Science

TAMPA, Fla. — Boeing has shipped the first pair of O3b mPower satellites with fixes addressing power issues that have hobbled the initial six in SES’s next-generation medium Earth orbit (MEO) broadband network. Boeing said Nov. 13 the satellites with redesigned power modules were sent via truck from its facilities in El Segundo, California, and are
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WASHINGTON — Reaction Engines Ltd., a British company that has worked for decades on an air-breathing rocket engine for spaceplanes and other hypersonic vehicles, has filed for bankruptcy. The company formally entered administration, a process under United Kingdom law to allow for the restructuring or liquidation of companies in financial distress, on Oct. 31 after
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WASHINGTON — NASA has extended three contracts with companies to continue providing transportation of cargo to and from the International Space Station through the projected end of the station’s life in 2030. In procurement filings Nov. 8, NASA stated it planned to extend the existing Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) 2 contracts with Northrop Grumman, Sierra
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WASHINGTON — Commercial space station developer Vast Space has signed an agreement with the government of the Czech Republic that could allow a Czech astronaut fly on a future mission by the company. Vast announced Nov. 8 that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Czech Ministry of Transport to explore potential partnerships
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The mysterious black balls that washed up on Sydney’s beaches in mid-October were likely lumps of “fatberg” containing traces of human faeces, methamphetamine and PFAS, according to a new detailed analysis of their composition. Initial reports suggested the ominous lumps were probably tar balls from an oil spill. However, analysis with a barrage of scientific
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WASHINGTON — Virgin Galactic is proposing to raise $300 million in additional capital to accelerate production of suborbital spaceplanes and a mothership aircraft the company says can fuel its long-term growth. In a Nov. 6 earnings call to discuss the suborbital spaceflight company’s third quarter financial results, Virgin Galactic executives said that while work on
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WASHINGTON — Japan and Poland are set to gain access to the U.S. military’s Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) satellite network, marking a strategic expansion of the system that currently supports the United States and several other partner nations.  Officials said the inclusion of these new partners reflects the growing importance of space-based communications for military
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