Connect with us

Published

on

China will send its first civilian astronaut into space as part of a crewed mission to the Tiangong space station on Tuesday, its Manned Space Agency announced, as Beijing pushes ahead with its extra-terrestrial ambitions.

The world’s second-largest economy has invested billions of dollars into its military-run space programme, trying to catch up with the United States and Russia after years of belatedly matching their milestones.

Until now, all Chinese astronauts sent into space have been part of the People’s Liberation Army.

“Payload expert Gui Haichao is a professor at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics,” China Manned Space Agency Spokesperson Lin Xiqiang told reporters Monday.

Gui will be “mainly responsible for the on-orbit operation of space science experimental payloads”, Lin said.

The commander is Jing Haipeng — on his fourth mission into space, according to state media — and the third crew member is engineer Zhu Yangzhu.

They are set to take off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China on Tuesday at 9:31 am (0131 GMT), the Manned Space Agency said.

Gui’s university, known as Beihang University in English, said he hailed from an “ordinary family” in western Yunnan province.

He “first felt the attraction of aerospace” listening to the news of China’s first man in space, Yang Liwei, on campus radio in 2003, the university said in a post on social media.

‘Space dream’

Under President Xi Jinping, plans for China’s “space dream” have been put into overdrive.

China is planning to build a base on the Moon and the country’s National Space Administration said it aims to launch a crewed lunar mission by 2029.

The final module of the T-shaped Tiangong — whose name means “heavenly palace” — successfully docked with the core structure last year.

The station carries a number of pieces of cutting-edge science equipment, state news agency Xinhua reported, including “the world’s first space-based cold atomic clock system”.

Once finished, Tiangong is expected to remain in low Earth orbit at between 400 and 450 kilometres (250 and 280 miles) above the planet for at least 10 years — realising an ambition to maintain a long-term human presence in space.

It will be constantly crewed by rotating teams of three astronauts, who will conduct scientific experiments and help test new technologies.

While China does not plan to use Tiangong for global cooperation on the scale of the International Space Station, Beijing said it is open to foreign collaboration.

It is not yet clear how extensive that cooperation will be.

China has been effectively excluded from the International Space Station since 2011, when the United States banned NASA from engaging with the country.


Samsung Galaxy A34 5G was recently launched by the company in India alongside the more expensive Galaxy A54 5G smartphone. How does this phone fare against the Nothing Phone 1 and the iQoo Neo 7? We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Continue Reading

Science

Virginia Tech Engineers Craft Durable, Self‑Repairing, and Recyclable PCBs

Published

on

By

Virginia Tech Engineers Craft Durable, Self‑Repairing, and Recyclable PCBs

A team of scientists has developed a new kind of self-healing circuit board that stays functional even after severe mechanical damage and can be reshaped or recycled entirely using heat. Infused with liquid metal and built using a polymer known as vitrimer, the new circuit boards could dramatically cut electronic waste and transform the durability of consumer electronics. Vitrimer retains the strength of traditional thermoset materials while allowing flexibility and repair, making it possible to reconfigure damaged boards without compromising electrical performance.

As per a study published in Advanced Materials on June 1, the boards were created by blending vitrimer with just 5% by volume of liquid metal droplets. This combination nearly doubled the material’s strain-at-break, or stretchability, compared to vitrimer alone. The embedded droplets are flexible as well, serving as flexible conductors in place of metal wiring used in traditional boards. Using a rheometer, tests showed the material was able to return to its original shape after heat-induced deformation ranging from 170°C to 200°C, which conventional epoxy-based thermosets cannot achieve.

Engineers also demonstrated that the material remains highly conductive and can recover its electrical function after being damaged. “Modern circuit boards simply cannot do this,” said Josh Worch, co-lead author of the study. His team designed the dynamic composite with the aim of building a circular economy around electronics. The design addresses a major environmental concern: most circuit boards today use thermosets that cannot be recycled and end up in landfills.

Electronic waste has more than doubled in 12 years, from 34 to 62 billion kilograms, as noted in a 2024 UN report. Despite containing valuable metals like gold, current boards are difficult to break down and reclaim due to the permanent nature of thermosetting plastics. The new vitrimer-based design, by contrast, allows for easy separation and reuse of materials. “Even if the board is damaged,” said Michael Bartlett, another co-lead author, “electrical performance will not suffer.”

More work needs to be done to improve the recovery of some elements, but the advance is a big step toward greener electronics, the researchers say. The technology could one day be in many different types of devices, from phones and laptops to wearables and TVs, changing the way devices are made, operated, and recycled.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.


Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Reportedly Restructures AI Division, Creates Meta Superintelligence Labs



Nothing Phone 3 First Impressions

Continue Reading

Science

Newly Detected Seaborgium-257 Offers Critical Data on Fission and Quantum Shell Effects

Published

on

By

Newly Detected Seaborgium-257 Offers Critical Data on Fission and Quantum Shell Effects

German Scientists at GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung found a new superheavy isotope, 257Sg, named Seaborgium, which reveals unexpected details about the stability and nuclear fission. This study was published in Physical Review Letters and describes how this isotope, made by fusing chromium-52 with lead-206, survived for 12.6 milliseconds, longer than usual. The rare longevity and decay into 253Rf provide new indications of how K-quantum numbers or angular momentum impact the fission resistance. The findings fill in the gaps and give us an understanding of the effects of quantum shells in superheavy nuclei, which is crucial for preventing immediate disintegration.

Challenging Traditional Views on K-Quantum Numbers and Fission

As per the study by GSI, it challenges conservative views on how K-quantum numbers impact fission. Previously, it was found that the higher K values lead to greater fission hindrance, but after getting the findings from the GSI team, a more complex dynamic emerged. They found that K-quantum numbers offer hindrance to fission, but it is still ot known that it is how much, said Dr. Pavol Mosat, the study’s co-author.

Discovery of First K-Isomeric State in Seaborgium

An important milestone is the identification of the first K-isomeric state in seaborgium. In 259Sg, the scientists found that the conversion of the electron signal occurs 40 microseconds after the nuclear formation. This is clear evidence of the high angular momentum K-isomer. These states have longer lifetimes and friction in fission in a more effective way than their ground-state counterparts.

Implications for the Theorised Island of Stability

This discovery by the scientists provides key implications for the Island of stability, which has long been theorised. It is a region where superheavy elements could have comparatively long half-lives. If K-isomers are present in the still undiscovered elements such as 120, they can enable scientists in the detection of nuclei that would otherwise decay in just under one microsecond.

Synthesising 256Sg with Ultra-Fast Detection Systems

This team of German Scientists under GSI is now aiming to synthesise 256Sg, which might decay quicker than observed or predicted. Their success is dependent on the ultra-fast detection systems created by GSI, which are capable of capturing events within 100 nanoseconds. This continued research by the team may help in reshaping the search and studying the heaviest elements in the periodic table.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.


OpenAI Says It Has No Plan to Use Google’s In-House Chip



Apple Loses Bid to Dismiss US Smartphone Monopoly Case

Continue Reading

Science

NASA CODEX Telescope on ISS Reveals Hidden Secrets of the Sun’s Corona

Published

on

By

NASA CODEX Telescope on ISS Reveals Hidden Secrets of the Sun’s Corona

A mini solar telescope aboard the International Space Station caught the first-ever images, which reveal the subtle and never-seen changes in the outer atmosphere of the Sun. It is known as the Coronal Diagnostic Experiment (CODEX) and has been designed to understand the solar corona, the outer layer of the Sun, in depth. This mini telescope functions like a coronagraph, which blocks the Sun’s disk to imitate the total solar eclipse. CODEX was delivered through SpaceX Dragon on November 5, 2024. It was mounted on the ISS using the Canadarm2 robotic arm on November 9, 2025.

Revolutionising Solar Observation

According to the report by NASA, the unique design of CODEX consists of an occulting disk the size of a tennis ball held by three arms made up of metal. It allows it to block the intense sunlight when imaging the faint corona. The first images were revealed on June 10, 2025, at the time of the American Astronomical Society’s meeting in Alaska. These comprised pictures of coronal streamers and footage of the temperature fluctuations in the outer corona over many days. This offers a fresh perspective on solar dynamics.

Measuring Solar Wind Like Never Before

CODEX is unlike the previous coronagraphs as it is the first to measure both the speed and temperature of the solar wind. There is a constant flow of superhot particles from the Sun. With the help of four narrowband filters, in which two are used for determining the temperature and two for speed, astronomers compare brightness to decode these properties, which helps in solving the mystery of how the solar wind reaches 1.8 million degrees Fahrenheit.

Tackling the Solar Weather Challenge

To know the solar wind, it is crucial to predict the geomagnetic storms triggered by the coronal holes. Shortly, the storms observed on June 13, 2025 and June 25, 2025, caused auroras because of these events. After refining the analysis of solar wind, CODEX can help in mitigating and forecasting such kind of disturbances.

A Timely Launch Amid Solar Peak

NASA’s CODEX started operations at a suitable moment, just as the current solar maximum comes to its end. As the magnetic field of the Sun shifts during the solar battle zone, CODEX is ready to catch the critical data that can change our understanding of the weather in space.

Continue Reading

Trending