The White House and the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency have spent the first weeks of Donald Trump’s new administration looking to reduce the number of federal workers and […]
The post Tracking DOGE’s impact on space and the federal workforce appeared first on SpaceNews.
A Falcon 9 booster that was destroyed after landing March 2 suffered a fuel leak during its flight that triggered a fire.
The post Fuel leak blamed for Falcon 9 booster loss after landing appeared first on SpaceNews.
The PWSA Tranche 1 launch campaign is now anticipated to begin in late summer 2025
The post Space Development Agency’s satellite program pushes launch timeline appeared first on SpaceNews.
Colorado Springs, CO (March 7, 2025) – Frontgrade Technologies, a leading provider of mission-critical electronics for aerospace and defense, has successfully tested its Gallium Nitride (GaN)-based DC-DC converter and complementary electromagnetic […]
The post Frontgrade Successfully Tests GaN DC-DC Converter and EMI Filter appeared first on SpaceNews.
SpaceX secured permission March 7 to provide direct-to-smartphone satellite services at higher power levels to improve connectivity beyond the reach of cell towers across the United States.
The post FCC allows a power boost for SpaceX’s direct-to-smartphone service appeared first on SpaceNews.
The decision cuts off Ukraine's access to the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency's (NGA) commercial satellite imagery platform.
The post U.S. halts satellite imagery support to Ukraine in major policy shift appeared first on SpaceNews.
Star Catcher Industries, a startup designing spacecraft to beam solar energy to other LEO satellites, has secured funding from Florida’s economic development agency to demonstrate the technology at a former Space Shuttle landing site.
The post Star Catcher lands Space Florida support for satellite power beaming tests appeared first on SpaceNews.
The X-37B spaceplane touched down at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on March 7.
The post U.S. military spaceplane completes 7th mission, including advanced orbital maneuvers appeared first on SpaceNews.
Intuitive Machines says its second lunar landing mission is over after concluding the toppled lander cannot generate sufficient power.
The post IM-2 lunar lander mission ends appeared first on SpaceNews.
Early in President Donald Trump’s first term, he turned to an executive order to accelerate deregulation. For each new mandate enacted, he called for the repeal of two regulations. This […]
The post Regulations are in the crosshairs. But which ones? appeared first on SpaceNews.
The world has taken notice of the hypersonic technology that China and Russia are touting as unstoppable. Capable of maneuvering unpredictably at extreme speeds within the atmosphere, these weapons are […]
The post Make America test again: How rapid, iterative testing will advance hypersonic development appeared first on SpaceNews.
HELSINKI — China’s latest government work report emphasizes the commercial space sector as a key driver of high-tech development, highlighting its potential to transform the nation’s space capabilities. China will […]
The post China highlights commercial space sector in government work report appeared first on SpaceNews.
Physicists in Serbia have begun strike action today in response to what they say is government corruption and social injustice. The one-day strike, called by the country’s official union for researchers, is expected to result in thousands of scientists joining students who have already been demonstrating for months over conditions in the country.
The student protests, which began in November, were triggered by a railway station canopy collapse that killed 15 people. Since then, it has grown into an ongoing mass protest seen by many as indirectly seeking to change the government, currently led by president Aleksandar Vučić.
The Serbian government, however, claims it has met all student demands such as transparent publication of all documents related to the accident and the prosecution of individuals who have disrupted the protests. The government has also accepted the resignation of prime minister Miloš Vučević as well as transport minister Goran Vesić and trade minister Tomislav Momirović, who previously held the transport role during the station’s reconstruction.
“The students are championing noble causes that resonate with all citizens,” says Igor Stanković, a statistical physicist at the Institute of Physics (IPB) in Belgrade, who is joining today’s walkout. In January, around 100 employees from the IPB in Belgrade signed a letter in support of the students, one of many from various research institutions since December.
Stanković believes that the corruption and lack of accountability that students are protesting against “stem from systemic societal and political problems, including entrenched patronage networks and a lack of transparency”.
“I believe there is no turning back now,” adds Stanković. “The students have gained support from people across the academic spectrum – including those I personally agree with and others I believe bear responsibility for the current state of affairs. That, in my view, is their strength: standing firmly behind principles, not political affiliations.”
Meanwhile, Miloš Stojaković, a mathematician at the University of Novi Sad, says that the faculty at the university have backed the students from the start especially given that they are making “a concerted effort to minimize disruptions to our scientific work”.
Many university faculties in Serbia have been blockaded by protesting students, who have been using them as a base for their demonstrations. “The situation will have a temporary negative impact on research activities,” admits Dejan Vukobratović, an electrical engineer from the University of Novi Sad. However, most researchers are “finding their way through this situation”, he adds, with “most teams keeping their project partners and funders informed about the situation, anticipating possible risks”.
