Science

WASHINGTON — Newcomer satellite operator MonacoSat is close to ordering its second geostationary communications satellite, and could complete the process by year’s end, its chief executive said Tuesday.  “You cannot stop with one satellite, so now we are developing the new satellite,” Ilhami Aygün, CEO of MonacoSat, said during a Sept. 1 webinar for the

New research by the University of Oregon and partners at the United States Geologic Survey reveals the landscape dotted with 2835 volcanoes from Northern California to the border of Washington. This area is a center for volcanic activity due to the subducting Juan De Fuca plate which produces melt that rises up through the crust

The 2,400 Air Force space operators who are transferring to the Space Force are spread across 175 locations around the world WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force in the coming weeks will add more than 2,400 new members who agreed to leave the Air Force and volunteered to join the space service. With restrictions on

Three in one: photograph of a blue whirl flame. (Courtesy: University of Maryland) “Blue whirls” are small, spinning flames that were first spotted in 2016. Now computer simulations suggest that this soot-free mode of combustion involves three different flames. Joseph Chung, Xiao Zhang, Carolyn Kaplan and Elaine Oran at the University of Maryland came to this

DoD report: China intends to pursue ASAT weapons despite its rhetoric against the militarization of space. WASHINGTON — China is progressing with the development of missiles and electronic weapons that could target satellites in low and high orbits, the Pentagon says in a new report released Sept. 1. China already has operational ground-based missiles that

Lockheed Martin received a $187.5 million contract and York Space Systems a $94 million contract for the Space Development Agency’s Transport Layer Tranche 0. WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s space agency on Aug. 31 announced the first major contract awards for a network of satellites in low Earth orbit that will talk to each other and

Deep qubits: practical quantum computers based on superconducting technologies may have to be located underground to protect against decoherence by ionizing radiation. (Courtesy: iStock/Devrimb) Such is their sensitivity to environmental noise, quantum computers might in future be shielded by thick layers of lead and even operated deep underground. So say physicists in the US, who

ULA statement: “Initial indications were with a ground system, and we are working to confirm the exact cause.” WASHINGTON — United Launch Alliance has not yet confirmed exactly what caused a dramatic abort of a Delta 4 Heavy launch just three seconds before liftoff on Aug. 29. “We are in the middle of conducting a

Neutrino events from a supernova were first captured in 1987, when a star in the Large Magellanic Cloud exploded, seen here in a wide-field image from Hubble. Credits: NASA/STScI By Korena Di Roma Howley For a particle with no charge and nearly no mass, the neutrino gets a lot of scientific press—and it’s no wonder

WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab successfully launched a radar imaging satellite for Capella Space Aug. 30 in the first flight of its Electron rocket since a failure nearly two months earlier. The Electron lifted off from the company’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 11:05 p.m. Eastern. It deployed its payload, the Sequoia radar imaging

Electrical current in graphene shows fluid-like flow. Courtesy: Walsworth and Yacoby research groups, Harvard and University of Maryland A team led by researchers from Harvard University and the University of Maryland in the US has used defects in diamond to map the magnetic field generated by electrical currents in graphene. Their experiments reveal that currents

Congress in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act requires an annual update on the $150 million Space C2 program. WASHINGTON — Space-monitoring software apps used by U.S. military are now being updated every 90 days, says a new report delivered to Congress Aug. 21. The apps are developed under a program known as Space C2,

WASHINGTON — Emirati fleet operator Yahsat on Aug. 27 announced a contract with Airbus Defence and Space to build a satellite for its Thuraya mobile voice and data connectivity subsidiary, beginning a long-awaited refresh of its L-band network.  The contract covers a satellite designated Thuraya-4 NGS, and includes an option for a Thuraya-5 NGS satellite

Taken from the August 2020 issue of Physics World, where it appeared under the headline “The power of authority”. Members of the Institute of Physics can enjoy the full issue via the Physics World app. The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined why the authority of science is so important – and how it’s so easy to

The launch of NROL-44 was aborted three seconds before the Delta 4 Heavy was to lift off from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral WASHINGTON — A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 Heavy rocket carrying a National Reconnaissance Office classified spy satellite remains on the ground after a mission abort Aug. 29 during the ignition

The Space and Missile Systems Center needs a digital workflow system for the development of classified early-warning and communications satellites. WASHINGTON — Space Force managers of classified satellite programs are asking tech companies for ideas on how to build a virtual work environment with high levels of security. The Space and Missile Systems Center in

Complex physics: a water polo goalkeeper uses the eggbeater kick to rise up in the water. (Courtesy: Ryanjo/CC BY-SA 3.0) Water polo is a gruelling sport and even staying in one place requires the continuous effort of treading water. To extend their reach for the ball while stationary, players use a kick called the “eggbeater”

WASHINGTON — NASA and Boeing announced an updated schedule of test flights of the company’s CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle that would allow it to begin operational missions to the International Space Station at the end of 2021. In an Aug. 28 statement, NASA said it had scheduled a second uncrewed test flight, known as