Source: See hereThis article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition of The World Ahead 2025 under the headline "Watch this space "
Large-scale production of synthetic fuel is now feasible, argues the founder of Terraform Industries
Read more: Visit websiteLast month, SpaceX pulled off an incredible feat. On the fifth test flight of its enormous Starship rocket, the booster stage returned to the launchpad and was caught in midair by two large mechanical arms on the launch tower.
The launch may occur as early as Tuesday during a 30-minute time slot starting at 5 p.m. Eastern time. SpaceX will stream coverage of the test flight beginning about 30 minutes before liftoff from SpaceX's site in South Texas near the city of Brownsville.
The Starship rocket system is the largest ever built — 397 feet tall, or about 90 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty including the pedestal.
And it has the most engines ever in a rocket booster: The Super Heavy booster — the bottom part of the rocket — has 33 of SpaceX's powerful Raptor engines sticking out of its bottom. As those engines lift Starship off the launchpad in South Texas, they will generate 16 million pounds of thrust at full throttle.
The upper part, also called Starship or Ship for short, looks like a shiny rocket from science fiction movies of the 1950s, made of stainless steel with large fins. This is the upper stage that will head toward orbit, and ultimately could carry people to the moon or even Mars.
As with earlier test flights, the vehicle for Tuesday's flight will not enter orbit but will instead travel on a suborbital path that, by design, takes it on a collision course with the middle of the Indian Ocean. That way, if anything goes wrong, the rocket will still splash down harmlessly in the water.
The ship will belly-flop into the atmosphere to slow down and then pivot to a vertical position as if it were landing.
Read more: Visit websiteAn independent researcher found that noise recorded miles away from the site of a recent test flight was equal to standing 200 feet from a Boeing 747 during takeoff.
For a century, exoplanet hunters have "discovered" planets around a nearby star, only to retract the claims. But the latest find is for real.
The agency's top medical official was responding to rumors that Suni Williams had lost an unusual amount of weight during an extended stay in orbit.
Much of the understanding of the seventh planet comes from a brief flyby nearly 40 years ago, which researchers now say overlapped with an exceptional solar event.
The president-elect's decision to witness the liftoff is another example of his close ties to the world's wealthiest entrepreneur.
The event produces some of the year's fastest meteors, although the nearly full moon may make them challenging to spot.
The cube-shaped satellite was launched aboard a SpaceX rocket late Monday to test if timber will work as a more sustainable material in space.
This short trivia quiz tests your knowledge of fiction and nonfiction works that were made into popular films about space exploration and the quest to connect with other worlds.
Source: See hereThe U.S. Naval Research Laboratory 's Naval Center for Space Technology has finished developing an advanced robotics suite that can service orbiting satellites.
Funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites Integrated Robotic Payload aims to advance efforts to design, build, integrate and test new satellite servicing capabilities, the U.S. Navy said Thursday.
If successful, the program would allow the U.S. government to repair and upgrade satellites in deployment, leading to significant savings. Glen Henshaw , a senior scientist for robotics and autonomous systems at NRL, noted that RSGS will demonstrate that expensive U.S. space assets can be serviced using capable robots.
NRL recently completed the thermal vacuum testing phase of the robotic payload, which involved exposure to on-orbit temperature and vacuum conditions similar to space. During the testing process, engineers checked the payload's key components and verified its operational and communication functions and robotic compliance.
The payload was delivered to Northrop Grumman for integration with its Mission Robotics Vehicle . After its scheduled 2026 launch on the MRV spacecraft bus, the suite will go through initial checkout and calibration in preparation for operational servicing missions.
The robotic payload will ideally enable the RSGS program to realize its vision of transforming satellite operations in geostationary orbit, reducing costs for satellite operators and enabling new capabilities for national security and civil applications, NRL Director of Research Bruce Danly said.
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More details: See hereAstroBob says to look to the sky Friday evening to see the full Beaver Moon, also known as the Freezing Over Moon.
You can also see r one of the least known phenomena: the earth's shadow as it rises. It's a dark grey-blue band opposite the sun. As the sun sets, the shadow of the planet moves upwards and into the atmosphere.
There will also be a parade of four planets on display. Look for Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars through midnight.
Reference: Visit website• Japan's Space Agency JAXA Launches Sixth Astronaut to International Space Station ( phys. org, 2022) • NASA's Perseverance Rover Discovers Evidence of Ancient Lake on Mars ( NASA, 2022) • China's Space Station Module May Be Delayed Due to Technical Issues ( SpaceNews. com, 2022) • European Space Agency's Gaia Mission Reveals 30 Million Stars in Detailed Map ( SciTechDaily, 2022) • SpaceX's Starlink Satellites Reach 3,000 Milestone, With Plans for Global Coverage ( CNBC, 2022) • UK Space Agency Awards Funding for Climate Monitoring and Research ( UK Government, 2022) • NASA's Parker Solar Probe Missions Two-thirds of the Way Through its Journey to the Sun ( NASA, 2022) • Russia's Space Agency Roscosmos Prepares for Privatization Amid Budget Cuts ( TASS, 2022) • India's Space Agency ISRO Launches Earth Observation Satellite RISAT-2BR1 ( The Hindu... 2022)
The U.S. Space Force has launched the Space Strategic Technology Institutes , dubbed SSTIs, and is seeking industry input on organizations interested in participating in the initiative.
According to a notice issued on SAM.gov, the SSTIs are part of efforts of the In-Space Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing National Strategy to tackle challenges in space science and technology through a network of partnered universities.
The USSF posted a request for information to identify universities and other organizations that will collaborate and conduct joint applied research as part of the SSTI. At least two cooperative agreements will be awarded by the military branch. However, the USSF may decide to make a single award or none at all.
The selected organizations will conduct research focused on developing transformational space domain technologies with the goal of enhancing capabilities that can be leveraged for future USSF and government space capabilities.
The SSTIs will prioritize research and development that will create testbeds, high fidelity modeling and simulations, demonstrations and prototypes. They should develop scalable technologies that can be transitioned to to higher readiness levels during the course of the potential contract.
