HELSINKI — China launched a group of classified Yaogan-30 satellites and one commercial satellite on a Long March 2C rocket early Friday. The Long March 2C rocket lifted off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China, at 2:30 a.m. Eastern. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC) confirmed the success of the launch within
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WASHINGTON — Spacecraft controllers are continuing to work on a faulty computer memory system on NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope that has stopped telescope operations for nearly a week. A payload computer on Hubble stopped working June 13, the agency said in a June 16 statement. Engineers speculated that the computer, used to manage operations of
Atoms and light: the main image is an illustration of atoms entering the cage, which contains light. The insets are electron microscope images of the cage’s structure. (Courtesy: Flavie Davidson-Marquis, Julian Gargiulo, Esteban Gómez-López, Bumjoon Jang, Tim Kroh, Chris Müller, Mario Ziegler, Stefan A. Maier, Harald Kübler, Markus A. Schmidt & Oliver Benson) A new
As demonstrated by the uncontrolled reentry of a Chinese rocket last month, irresponsible space activities can put billions of dollars and human life at risk. Recognizing the reality of increasing space activities and the need for the national security community to focus its resources on security threats, the Trump administration issued Space Policy Directive 3
TAMPA, Fla. — SES has expanded its partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), enabling satellite customers to connect directly to its cloud-based applications. According to SES, it is the first satellite operator to pass technical and business reviews for directly connecting with AWS cloud services, without going through a virtual private network (VPN). The company
Stitched up: as baseball showing the stitched seams that affect its aerodynamics. (Courtesy: Schyler/CC BY-SA 3.0) This edition of the Red Folder focuses on spinning objects flying through the air – and first up is the baseball. Just like in particle physics, spin plays a crucial role in how a baseball is pitched. If the
WASHINGTON — A House aviation subcommittee hearing on commercial space transportation June 16 plowed familiar ground, revisiting a wide range of issues that have yet to be resolved. One of the few new topics addressed at the hearing by the House Transportation Committee’s aviation subcommittee dealt with the Federal Aviation Administration’s response to SpaceX’s violation
SDA is interested in “novel remote sensing phenomenologies” for tracking missiles and other targets WASHINGTON — Radar satellite imagery startup Capella Space on June 14 received a $3 million research contract in support of the Space Development Agency’s National Defense Space Architecture. Capella Space was selected through a “broad agency announcement” issued by the space
In just a few short years, quantum science and technology has gone from the lab to the boardroom with companies ranging from tech giants to tiny start-ups seeking to commercialize quantum devices and algorithms. In this special Quantum Week edition of the Physics World Weekly podcast, we look at the challenges facing young companies and
WASHINGTON — Boeing has completed all the activities recommended by an independent review of the company’s first uncrewed CST-100 Starliner mission, allowing a second uncrewed mission to proceed for launch in late July. NASA and Boeing announced June 16 that they had closed all the actions from an independent review in early 2020 to address
Smith: “While it is encouraging to see an increase in research and development across the portfolio, much of the request is for systems that have been called ‘big juicy targets'” WASHINGTON — U.S. Space Force technology investments was one of the topics discussed June 16 at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee, which
WASHINGTON — Phase Four announced June 16 two new electric propulsion systems that offer performance and other improvements, along with a subscription service that offers those thrusters to customers at a discount. The company, which raised a $26 million Series B round June 11, said it now offers a Block 2 version of its Maxwell
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
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.