Science

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

HELSINKI — China rolled out a Long March 2F rocket Wednesday in preparation to send the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft and three astronauts to an orbiting space station module. The Long March 2F rocket was vertically transferred to its pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO)

TAMPA, Fla. — Canadian startup Kelper plans to build a U.S. presence after raising $60 million for its low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite data constellation. The company said the office expansion will bring it closer to U.S. customers and potential partners as it nearly doubles its team to 150 people by the end of 2021.

Colorado’s delegation has been making a full-court press following the January announcement that U.S. Space Command headquarters will move to Alabama WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of lawmakers from Colorado in a June 9 letter urge Vice President Kamala Harris to visit military and space industry facilities in the state as she prepares to take

SAN FRANCISCO –Techstars Space Accelerator launched its 2021 class June 7 with nine U.S. and one Australian company. While some of the firms are squarely focused on the space sector, others are newcomers after discovering space applications for related technologies like quantum security, photonics, autonomy and communications. “Many companies don’t initially realize they’re space companies,”