Making satellite communications more resilient

The theory of panspermia proposes that life, or the ingredients needed for it, can spread throughout the cosmos aboard asteroids, comets, and other rocky objects. When life develops on a planet, powerful impacts can blast material from its surface into space, potentially carrying microscopic organisms or organic compounds to other worlds. Scientists have long debated…

On social media today, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman defended yesterday’s selection of four men for the Artemis III crew even though almost half of the astronaut corps is female. Stressing the process does not involve any political appointees, he asked that those who were chosen — three from NASA and one from the European Space…

A revolutionary rapid-response system has allowed astronomers to observe a gamma-ray burst at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths within minutes of its discovery, marking the earliest observations ever achieved at these frequencies. The milestone, reported in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, demonstrates how a newly automated observing system at the Submillimeter Array (SMA) on Maunakea can transform…

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA—ANSA reports that a bell-shaped, two-handled vessel dated to between 340 and 325 B.C. and seized in Sydney in 2020 has been handed over to Nicola Lener, the Italian ambassador to Australia. The krater, which is thought to have been unearthed in the Puglia region of southern Italy, had been shipped from the United…

NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, secured to the mobile launcher, are seen as they make the 4.2 mile journey toward Launch Pad 39B, on January 17, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani Almost as tall as a football field, NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and…

WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab’s chief executive says the company’s acquisition of Iridium was the “logical next step” in his ambitions to tap into the lucrative space services market. Rocket Lab announced June 29 it reached an agreement with Iridium to acquire the company for $54 per share in cash and stock, valuing Iridium at $8…