A defunct Russian military satellite, previously used to closely inspect other spacecraft, appears to have violently broken apart in a
MIT physicists at CERN have found the first direct proof that the early universe’s quark-gluon plasma flows like a liquid. By detecting wakes left by speeding quarks, Professor Yen-Jie Lee’s team confirms the trillion-degree “primordial soup” behaved as a near-perfect fluid in its first microseconds.
Aboard the International Space Station, NASA’s Chris Williams set the stage for a student robotics challenge using Astrobee helpers, while Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev conducted virtual reality balance research. The work advances orbital technology and studies human adaptation for future deep-space missions.
Chinese aerospace firm Adaspace Technology has deployed Alibaba Cloud’s Qwen-3 AI model in orbit, completing a full inference cycle from Earth and back in less than two minutes. This milestone in the U.S.-China space race demonstrates the practical potential of orbital data centers powered by solar energy and marks a major leap for the planned 2,800-satellite “Star-Compute Project.”
Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have successfully performed China’s first metal 3D printing experiment in space aboard the Lihong-1 Y1 vehicle. The breakthrough at 120 km altitude overcomes microgravity challenges, moving in-orbit manufacturing from theory to reality for future space stations and lunar bases.
University of Cambridge astronomers led by Dr. Quentin Kral have detected a wobble in exoplanet HD 206893 B, hinting at an exomoon with 9 times Neptune’s mass. This “moon” is thousands of times larger than any in our solar system and could be the first of its kind confirmed, challenging fundamental definitions in astronomy.
Microsoft Research has unveiled Rho-alpha (ρα), its first robotics foundation model derived from the company’s Phi series of small language models, designed to translate
Festo has launched an AI-powered predictive maintenance platform, AX Motion Insights, designed to eliminate unplanned downtime in robotics. The system monitors pneumatic and electric components, using analytics to schedule repairs before failures halt automation in fulfillment centers.
China’s uncrewed Shenzhou-20 spacecraft has returned with a cracked window after a record nine-month orbital stay. Deputy chief designer Zheng Wei says the “exceptionally precious” data from its extended, unexpected mission will drive future spacecraft design improvements.
China experienced its first-ever double rocket launch failure in one day, with a state-owned Long March-3B and Galactic Energy’s Ceres-2 both crashing. Observers call it a “growing pain” for the fast-paced industry, drawing parallels to SpaceX’s developmental failures.
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