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NASA's Swift Observatory Discovers Twin Black Holes Disturbing Galactic Gas Clouds
NASA's Swift Observatory has recorded a unique signal from two orbiting black holes interacting with a gas cloud in a distant galaxy. This phenomenon, called AT 2021hdr, is marked by recurring gas disturbances due to the black holes' orbit, which astronomers believe could eventually lead to their merger. Observations continue, promising insights in...
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Solar Surge Cuts Binar Satellites' Mission Short, Underscoring Space Weather Effects on Earth and Orbiting Satellites
Binar-2, 3, and 4, part of Curtin University's space program, re-entered Earth’s atmosphere unexpectedly due to an increase in solar activity. Low Earth orbit satellites are especially vulnerable to such conditions, with atmospheric drag accelerating their descent. While solar cycle 25 has proven stronger than anticipated, experts expect solar ac...
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UK Writer Samantha Harvey Wins 2024 Booker For 136-Page Novel "Orbital"
Samantha Harvey's "Orbital" is the second-shortest novel to win the award and the first to be set in space.
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SpaceX Plans To Develop 'Marslink' Network To Provide Internet On Mars
SpaceX has introduced a Marslink concept, a satellite-based communication network around Mars, to support interplanetary data exchange for future Mars missions. NASA reviewed this and other proposals, including Blue Origin's Blue Ring orbital tug and Lockheed Martin's MAVEN-based network. The Marslink network would build on SpaceX’s Starlink tech...
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Indian CubeSat to Travel to the Moon Soon on Japanese Lander
India’s HEX20Labs has partnered with Japanese firm ispace for a mission to send a CubeSat into lunar orbit. Scheduled to launch on ispace's M2 mission, the Indian CubeSat will ride aboard the lander Resilience, aiming to orbit the Moon and conduct critical technology testing. This mission signifies a major stride in India’s cislunar exploration...
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How A Father-Daughter Duo Decoded 'Alien' Message From Mars
A father-daughter duo from the US decoded an 'alien-like' message transmitted through a signal by the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, a spacecraft of the European Space Agency orbiting Mars, in May last year.
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Skynet-1A Satellite’s Unexplained Orbit Shift Raises Questions About Command History
Launched in 1969, the UK's oldest satellite, Skynet-1A, has moved significantly from its original position. Experts believe this was due to a deliberate command in the 1970s. The satellite now orbits over the Americas, near active satellite traffic, raising risks of collisions. Limited records exist regarding its control history, with suggestions o...
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Newly Found Earth-Like Planet May Hold Key To Humanity's Survival
A team of astronomers has uncovered an Earth-like planet orbiting a star located 4,000 light years away from the solar system, potentially offering insights into Earth's distant future.
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Russia Successfully Launches 53 Satellites into Target Orbit
Russia’s record-breaking launch from the Vostochny spaceport saw 53 satellites sent to orbit, including two Iranian satellites for imaging and communications and a joint satellite with Zimbabwe. A Soyuz-2.1b rocket was used for the mission, which took place on November 4, 2024, at 6:18 p.m. EST. Russia’s Ionosfera-M satellites were part of the ...
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SpaceX’s Dragon to Reboost ISS for First Time, Paving Way for Future Deorbit Mission
SpaceX’s Dragon is set to perform its first reboost of the International Space Station (ISS) on Nov. 8. This mission, conducted in partnership with NASA, is a step towards a future in which a larger Dragon spacecraft will play a crucial role in safely deorbiting the ISS when its mission concludes around 2030. Currently, reboosts are generally man...
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NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Makes Final Venus Flyby Before Historic Sun Encounter
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, launched in 2018, will make its final Venus flyby on Nov. 6. This manoeuvre will bring the spacecraft into a new orbit, allowing it to approach within 3.8 million miles of the sun, closer than any human-made object has been. While the probe’s primary mission is to study the sun, its instruments have captured rare data...
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Discovery of Hidden Ninth Planet in Solar System Could Reshape Astronomy, Claims New Study
Scientists are exploring the possibility of a hidden ninth planet in our solar system. The planet, dubbed Planet Nine, is believed to exist beyond Neptune in the Kuiper Belt. Researchers have noticed unusual gravitational effects on distant objects in this region, which may be influenced by the presence of a large, unseen planet. While it has not b...
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Neutron Star in 4U 1820-30 Spins at Record-Breaking 716 Rotations Per Second
Astronomers have detected a neutron star in the binary system 4U 1820-30 spinning at 716 times per second, breaking records for speed. Located 26,000 light-years from Earth, the star's surface releases explosive thermonuclear bursts that make it shine up to 100,000 times brighter than the Sun. This discovery offers new insights into the extreme pro...
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Russia Launches 55 Satellites, Including 2 Iranian Devices Into Orbit
Russia launched 55 satellites into orbit on Tuesday, including two privately built Iranian devices, amid deepening ties between Moscow and Tehran.
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Japan Launches World's First Wooden Satellite LignoSat into Space
Japan’s LignoSat, the first wooden satellite developed by Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry, was launched on a SpaceX mission to the ISS. The satellite will orbit 400 km above Earth for six months, testing honoki wood’s durability against extreme temperatures and radiation. The team, led by astronaut Takao Doi, hopes to prove that wood can...
