Earth's magnetic field is a vital shield that protects life and creates beautiful auroras. Right now, a weak spot in this shield is expanding over the South Atlantic Ocean. This isn't new, but recent data shows it's growing faster than expected. For over a decade, the European Space Agency's Swarm mission has been studying this weak spot, known as the South Atlantic...
In the vast expanse of space, a dead satellite named Relay 2 made a surprising comeback. Astronomers in Australia detected a powerful radio signal in mid-June that initially sparked excitement. They thought they had stumbled upon an unknown object near Earth. However, the source of the signal turned out to be much closer than expected. Relay 2, launched by NASA in 1...
Japan's space program reached a milestone on June 28 with the final launch of its H-2A rocket. This event marked the end of an era for a rocket that had been a reliable workhorse for the country's space missions. The H-2A rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center, successfully deploying the GOSAT-GW satellite into orbit. This satellite, also known as Ibuki...
The United States is gearing up to send a satellite into space that could change how we think about solar power. This isn't your average satellite. It's designed to collect solar energy up there and send it back down to Earth. The company behind this idea, Aetherflux, has secured a whopping $50 million to make it happen. The plan involves a bunch of smaller satellit...
Thousands of satellites are orbiting Earth, and they are expected to double every two years. With so many satellites around now and more are expected to be launched, how do we prevent them from colliding? One important thing to note is that there are ships and aircraft on Earth with sensors that help keep them from crashing. These sensors help provide locati...
Imagine this: a satellite up in the sky, guiding a new era of secure communication. European satellite maker Thales Alenia Space and Spanish satellite operator Hispasat have gotten some serious funding – to the tune of €104 million – to develop something pretty impressive. They're working on a geostationary payload that uses quantum technology to distribute encryptio...
On January 3, SpaceX blasted off the Thuraya-4 satellite into orbit for Space42, a newly formed space tech company from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This was SpaceX's first launch of the year, happening at 8:27 p. m. Eastern time from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The satellite, designed by Airbus on the Eurostar Neo Platform, aims to provide mobile...
Imagine a world where sensors and computers can communicate with each other in a way that's faster and more precise than ever before. That's the promise of quantum networking, and Boeing is determined to make it a reality. In 2026, the company plans to launch a small satellite, dubbed Q4S, to test the technology needed to create a quantum internet. Quantum entangl...