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
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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
By Allison Kubo Graphene is a comprised of a one-atom-thick layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb structure. This sheet can be wrapped into fullerenes, rolled into nanotubes, or stacked to form graphite the same thing uses ing pencils. All of these are made of carbon: diamonds, graphite, graphene are all different arrangements of
WASHINGTON — While NASA seeks to eventually transition from the International Space Station to commercial stations in low Earth orbit, the agency is putting on hold a solicitation to support development of such a free-flying platform. One element of NASA’s LEO commercialization strategy, announced in June 2019, was to fund development of commercial platforms, including
A grasshopper lands at a random location on a patch of lawn and then jumps a fixed distance in a random direction. What shape of lawn has the highest probability of retaining the grasshopper after its jump? In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast, we talk to a quartet of physicists and mathematicians
Marine Corps Mastery Gunnery Sgt. Scott Stalker will take over for Space Force Chief Master Sgt. Roger Towberman WASHINGTON — Marine Corps Mastery Gunnery Sgt. Scott Stalker on Aug. 28 will assume duties as the senior enlisted leader of U.S. Space Command, a spokesperson for U.S. Space Command said Aug. 27, Stalker will take over
WASHINGTON — A new report offers ways both astronomers and satellite developers can reduce the effect megaconstellations have on ground-based astronomy, but warned that no combination of measures can entirely eliminate the problem. The report released Aug. 25 by the American Astronomical Society and the National Science Foundation’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory, or NOIRLab,