Categories

Orbital debris detection system developed for spacecraft

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has developed and tested a micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) detection and characterization system designed for satellites and spacecraft to monitor impacts from space debris. The system provides critical post-impact data, ensuring awareness of an impact even when damage is not immediately apparent.

Go to Source

How did Jupiter’s Galilean moons form? Scientists explore moon formation theories

We already know a decent amount about how planets form, but moon formation is another process entirely, and one we’re not as familiar with. Scientists think they understand how the most important moon in our solar system (our own) formed, but its violent birth is not the norm, and can’t explain larger moon systems like […]

Excavating Eridu: Observations explore nature of massive ancient galaxy

By analyzing the data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), astronomers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and elsewhere have probed the properties of a massive and old galaxy designated SMILES-GS-191748. Results of the study, published August 7 on the pre-print server arXiv, shed more light on the nature […]

After repeated explosions, new test for Musk’s megarocket

Elon Musk’s SpaceX announced Friday that its Starship megarocket is scheduled to blast off on a new test flight next weekend after recent attempts have ended in fiery explosions.

Go to Source

Dark star clusters or extreme dwarf galaxies? Astrophysicists revisit Ursa Major III’s true nature

Ursa Major III, the faintest object in our galaxy, orbits the Milky Way at a distance of more than 30,000 light years. Until now, it was considered a dwarf galaxy, thought to consist mainly of dark matter due to its large mass. However, an international team of astrophysicists from the University of Bonn and the […]

Space mice babies: Stem cells cryopreserved in space produce healthy offspring

Features of spaceflight such as gravitational changes and circadian rhythm disruption—not to mention radiation—take a toll on the body, including muscle wasting and decreased bone density. These may even affect the ability to produce healthy offspring.

Go to Source

Intergalactic experiment: Researchers hunt for mysterious dark matter particle with clever new trick

Physicists from the University of Copenhagen have begun using the gigantic magnetic fields of galaxy clusters to observe distant black holes in their search for an elusive particle that has stumped scientists for decades.

Go to Source

Astronauts launch space agriculture with seed pillows

When the Crew-11 astronauts launched to the International Space Station on August 1, 2025, they carried with them another chapter in space farming: the latest VEG-03 experiments, complete with seed pillows ready for planting.

Go to Source

EIRSAT-1 novel control payload successfully demonstrates advanced satellite pointing in space

EIRSAT-1, Ireland’s first satellite, has successfully tested an advanced onboard control system that allows it to orient itself accurately in space. The breakthrough was achieved using a payload called Wave-Based Control (WBC), a software platform designed by a team at UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering to test new satellite maneuvering techniques while in […]

Six planets are hanging out in early morning skies this month. Here’s how to spot them

Six planets are hanging out in the sky this month in what’s known as a planetary parade. Catch the spectacle while you can because it’s the last one of the year.

Go to Source

Simple instrument could find Martian DNA if it exists

Mars still holds the promise of being one of the first places in the solar system humanity will colonize. However, if there was evolutionarily distinct, extant life on the planet, it might sway the heart of even the most ardent Mars colonization fans. So astrobiologists are in a race against time to try to determine […]

As the atmosphere changes, so will its response to geomagnetic storms

Rising concentrations of carbon dioxide in the upper atmosphere will change the way geomagnetic storms impact Earth, with potential implications for thousands of orbiting satellites, according to new research led by scientists at the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR).

Go to Source

Robots team up to explore planetary lava caves

In the not-too-distant future, the search for signs of life on Mars and the moon could see the next generation of robots exploring a new frontier: subsurface lava tubes. These missions could also help us determine the best locations for establishing human bases.

Go to Source

Cleaning up space with gecko technology

Old satellites and debris pose a danger to space travel. An international research team with participation from Würzburg is working on a satellite that cleans up space—inspired by the animal kingdom.

Go to Source

Observations investigate ultraluminous X-ray sources in the galaxy NGC 5813

Using NASA’s Chandra and ESA’s XMM-Newton space observatories, Indian astronomers have explored the population of ultraluminous X-ray sources in the galaxy NGC 5813, which resulted in the detection of a new source of this type. Results of the observational campaign were published August 7 on the pre-print server arXiv.

Go to Source

[…]