TAMPA, Fla. — Northrop Grumman’s MEV-2 satellite servicer is performing close proximity operations with Intelsat’s in-orbit 10-02 spacecraft ahead of a docking attempt, SpaceNews has learned. Both spacecraft remain healthy after being in close quarters to calibrate and test systems before MEV-2 backed off, according to a Northrop Grumman official. The company intends to release
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By: Hannah Pell “The most important car in 100 years.” Such is how James May, co-host of the British car show Top Gear, described the Honda Clarity during his test drive several years ago. “This is the future of motoring.” What is it about this car that seemed so revolutionary? It’s the fact that it’s
WASHINGTON — A NASA astronaut will fly on a Soyuz mission to the International Space Station in April, as the agency confirmed a peculiar arrangement for obtaining a seat on the Russian spacecraft. NASA said March 9 that Mark Vande Hei will join the crew of the Soyuz MS-18 mission to the station, launching April
DNA is not just genetic material. It is also an advanced polymer that is inspiring a new field of research that treats DNA as a soft material. As well as developing our fundamental understanding of life processes, this research could also lead to applications such as smart drug carriers or new methods for regenerating tissues.
ULA received $224. 2 million for two missions named USSF-112 and USSF-87. SpaceX got $159.7 million for USSF-36 and NROL-69. WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force awarded United Launch Alliance and SpaceX contracts for four National Security Space Launch Phase 2 missions scheduled for 2023, the Pentagon announced March 9. ULA received $224. 2 million
HELSINKI — China has quietly rolled a new-generation Long March 7A rocket at Wenchang ahead of a launch in the coming days. The 60-meter-long kerosene-liquid oxygen fueled Long March 7A was rolled out late March 7 Eastern. Launch could take place as soon as late March 10 Eastern from the coastal Wenchang launch center. The
The THALES 3D MR SCANNER from LAP has been developed specifically to support the commissioning and quality assurance of MR-guided radiotherapy machines Automatic assurance: LAP says the THALES 3D MR SCANNER (right) provides a gold-standard dose accuracy check for MR/RT users, supporting their system commissioning and ongoing verification of dose delivery after any major upgrades
TAMPA, Fla. — SpaceX is seeking regulatory permission to connect moving vehicles to its rapidly expanding Starlink constellation, branching the broadband network out of fixed homes and offices. The company is asking the FCC for authorization similar to the blanket license it already has for up to a million end-user customer Earth stations. David Goldman,
SEOUL, South Korea — Kencoa Aerospace Corp., a South Korean aircraft assembler and parts supplier that has NASA, SpaceX and Blue Origin as clients, is planning to expand its U.S. parts manufacturing plant in Georgia. The company raised 30 billion won ($26.6 million) in February by issuing convertible bonds to domestic institutional investors and will
Alexander Khajetoorians. Courtesy: Scanning Probe Microscopy, Radboud University A network of interconnected atoms could be used to construct a “quantum brain” that mimics how a real brain learns. The new system consists of an array of cobalt atoms on a substrate of black phosphorous, and its developers at Radboud University in the Netherlands say that
Reps. Frank Lucas and Brian Babin, who oversee civil and commercial space, expressed concerns about the administration’s push for international regulations of space activities. WASHINGTON — The top House Republicans on the committee that oversees civil and commercial space are asking the Biden administration to update lawmakers on its plans regarding space security and space
WASHINGTON — NASA’s Perseverance rover has started moving on the Martian surface as project scientists prepare to send the rover toward the remnants of a river delta in search of signs of past life. At a March 5 press briefing at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, project officials said that the rover made its first movements
Do the twist: schematic of multiplexed antennas emitting coherent light with orbital angular momenta. (Courtesy: Kanté Group, UC Berkeley) A compact, integrated light source that simultaneously produces multiple laser beams with different, very high orbital angular momenta has been unveiled by US researchers. The technology may mark a significant step towards orbital angular momentum multiplexing
WASHINGTON — NASA has sharply increased the prices it charges commercial users of the International Space Station for cargo and other resources, a move that has left some companies confused and frustrated. NASA announced Feb. 25 that it was revising the commercial marketing pricing policy it first published in June 2019 as part of a
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force awarded LinQuest Corp. a $500 million contract for analysis work over five years. The contract was awarded Jan. 4 but the Defense Department announced it March 5. Based in Los Angeles, LinQuest is a longtime support contractor of the Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center and other defense
[embedded content] Does your PhD thesis make you want to dance? An atmospheric scientist from the University of Helsinki has bagged this year’s top prize of $2750 in the annual Dance Your PhD contest. Organized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and sponsored by the artificial intelligence company Primer, the competition is
By Allison Kubo Hutchison Elizabeth Ann, the first cloned black-footed ferret taken on Jan 29,2021. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP. Although all births are special and joyous occasions, on December 10, 2020, researchers celebrated the birth of an extraordinary ferret kit. Elizabeth Ann, born from a domestic ferret surrogate, is not biologically related
WASHINGTON — The longtime chief executive of Virgin Galactic, who moved into a new position at the company last year, has left the company but will continue to be an adviser to it. According to company sources, Whitesides said he was leaving the position of Virgin Galactic’s chief space officer to pursue unspecified opportunities in