Science

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

Puzzling protons: Alexey Grinin and Dery Taray working on the vacuum system of the 1S-3S experiment at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics. (Courtesy: MPQ) A new and extremely precise measurement of the radius of the proton using hydrogen spectroscopy has been made by Thomas Udem, Randolf Pohl and colleagues in at the Max

WASHINGTON — Virgin Orbit is preparing to perform a second flight of its LauncherOne small launch vehicle in the second half of December, carrying a set of NASA-sponsored cubesats. A Nov. 24 “Local Notice to Mariners” by the U.S. Coast Guard stated that Virgin Orbit “will conduct hazardous operations” offshore from San Nicolas Island, California,

SAN FRANCISCO – With four satellites scheduled to launch in 2021, Tokyo-based Axelspace Corp. is moving toward its goal of capturing daily, global Earth imagery. “The additional satellites will help us jump the curve by elevating the revisit rate to up to 1.4 days,” Yasunori Yamazaki, Axelspace chief business officer, told SpaceNews by email. Alexspace

HELSINKI — The first launches of the new Japanese H3 launch vehicle are being delayed by issues with two components of the rocket’s main engine, the country’s space agency confirms. The Japanese space agency JAXA told SpaceNews that problems were found with the new LE-9 engine’s combustion chamber and turbopump. “Fatigue fracture surfaces were confirmed

WASHINGTON — Small launch vehicle startup Relativity Space has raised a $500 million funding round that the company says will enable it to accelerate its long-term vision of reshaping aerospace manufacturing. Relativity announced Nov. 23 that it raised the $500 million Series D round, led by hedge fund Tiger Global Management. Several new investors joined

Sugar. A variant on the sweetest ingredient in many a sumptuous holiday feast, glycolaldehyde has now been found in a star-forming region of space far from the galactic center called G31.41+0.31, about 26,00 light years away from Earth. Directly linked to the origin of life, glycolaldehyde is an advantageous find for researchers seeking out habitable

“My mission is to demystify quantum computing,” says Ilyas Khan, who is founder and chief executive of Cambridge Quantum Computing (CQC) – a UK-based provider of software for quantum computers. Khan is our guest in this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast, and he explains how CQC helps its clients use quantum computers to

SAN FRANCISCO – Canadian satellite fleet operator Telesat and Loral Space & Communications announced plans Nov. 24 to combine to form Telesat Corp., a Canadian public company, in a deal expected to close next year. Under an agreement with Canada’s Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments), Loral Space & Communications and Telesat Canada will