Science

Augmented scanning Adding an AWSM-PET device (seen here attached to a clinical PET/CT scanner) enhances the resolution and sensitivity of whole-body PET. (Courtesy: Yunlai Chen et al/Washington University in St. Louis) The Annual Meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), held this week in Chicago, saw researchers showcase the latest technology

WASHINGTON — Innovative Rocket Technologies, known as iRocket, won a U.S. Space Force contract to demonstrate a reusable rocket engine for small launch vehicles.  The $1.8 million agreement with the U.S. Space Systems Command is a Tactical Funding Increase, or TACFI, where the government and private investors split the cost 50/50. The New York-based startup,

TAMPA, Fla. — Odin Space is preparing to start detecting tiny but potentially dangerous pieces of orbital debris in the coming weeks from a sensor on a recently launched space tug, according to the British startup’s cofounder and CEO James New. The venture announced June 27 that it had successfully powered up the demo sensor,

Wearable MEG Researcher Niall Holmes wears the brain imaging helmet; the matrix coil magnetic shielding system is seen behind him. (Courtesy: University of Nottingham) A UK-based research team has created a wearable brain scanner that can measure brain function whilst people are standing and walking around, paving the way for better understanding and diagnosis of

Tysons Corner, Virginia USA — June 27, 2023 — Andrew Pemberton has been named Chief Executive Officer of SpaceNews, Inc., the world’s largest space-industry trade media brand. A SpaceNews board member since 2014, Pemberton added the title of Chief Marketing Officer in 2022 before moving to the new CEO role. He replaces longtime CEO Greg

Noisy but nice: close up of part of IBM’s Eagle quantum processor, which was used in this latest research. (Courtesy: IBM) A 127-qubit quantum processor has been used by an international team of researchers to calculate the magnetic properties of a model 2D material. They found that their IBM quantum computer could perform a calculation

SAN FRANCISCO – D-Orbit will supply a small orbiting laboratory and test optical intersatellite links under the latest contracts awarded through Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan. Under a 6 million euro ($6.54 million) contract announced June 22, D-Orbit will verify the performance of optical intersatellite links for an Earth observation constellation called IRIDE, or

WASHINGTON — NASA has confirmed that one scenario for the cost of its Mars Sample Return (MSR) program is far higher than previous estimates, heightening concerns among scientists about its impacts on other missions. In a June 26 statement to SpaceNews, NASA said that one “highly speculative” estimate for the full cost of MSR was

A flexible module. (Courtesy: W Liu) Most silicon solar cells are completely rigid, but researchers in China, Germany and Saudi Arabia have now succeeded in making them bend and flex like paper. The new flexible cells have a baseline power conversion efficiency of 24%, and they retain 96.03% of this efficiency after 20 minutes of flapping

WASHINGTON — Defense contractor Anduril Industries acquired Adranos, a manufacturer of solid rocket motors, the companies announced June 25. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Founded in 2015, Adranos manufactures solid rocket motors in coastal Mississippi and last year opened a fuel-production facility in Indiana. The startup invented a proprietary aluminum-lithium alloy fuel

WASHINGTON — The Senate Armed Services Committee on June 23 advanced its version of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a vote of 24-1 after closed deliberations.  The bill authorizes $844 billion for the Department of Defense, or $2 billion more than the Biden administration’s request. The committee on Friday released an executive

Developments in AI are moving fast but Matin Durrani is not convinced that top-down regulation is the best approach Courtesy: iStock/metamorworks “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.” That was the terrifying-sounding statement signed by more than 350 business leaders

WASHINGTON — SpaceX is changing the approach for separating the two stages of its Starship vehicle to increase payload performance before its next test flight, Elon Musk said June 24. In an online discussion with Bloomberg journalist Ashlee Vance on Twitter, the social media company Musk owns, he said that SpaceX had recently decided to

WASHINGTON — The inaugural launch of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket faces new delays after the company said it needs to make “minor reinforcements” to part of the Centaur upper stage. In a brief statement early June 24, ULA said it would remove the Centaur upper stage that had been installed on the Vulcan

Trolley test: a study in Liverpool suggests that supermarket customers could be screened for atrial fibrillation. (Courtesy: Stock/gimbat) Could a shopping trolley save your life? Researchers at the UK’s Liverpool John Moores University think so. They have done a study in which 2155 people used a shopping trolley (or cart) that had an electrocardiogram (ECG)

WASHINGTON — An orbital transfer vehicle that was part of a SpaceX rideshare mission malfunctioned shortly after deployment, putting into jeopardy a technology demonstration spacecraft for a satellite servicing startup. Among the payloads on SpaceX’s Transporter-8 rideshare mission, which launched on a Falcon 9 June 12 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, was the

TAMPA, Fla. — Ovzon will likely need another deadline extension to keep priority spectrum rights for Ovzon 3, the Swedish satcom service provider’s first broadband satellite now slated to launch no earlier than late 2023. The company said June 22 that Ovzon 3 will miss a July-September launch window because of final assembly and testing