University of California, Riverside astrophysicist Stephen Kane has identified Mars as a key amplifier of Earth’s ice age cycles. His models show the Red Planet’s gravity drives a 2.4-million-year “Grand Cycle” that intensifies glacial periods, with potential links to human evolution.
Sierra Space has delivered the first nine satellite buses for the Pentagon’s Space Development Agency (SDA) Tranche 2 Tracking Layer a full three months ahead of schedule. These satellites will carry advanced infrared sensors to track hypersonic and ballistic missile threats.
NASA’s Pandora space telescope is now in orbit, beginning a year-long mission to study 20 exoplanet atmospheres for signs of water and clouds while simultaneously monitoring their host stars to rule out false signals.
Chinese company CAS Space has achieved the country’s first commercial suborbital capsule recovery with its Lihong-1 vehicle. The mission, reaching 120 km altitude, conducted microgravity experiments including space-based 3D-printing before a successful parachute-assisted touchdown.
Chinese entities have filed plans with the UN to launch more than 200,000 satellites, a move that escalates the space race with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The filings, including two proposals for 96,714 satellites each, come just as Beijing criticized Starlink for crowding orbits and increasing collision risks.
Scientists from China’s Purple Mountain Observatory have released the world’s first lunar timekeeping software. It solves the problem caused by the moon’s weaker gravity, which makes clocks run 56 microseconds faster per day, and is essential for coordinating future missions and a lunar “GPS.”
UK startup Space Forge has fired up the first commercial semiconductor factory in space aboard its ForgeStar-1 satellite, generating 1,832°F plasma. This breakthrough paves the way for making materials in microgravity that could slash electronics’ energy use by up to 60%, according to CEO Joshua Western.
US scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have discovered how electrically charged dust storms actively reshape Mars’ surface and atmosphere. Led by Dr. Alian Wang, the research links Martian electrostatic discharges to unusual isotope signatures measured by NASA and ESA missions, revealing dust as a powerful chemical engine on the Red Planet.
Chinese scientist-astronaut Zhang Hongzhang is running unique experiments on the Tiangong space station to see how microgravity affects lithium-ion batteries. Reported by state media, this research aims to solve fundamental puzzles for building safer, more powerful space energy systems.
NASA has ordered the first medical evacuation from the International Space Station, accelerating the return of the four SpaceX Crew-11 astronauts. The decision, reported by Space.com, follows a medical issue requiring Earth-based diagnostics, though the affected crewmember is in stable condition.
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