An increase in solar activity has resulted in the early re-entry of three CubeSats from Curtin University’s Binar Space Program. These small satellites, which operated at low Earth orbit, were designed to last for at least six months. However, due to intensified solar conditions, they were destroyed within two months, significantly shortening their scientific mission.
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In a new partnership between India and Japan, an Indian CubeSat is set to accompany a Japanese lunar lander to orbit the Moon. HEX20Labs India Private Limited has announced a collaborative mission with the Japanese firm ispace, intending to launch a CubeSat aboard one of ispace’s lunar landers in an upcoming mission. The agreement, signed
A recent discovery at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) offers an energy-efficient method to achieve glassy transformations in indium selenide, a material that could change the face of data storage technology. The study was conducted in a collaboration between the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The research demonstrates that
Russia’s ambitious plans to expand its scientific research infrastructure have encountered significant delays, reportedly due to international trade sanctions and budget constraints. These setbacks, announced by officials last month, impact three critical projects aimed at advancing research into molecular structures and materials. These projects include a new synchrotron light source, modernisation of an existing facility,
In an intriguing development for Mars exploration, China’s Zhurong rover has uncovered geological features suggesting that a vast ocean may have once covered part of the Martian surface. The discovery, published on Thursday, November 7 2024, in the journal Nature, offers a fresh perspective on the long-debated theory that an ancient ocean occupied up to
A study has shown that the well-preserved fossil of a nodosaur, a plant-eating dinosaur, could withstand the force of a high-speed car crash. The fossil, discovered in Alberta, Canada, belongs to Borealopelta markmitchelli , a species that lived around 110 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous period. This fossil is one of the best-preserved
Russia successfully launched a record-setting 53 satellites into space on November 4, 2024, achieving a major milestone in satellite deployment. This launch, managed by the Russian space agency Roscosmos, included a combination of domestic and international satellites. A Soyuz-2.1b rocket with a Fregat upper stage was used for the mission, lifting off from the Vostochny
A powerful X2.3-class solar flare erupted from sunspot AR 3883 on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, at 8:40 a.m. ET (1340 UTC). This marks the strongest flare released by this sunspot region so far. The flare, which is among the most intense solar events, was accompanied by high levels of ultraviolet radiation, leading to shortwave radio
The first wooden satellite, built by Japanese researchers, has embarked on its journey to space. Created by a collaboration between Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry, LignoSat was launched aboard a SpaceX mission and will orbit 400 km above Earth, circling the planet for six months. The satellite, crafted from honoki wood—a type of magnolia native
A monumental predator-prey event in Norway’s coastal waters has captured scientists’ attention. It marks the largest observed marine feeding spectacle and highlighting significant dynamics in the food chain. Leading the research, Professor Nicholas Makris from MIT’s Department of Mechanical and Ocean Engineering, alongside his team, witnessed this unprecedented event where vast shoals of cod pursued
After a six-month mission aboard the Tiangong space station, Chinese astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu safely returned to Earth, touching down at the Dongfeng landing site in northern China. Having launched on April 25, the crew concluded their mission on Sunday, November 3, 2024, with the capsule landing at approximately 12:24 p.m.
Four farmworkers have been diagnosed with presumed bird flu in the Washington state. This marked an unsettling trend in the spread of the virus among farm animals and occasional human cases across the United States. Health officials expect the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to verify these cases, which would bring the total
Indian scientists have discovered an exoplanet named TOI-6651b, a large and dense planet orbiting a Sun-like star. The exoplanet has a mass roughly 60 times that of Earth and is about five times larger in radius, setting it apart from most planets of similar size. This finding marks the fourth exoplanet discovery by India’s Physical
China has set a new world benchmark with the development of a powerful 42-tesla resistive magnet. The country has broken the previous 41.4-tesla record maintained by the United States since 2017. The breakthrough was achieved on September 22 by the High Magnetic Field Laboratory at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, affiliated with the Chinese
The Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment (MACE) observatory, the world’s highest imaging Cherenkov telescope, has been inaugurated in Hanle, Ladakh, at an elevation surpassing 4,300 metres. This facility is set to advance India’s role in space research and cosmic-ray studies, marking a new milestone in high-energy astrophysics. The observatory aims to explore cosmic phenomena such as
Deep Blue Aerospace, a Chinese company based in Jiangsu, has announced plans to enter the burgeoning space tourism market. The company aims to start launching paying customers into suborbital space by 2027. Tickets for these exclusive journeys will be priced at approximately 1.5 million RMB, equivalent to about $210,000. Deep Blue says this experience will
China has built the world’s most powerful resistive magnet, achieving a magnetic field strength of 42.02 tesla. The milestone was reached on 22 September at the Steady High Magnetic Field Facility (SHMFF), part of the Chinese Academy of Science’s Hefei Institutes of Physical Science. This achievement just surpasses the previous record of 41.4 tesla, set
Artificial intelligence is showing promise in helping people with opposing views find common ground. A new tool developed by Google DeepMind uses AI to mediate discussions and synthesise viewpoints into balanced summaries. In recent trials, participants favoured the AI-generated summaries over those created by human mediators, suggesting that AI could be an effective mediator for
Injecting diamond dust into the atmosphere could potentially cool the planet by 1.6ºC, according to a recent study published in Geophysical Research Letters. Led by Sandro Vattioni, a climate scientist at ETH Zürich, the research explores whether diamonds, as opposed to commonly used materials like sulfur, could offer a safer and more effective method for
China has revealed ambitious plans to build a lunar space station and explore the possibility of habitable planets as part of its long-term space programme. On Tuesday, China’s space authorities announced a comprehensive development plan that will run from 2024 to 2050, with the intention of launching a manned lunar mission in the near future. This