Science

Heat transfer under pressure: A boron arsenide crystal placed between two diamonds in a controlled chamber with thermal energy transported under extreme pressure. (Courtesy: Y Hu) The thermal conductivity of materials usually increases when they are subject to very high pressures. But researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have found that the

WASHINGTON — European officials say they’re making progress to achieve “strategic autonomy” in space traffic management by building up both capabilities and policy. During a session at the 15th European Space Conference Jan. 25, representatives from the European Commission, European Space Agency and industry said they were making progress in building up European abilities in

WASHINGTON — The Commerce Department has outlined the services it proposes to offer free of charge to satellite operators from the space traffic management system it is developing. In a request for information (RFI) published Jan. 26, the department’s Office of Space Commerce listed what services it anticipates offering through a “basic” space safety service

Back up and running: the Virgo gravitational-wave detector in Italy. (Courtesy: The Virgo collaboration/CCO 1.0) The LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA collaboration has announced that the search for gravitational waves will resume in May. The next observational run – the project’s fourth – was meant to start last year but was postponed due to a series of engineering delays

Lynk Global is close to completing a ground station in Hawaii as part of plans to connect its growing constellation of small satellites to standard smartphones this spring. TAMPA, Fla. — Lynk Global is close to completing a ground station in Hawaii as part of plans to connect its growing constellation of small satellites to

WASHINGTON — SpaceX could attempt a long-awaited static-fire test of all 33 Raptor engines in its Super Heavy booster as soon as next week, one of the final technical milestones before an orbital launch attempt, a company executive said Jan. 27. Speaking on a panel at the AIAA SciTech Forum, Bill Gerstenmaier, vice president of

[embedded content] In the classic 1991 film Terminator 2 Arnold Schwarzenegger’s robot assassin, the T-800, comes up against a next-generation model: the T-1000 Advanced Prototype. It is made from a liquid metal called “mimetic polyalloy”, which allows it to reform into any shape. The T-1000 is able to slip through narrow openings by oozing into

Austin met with Colorado Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper after they refused to confirm a DoD nominee WASHINGTON — Colorado Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper met with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and urged him to reverse the Air Force’s decision to relocate U.S. Space Command headquarters, the senators said in a joint statement Jan. 26.

WASHINGTON — NASA has added another asteroid flyby to its Lucy mission later this year that will provide a test of its capabilities for future encounters. NASA announced Jan. 25 that the spacecraft will fly by the small main-belt asteroid 1999 VD57 on Nov. 1. The project selected that asteroid after one scientist collaborating on

This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast features an interview with Danna Freedman, who uses synthetic chemistry to create quantum bits (qubits). Based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Freedman explains how this bottom-up approach allows her team to create quantum technologies on a molecular scale. Freedman explains why this approach could be used

Lamborn said areas of focus for the subcommittee include hypersonic weapons and DoD space programs WASHINGTON — Rep. Doug Lamborn, a Republican representing Colorado Springs, was named chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s strategic forces subcommittee. HASC Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), on Jan. 25 announced the committee’s seven subcommittee chairs for the 118th

HELSINKI — ESA’s director general says  the agency does not have the budgetary capacity nor the political intention to send its astronauts to China’s space station. “We are very busy supporting and ensuring our commitments and activities on the International Space Station where we have a number of international partners working together,” ESA Director General

A doctoral training centre in wind and marine energy aims to equip PhD students with the skills and knowledge needed to drive continuing expansion in the offshore renewables industry Into the sea: major investments in the UK’s offshore energy infrastructure, such as this wind farm off the coast at Redcar, North Yorkshire, is driving demand

WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab performed its long-awaited first Electron launch from Virginia Jan. 24, placing three HawkEye 360 satellites into orbit. The Electron rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 2 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia, at 6 p.m. Eastern. The two-stage Electron placed a kick stage into orbit a little more

Calvelli said DoD should stop designing bespoke satellites buses and use commercial products CHANTILLY, Va. — The era of massive satellites needs to be in the rear view mirror for the Department of Defense, the head of military space acquisitions told government and industry executives Jan. 24. Frank Calvelli, assistant secretary of the Air Force

Born 125 years ago, the Hungarian-born physicist Leo Szilard is best remembered for being the first scientist to call for atomic bombs to be developed – before later demanding they be stopped. But as Istvan Hargittai explains, this was not the only occasion when his views evolved in unexpected directions Safety in numbers Photographed after

SAN FRANCISCO – Charter Space, a London startup offering program management software for satellite missions, is the product of sheer frustration. While managing a satellite mission for Anchor Orbital, a former U.K. startup developing electrodynamic tethers, Yuk Chi Chan, Charter co-founder and CEO, found himself “stymied and bogged down by inefficient tooling and processes” at

WASHINGTON — The Canadian government announced plans Jan. 20 to set up a regulatory framework to allow commercial launches from the country as part of an effort to expand Canada’s space industry. In a briefing at the headquarters of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) outside Montréal, officials with Transport Canada, CSA and Canadian industry announced