Category: 2. Space

TAMPA, Fla. — SpaceX launched its first batch of Starlink satellites designed to connect directly to unmodified smartphones Jan. 2 after getting a temporary experimental license to start testing the capability in the United States. Six of the 21 Starlink satellites that launched on a Falcon 9 rocket at 10:44 p.m. Eastern from Vandenberg Space…

WASHINGTON — The commercial arm of India’s space agency ISRO announced Jan. 2 it will launch a large communications satellite later this year on a SpaceX Falcon 9, further underscoring SpaceX’s dominance in the global launch market. New Space India Ltd. (NSIL), the arm of ISRO responsible for commercial launch and satellite services, said it…

The first meteor shower of the year is about to peak, but you need to be ready if you want to catch it. The Quadrantids is due to peak at 12:53 UTC on 4 January 2024, with up to 110 to 120 meteors streaking through the atmosphere per hour. It’s one of the most intense…

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare – as seen in the bright flash on the far left – on December 31, 2023. The image shows a subset of extreme ultraviolet light that highlights the extremely hot material in flares, which is colorized in yellow and orange. Credit: NASA/SDO The Sun…

Illustration of SpaceX Starship human lander design that will carry the first NASA astronauts to the surface of the Moon under the Artemis program. Credit: SpaceX NASA astronauts tested SpaceX’s Starship elevator for upcoming Artemis Moon missions, evaluating its functionality for crew and equipment transport, a vital step in lunar and Mars exploration goals. NASA…

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is set to pass the Sun this year in a milestone moment for space exploration. The probe, launched on Aug 12, 2018, is due to fly past the sun at 195 km/s, or 435,000 mph on 24 December 2024, the BBC reported. NASA describes it as a mission to “”touch the…

TAMPA, Fla. — Terran Orbital told investors Jan. 2 it has received a past-due payment for the 300 satellites it is building for Rivada Space Networks, but it is unclear whether this covered the full $180 million it expected by the end of 2023 as future installments for the $2.4 billion project are kept under…

Since the landmark discovery in 1992 of two planets orbiting a star outside of our Solar System, thousands of new worlds have been added to a rapidly growing list of ‘exoplanets’ in the Milky Way galaxy. We’ve learnt many things from this vast catalogue of alien worlds orbiting alien stars. But one small detail stands…

In the quest to understand the potential for life beyond Earth, researchers are widening their search to encompass not only biological markers, but also technological ones. While astrobiologists have long recognized the importance of oxygen for life as we know it, oxygen could also be a key to unlocking advanced technology on a planetary scale.…

The most volcanic object in the Solar System has just been unveiled in new, glorious detail. On 30 December 2023, Jupiter probe Juno conducted its closest flyby of Io yet, snapping some incredible pics in the process. In them, Jupiter’s moon seems to gleam with sickly, sulfurous hues, its surface mottled with features created by…