Science

WASHINGTON — NASA has made awards to four companies worth exactly $25,001 to obtain lunar samples, part of an effort by the agency to establish a precedent for ownership and use of space resources. NASA announced Dec. 3 that it issued awards to ispace Europe, ispace Japan, Lunar Outpost and Masten Space System for the

Quantum advantage: the Gaussian boson sampling experiment at the University of Science and Technology of China. (Courtesy: Chao-Yang Lu) A optical circuit has performed a quantum computation called “Gaussian boson sampling” (GBS) 100 trillion times faster than a supercomputer could, according to researchers in China. This feat was achieved by Jian-Wei Pan and Chao-Yang Lu

WASHINGTON — The White House is asking Congress to remove language from an appropriations bill that would direct NASA to launch the Europa Clipper mission on the Space Launch System as a long-running dispute on how to launch the mission nears its conclusion. In a Nov. 30 letter to Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), chairman of

Gen. John Raymond said the Space Systems Command will include a mix of legacy and nontraditional procurement offices. WASHINGTON — Gen. John “Jay” Raymond said the Space Force is close to finalizing the layout of its future acquisitions command, a large organization that will consolidate multiple agencies that currently operate independently.  “Our next big step

Researchers from MIT have come up with a new way to fabricate nanoscale structures using an innovative “shrinking” technique. The new method uses equipment many laboratories already have and is relatively straightforward, so it could make nanoscale fabrication more accessible. Image Credit: Illustration by Abigail Malate, American Institute of Physics Conventional nanostructure manufacturing techniques—ones that

Tri-state area: this megaflash contained a superbolt that was 1000 times brighter than normal lightning. It was observed by the Geostationary Lightning Mapper and covers much of Tennessee, extending into Alabama and North Carolina. Superbolts – the rare and most extreme form of lightning — can be more than a thousand times brighter than regular

WASHINGTON — Space Perspective, a startup planning to offer tourists trips to the edge of space in a high-altitude balloon, has raised $7 million in a seed round that will allow the company to test its technologies. Space Perspective announced Dec. 2 it closed the seed round, led by funds Prime Movers Lab and Base

The private sector is making large investments in technologies the government needs, and the military has a role to play in bolstering commercial space innovators.  WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force sees a “huge opportunity” to buy commercially developed technologies and services, said Gen. John “Jay” Raymond, chief of space operations.  Speaking Dec. 1 at

In this interview, Johannes Handsteiner describes an experiment to test the foundations of quantum mechanics. Handsteiner was part of a team at the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) in Vienna, Austria, that designed a Bell test experiment using light from now-ancient quasars. Handsteiner explains why his team went to such lengths to

SpaceNews correspondent Leonard David talks with space environmentalist Moriba Jah Earth is encircled by derelict spacecraft, the remains of exploded rocket stages, and myriad bits of orbiting debris — from tiny chips of paint to the lingering leftovers of past but purposeful anti-satellite tests. Collectively, such high-speed clutter and other litter-causing activities heighten the risk

• Winners announced live • Panel discussion with 2020 honorees Join us Monday, Dec. 14 at 1 p.m. Eastern as we reveal the winners of the 2020 SpaceNews Awards for Excellence & Innovation. This one-hour live event features a panel discussion with four of this year’s honorees. You won’t want to miss this lively discussion

If you made a wish on every star in the universe, you’d need to make about a trillion trillion wishes—that’s a 1 followed by 24 zeros. Of course, you can’t see all of those stars from your bedroom window. You can’t even see them all from the Hubble Space Telescope, and you won’t be able

WASHINGTON — The ousted director of New Mexico’s Spaceport America repeatedly violated state law and policies while running the commercial launch site in a “dysfunctional” manner, according to a report prepared for state officials. The New Mexico Office of the State Auditor released a report Nov. 24 that outlined evidence of numerous violations of procurement

Trump during a Thanksgiving call with military officers touted his personal involvement in getting the Space Force enacted as a separate armed service.  WASHINGTON — During a video teleconference with members of the military on his last Thanksgiving as commander in chief, President Trump touted his efforts to establish the Space Force, calling the newest

Taken from the November 2020 issue of Physics World. Members of the Institute of Physics can enjoy the full issue via the Physics World app.

HELSINKI — Japan has a new data relay satellite headed for geostationary orbit following successful launch of JDRS-1 on a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ H-IIA rocket Sunday. The H-IIA rocket No. 43 lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan at 2:25 a.m. Eastern Nov. 29. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries confirmed separation of JDRS-1 and

WASHINGTON — The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is moving ahead on efforts to develop lunar science payloads and a small rover that could fly to the moon on a NASA-sponsored lander mission. The CSA announced Nov. 27 it awarded six contracts with a total value of $2.9 million Canadian ($2.2 million) to five companies and