-
NASA's Swift Observatory Discovers Twin Black Holes Disturbing Galactic Gas Clouds
NASA's Swift Observatory has recorded a unique signal from two orbiting black holes interacting with a gas cloud in a distant galaxy. This phenomenon, called AT 2021hdr, is marked by recurring gas disturbances due to the black holes' orbit, which astronomers believe could eventually lead to their merger. Observations continue, promising insights in...
-
Solar Surge Cuts Binar Satellites' Mission Short, Underscoring Space Weather Effects on Earth and Orbiting Satellites
Binar-2, 3, and 4, part of Curtin University's space program, re-entered Earth’s atmosphere unexpectedly due to an increase in solar activity. Low Earth orbit satellites are especially vulnerable to such conditions, with atmospheric drag accelerating their descent. While solar cycle 25 has proven stronger than anticipated, experts expect solar ac...
-
UK Writer Samantha Harvey Wins 2024 Booker For 136-Page Novel "Orbital"
Samantha Harvey's "Orbital" is the second-shortest novel to win the award and the first to be set in space.
-
SpaceX Plans To Develop 'Marslink' Network To Provide Internet On Mars
SpaceX has introduced a Marslink concept, a satellite-based communication network around Mars, to support interplanetary data exchange for future Mars missions. NASA reviewed this and other proposals, including Blue Origin's Blue Ring orbital tug and Lockheed Martin's MAVEN-based network. The Marslink network would build on SpaceX’s Starlink tech...
-
Indian CubeSat to Travel to the Moon Soon on Japanese Lander
India’s HEX20Labs has partnered with Japanese firm ispace for a mission to send a CubeSat into lunar orbit. Scheduled to launch on ispace's M2 mission, the Indian CubeSat will ride aboard the lander Resilience, aiming to orbit the Moon and conduct critical technology testing. This mission signifies a major stride in India’s cislunar exploration...
-
How A Father-Daughter Duo Decoded 'Alien' Message From Mars
A father-daughter duo from the US decoded an 'alien-like' message transmitted through a signal by the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, a spacecraft of the European Space Agency orbiting Mars, in May last year.
-
Skynet-1A Satellite’s Unexplained Orbit Shift Raises Questions About Command History
Launched in 1969, the UK's oldest satellite, Skynet-1A, has moved significantly from its original position. Experts believe this was due to a deliberate command in the 1970s. The satellite now orbits over the Americas, near active satellite traffic, raising risks of collisions. Limited records exist regarding its control history, with suggestions o...
-
Newly Found Earth-Like Planet May Hold Key To Humanity's Survival
A team of astronomers has uncovered an Earth-like planet orbiting a star located 4,000 light years away from the solar system, potentially offering insights into Earth's distant future.
-
Russia Successfully Launches 53 Satellites into Target Orbit
Russia’s record-breaking launch from the Vostochny spaceport saw 53 satellites sent to orbit, including two Iranian satellites for imaging and communications and a joint satellite with Zimbabwe. A Soyuz-2.1b rocket was used for the mission, which took place on November 4, 2024, at 6:18 p.m. EST. Russia’s Ionosfera-M satellites were part of the ...
-
SpaceX’s Dragon to Reboost ISS for First Time, Paving Way for Future Deorbit Mission
SpaceX’s Dragon is set to perform its first reboost of the International Space Station (ISS) on Nov. 8. This mission, conducted in partnership with NASA, is a step towards a future in which a larger Dragon spacecraft will play a crucial role in safely deorbiting the ISS when its mission concludes around 2030. Currently, reboosts are generally man...
-
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Makes Final Venus Flyby Before Historic Sun Encounter
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, launched in 2018, will make its final Venus flyby on Nov. 6. This manoeuvre will bring the spacecraft into a new orbit, allowing it to approach within 3.8 million miles of the sun, closer than any human-made object has been. While the probe’s primary mission is to study the sun, its instruments have captured rare data...
-
Discovery of Hidden Ninth Planet in Solar System Could Reshape Astronomy, Claims New Study
Scientists are exploring the possibility of a hidden ninth planet in our solar system. The planet, dubbed Planet Nine, is believed to exist beyond Neptune in the Kuiper Belt. Researchers have noticed unusual gravitational effects on distant objects in this region, which may be influenced by the presence of a large, unseen planet. While it has not b...
-
Neutron Star in 4U 1820-30 Spins at Record-Breaking 716 Rotations Per Second
Astronomers have detected a neutron star in the binary system 4U 1820-30 spinning at 716 times per second, breaking records for speed. Located 26,000 light-years from Earth, the star's surface releases explosive thermonuclear bursts that make it shine up to 100,000 times brighter than the Sun. This discovery offers new insights into the extreme pro...
-
Russia Launches 55 Satellites, Including 2 Iranian Devices Into Orbit
Russia launched 55 satellites into orbit on Tuesday, including two privately built Iranian devices, amid deepening ties between Moscow and Tehran.
-
Japan Launches World's First Wooden Satellite LignoSat into Space
Japan’s LignoSat, the first wooden satellite developed by Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry, was launched on a SpaceX mission to the ISS. The satellite will orbit 400 km above Earth for six months, testing honoki wood’s durability against extreme temperatures and radiation. The team, led by astronaut Takao Doi, hopes to prove that wood can...
