Science

Continuous BEC: the experimental setup at the University of Amsterdam. (Courtesy: Florian Schreck) A continuous Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) has been produced by researchers in the Netherlands. Claimed as a first, the achievement has been sought for years and could lead to continuous-wave atom lasers and a more fundamental understanding of the physics of condensed matter.

SEOUL, South Korea — The second launch of South Korea’s first domestically built rocket is set for June 21, a delay of a week due to strong winds and a technical glitch. “We convened a meeting of the launch management committee and decided to pursue the second launch on June 21,” Kwon Hyun-joon, a senior science ministry official, said

TAMPA, Fla. — Remote communications provider Speedcast is preparing to buy another sizable chunk of satellite capacity as demand soars beyond pre-pandemic levels. Speedcast added 13 gigabits per second (Gbps) of capacity from satellite operators to its international network in late May, giving it a record 30 Gbps of bandwidth to primarily serve cruise and

Sure sign of spring: cherry blossoms in Japan. (Courtesy: Yae Yamamoto/CC BY-SA 4.0) Around the world from Kyoto to Washington DC, people enjoy the blossoming of cherry trees as a rite of spring. In some places – notably Japan and South Korea – blossom festivals are vital for local economies, so it is important that

PASADENA, Calif. — In-space transportation company Impulse Space Propulsion, which raised $20 million in a seed round earlier this year, announced June 17 it raised another $10 million to help accelerate work on orbital transfer vehicles. Impulse Space said it raised $10 million from venture fund Lux Capital, which invests in “frontier technologies” like space.

The chairman’s mark brings up concerns about creating opportunities for new players to compete in the National Security Space Launch program WASHINGTON — House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) in a draft version of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act pushes for changes in military launch services procurement, calling on the Space

In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast the physicist and entrepreneur Daniel Shaddock explains how building gravitational-wave detectors inspired him to co-found a company that takes a novel approach to creating test and measurement equipment. Shaddock is CEO of Liquid Instruments, and he explains how the firm uses field programmable gate arrays to

SAN FRANCISCO – Euroconsult forecasts 120 orbital transport vehicles to be in operation by 2031, according to the consulting firm’s latest Space Logistics Markets report. “We anticipate constellations to be the most likely customers, accounting for three-quarters of the demand for satellites in the 200- to 350-kilogram mass range,” said Maxime Puteaux, Euroconsult principal advisor and

SAN FRANCISCO – Space logistics company D-Orbit announced a $2 million contract June 9 with the European Space Agency to upgrade production of its ION Satellite Carrier. It was the latest win for the Italian firm with ambitious plans to offer a wide range of satellite services from active debris removal to space-based cloud computing.

Join the audience for a live webinar at 11 a.m. BST/12 p.m. CEST on 5 July 2022 exploring the commissioning and initial test results of RadCalc’s 3D EPID module Want to take part in this webinar? In this webinar, Florian Kamp will be sharing his experience with RadCalc’s 3D EPID module. He will be covering

Soon after a pair of Chinese satellites reached geostationary orbit early this year, space surveillance satellite USA 270 maneuvered to get a closer look at its new neighbors. As USA 270 closed in on Shiyan-12-01 and Shiyan-12-02, the Chinese inspection satellites took off in opposite directions with Shiyan 12 02 moving into position to get

SAN FRANCISCO – Planet revealed the value of its largest contract to date, a $146 million award from the National Reconnaissance Office to provide imagery over two years, during the company’s June 14 earnings call. Rather than disclosing the maximum potential value of the contract with options over 10 years like BlackSky and Maxar Technologies,

(Courtesy: Shutterstock/ymgerman) Quantum effects play a hitherto unexpected role in creating instabilities in DNA – the so-called “molecule of life” that provides instructions for cellular processes in all living organisms. This conclusion, based on work by researchers at the University of Surrey in the UK, goes against long-held beliefs that quantum behaviour is not relevant

The companies conducted a ground demonstration of optical communications for the Space Development Agency’s low Earth orbit constellation WASHINGTON — Northrop Grumman, one of three companies selected to deliver 42 satellites for a U.S. military low Earth orbit constellation, announced June 14 it completed a ground demonstration of laser terminals that will be used to

SAN FRANCISCO — Germany startup Okapi:Orbits raised 5.5 million euros ($5.7 million) in a seed funding round led by Munich Re Ventures with participation from Dolby Family Ventures, Herius Capital and APEX Ventures. Okapi offers space traffic management software designed to help satellite operators reduce maneuvers, save fuel and limit downtime. More than 50 satellites

Cost-effective design: The microneedle sensor patch contains two primary components: the disposable sensor array (right) and reusable electronics. (Courtesy: Laboratory for Nanobioelectronics/UC San Diego) Wearable sensors that monitor biomarkers in biofluid just under the surface of the skin – wirelessly, painlessly and in real-time – could be of wide medical benefit. Such devices could measure

ARCADIA, Calif. — The nonprofit that runs the national laboratory portion of the International Space Station is not making full use of the advisory group established after an independent review of the organization. A report published by the Government Accountability Office June 7 said that the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS),

ARCADIA, Calif. — An Astra launch of two NASA cubesats to monitor tropical storms failed June 12 when the rocket’s upper stage shut down prematurely. Astra’s Rocket 3.3 vehicle, designated LV0010, lifted off from Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 1:43 p.m. Eastern. The liftoff took place near