over the next several months. The SpaceShipTwo vehicle named VSS Unity, with pilots CJ Sturckow and Dave Mackay on board, took off from
Taken from the May 2021 issue of Physics World where it first appeared under the headline “The science in science fiction”. Members of the Institute of Physics can enjoy the full issue via the Physics World app. Ian Randall reviews Science Fiction by Sherryl Vint
It’s certainly been an eventful few weeks for America’s space program with the recent return of astronauts from the International Space Station and confirmation of NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. However, readers of this publication know that there’s controversy swirling around NASA these days after the agency awarded the Artemis Human Landing Systems contract to a
TAMPA, Fla. — Starfish Space, a startup founded by former Blue Origin and NASA engineers, is developing space tugs to help manage rapidly growing megaconstellations. SpaceX is planning to launch tens of thousands of Starlink broadband satellites to join the more than 1,600 it already has in orbit, and a growing number of constellation operators
State detector: A graphical representation of the measurement apparatus. (Courtesy: Christoph Hohmann/MCQST) A key resource in future quantum communication networks is entanglement: a quantum correlation that can be developed between, for example, distant nodes of the network. Special methods of measuring the nodes’ state can create the entanglement or protect an already existing entanglement against
WASHINGTON — The former astronaut tapped by the White House to serve as NASA deputy administrator told senators she supported extending the International Space Station and continuing limitations on the agency’s ability to cooperate with China. Pam Melroy, nominated by the Biden administration April 16 to be deputy administrator, enjoyed strong support at a May
The mission known as USSF-51 was switched from Vulcan to Atlas 5 at ULA’s request WASHINGTON — What would have been the first national security mission for United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket will be flown by Atlas 5, the company confirmed May 19. That mission, known as USSF-51, was awarded to ULA in August
By: Allison Kubo Image Credit: Nature 593, 249-254(2021) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03506-2 The study participant, T5, was paralyzed from the neck down, but it was translated onto the screen when he imagined writing. Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) aim to restore function to those who have difficulty or even lost the ability to move or speak. And, yes, it would
Taken from the May 2021 issue of Physics World, where it appeared under the headline “Licensing Arm”.. Members of the Institute of Physics can enjoy the full issue via the Physics World app Arm Holdings’ chips power countless smart phones, tablets and TVs, but the company – a great intellectual-property success story – is facing
WASHINGTON — NASA Administrator Bill Nelson congratulated China for successfully landing a rover on Mars, but also used the milestone to warn Congress of China’s competitive threat to American leadership in human spaceflight. In a statement May 19, hours after the China National Space Administration (CNSA) released the first images taken by the Zhurong rover
The Indian space ecosystem is transforming. Public sector space programs are orienting toward exploration, commercial space endeavors are proliferating, national space policy is shifting, and the students who will carry India to new achievements in space are increasingly looking to opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). There remain significant obstacles for India to
Jin-Tae Kim, Jamie Vogl and Claire Liu are part of a team developing a wire-free blood pressure monitor. (Courtesy: C Liu) Imagine a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) with no beeping monitors and without tubes, wires and probes lining every inch of each patient’s body – it perhaps seems implausible. While the reality of ICU
WASHINGTON — NASA will delay the next call for proposals for the New Frontiers program of planetary science missions by two years, a move that could also change what missions will be eligible to compete. In a May 12 statement, NASA said it was postponing the release of the announcement of opportunity (AO) for the
The company says space launch is only going to be a part-time job for Ravn X. WASHINGTON — Space launch startup Aevum on May 18 revealed that its Ravn X unmanned aircraft will be used to both deliver cargo and launch rockets, pending approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. The Alabama-based company on May 4