Amidst the continuing disruptions, the Serbian national science foundation has twice delayed a deadline for the award of €24m of research grants, citing “circumstances that adversely affect the collection of project documentation”. The foundation adds that 96% of its survey participants requested an extension. The researchers’ union has also called on the government to freeze the work status of PhD students employed as research assistants or interns to accommodate the months’ long pause to their work. The government has promised to look into it.
Meanwhile, universities are setting up expert groups to figure out how to deal with the delays to studies and missed exams. Physics World approached Serbia’s government for comment, but did not receive a reply.
The post Physicists in Serbia begin strike action in support of student protests appeared first on Physics World.
Researchers in Australia have developed a nanosensor that can detect the onset of gestational diabetes with 95% accuracy. Demonstrated by a team led by Carlos Salomon at the University of Queensland, the superparamagnetic “nanoflower” sensor could enable doctors to detect a variety of complications in the early stages of pregnancy.
Many complications in pregnancy can have profound and lasting effects on both the mother and the developing foetus. Today, these conditions are detected using methods such as blood tests, ultrasound screening and blood pressure monitoring. In many cases, however, their sensitivity is severely limited in the earliest stages of pregnancy.
“Currently, most pregnancy complications cannot be identified until the second or third trimester, which means it can sometimes be too late for effective intervention,” Salomon explains.
To tackle this challenge, Salomon and his colleagues are investigating the use of specially engineered nanoparticles to isolate and detect biomarkers in the blood associated with complications in early pregnancy. Specifically, they aim to detect the protein molecules carried by extracellular vesicles (EVs) – tiny, membrane-bound particles released by the placenta, which play a crucial role in cell signalling.
In their previous research, the team pioneered the development of superparamagnetic nanostructures that selectively bind to specific EV biomarkers. Superparamagnetism occurs specifically in small, ferromagnetic nanoparticles, causing their magnetization to randomly flip direction under the influence of temperature. When proteins are bound to the surfaces of these nanostructures, their magnetic responses are altered detectably, providing the team with a reliable EV sensor.
“This technology has been developed using nanomaterials to detect biomarkers at low concentrations,” explains co-author Mostafa Masud. “This is what makes our technology more sensitive than current testing methods, and why it can pick up potential pregnancy complications much earlier.”
Previous versions of the sensor used porous nanocubes that efficiently captured EVs carrying a key placental protein named PLAP. By detecting unusual levels of PLAP in the blood of pregnant women, this approach enabled the researchers to detect complications far more easily than with existing techniques. However, the method generally required detection times lasting several hours, making it unsuitable for on-site screening.
In their latest study, reported in Science Advances, Salomon’s team started with a deeper analysis of the EV proteins carried by these blood samples. Through advanced computer modelling, they discovered that complications can be linked to changes in the relative abundance of PLAP and another placental protein, CD9.
Based on these findings, they developed a new superparamagnetic nanosensor capable of detecting both biomarkers simultaneously. Their design features flower-shaped nanostructures made of nickel ferrite, which were embedded into specialized testing strips to boost their sensitivity even further.
Using this sensor, the researchers collected blood samples from 201 pregnant women at 11 to 13 weeks’ gestation. “We detected possible complications, such as preterm birth, gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, which is high blood pressure during pregnancy,” Salomon describes. For gestational diabetes, the sensor demonstrated 95% sensitivity in identifying at-risk cases, and 100% specificity in ruling out healthy cases.
Based on these results, the researchers are hopeful that further refinements to their nanoflower sensor could lead to a new generation of EV protein detectors, enabling the early diagnosis of a wide range of pregnancy complications.
“With this technology, pregnant women will be able to seek medical intervention much earlier,” Salomon says. “This has the potential to revolutionize risk assessment and improve clinical decision-making in obstetric care.”
The post Nanosensor predicts risk of complications in early pregnancy appeared first on Physics World.
SpaceX’s Starship vehicle suffered its second consecutive test flight failure March 6, tumbling in space before breaking up and reentering over the Caribbean.
The post Starship destroyed on second consecutive test flight appeared first on SpaceNews.
The technology allows users to search satellite imagery and other geospatial data using natural language queries.
The post Danti expands AI-powered Earth data search engine to broader government market appeared first on SpaceNews.
York Space Systems plans to launch five missions in 2025 for commercial customers conducting classified experiments for the U.S. military
The post York taps commercial satellite technology for classified defense missions appeared first on SpaceNews.
Connexion