NASA, in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency, has successfully demonstrated the ability to acquire and track Earth-based navigation signals on the Moon. The breakthrough was achieved through the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE), which was delivered to the lunar surface by Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander on March 2. The achievement confirms that Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals can be detected at the Moon’s distance, offering a potential advancement for future space missions, including NASA’s Artemis programme. The ability to track these signals on the Moon could enhance autonomous navigation for spacecraft, reducing reliance on Earth-based tracking systems. The LuGRE payload, one of ten NASA payloads sent aboard the lander, is expected to continue gathering data for the duration of its 14-day mission.

LuGRE Confirms GNSS Signal Tracking on the Moon

According to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the LuGRE experiment successfully acquired and tracked signals from both GPS and Galileo constellations at 2 a.m. EST on March 3. This marked the first time that GNSS signals had been used for navigation at a distance of approximately 225,000 miles from Earth. The data collected will contribute to the development of navigation technology that could support future lunar and deep-space exploration.

Kevin Coggins, Deputy Associate Administrator for NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) programme, told NASA’s official news source that the experiment demonstrated the feasibility of using GNSS signals for navigation beyond Earth. He highlighted that the same technology used in aviation and mobile devices on Earth could now be leveraged for lunar missions.

Record-Breaking GNSS Acquisition in Space

The LuGRE payload had already set records during its journey to the Moon. On January 21, it achieved the highest altitude GNSS signal acquisition at 209,900 miles from Earth, surpassing the previous record set by NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission. By February 20, as LuGRE entered lunar orbit, the altitude record had been extended to 243,000 miles. These milestones suggest that spacecraft operating in cislunar space could use GNSS signals for navigation, providing greater autonomy for missions beyond Earth’s orbit.

Developed through a partnership between NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the Italian Space Agency, Qascom, and Politecnico di Torino, the LuGRE payload represents a significant step toward advanced space navigation systems. Data collected from the ongoing mission will inform future efforts to expand GNSS coverage for lunar and Martian exploration.

A hidden black hole may exist in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. Evidence has emerged through the discovery of hypervelocity stars at the edge of the Milky Way, which appear to have been propelled by a yet-undetected supermassive black hole within the LMC. These runaway stars, moving at extraordinary speeds, were tracked using data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite. The findings suggest that while some of these stars were accelerated by the Milky Way’s own black hole, Sagittarius A (Sgr A), a significant number appear to have been ejected from the LMC, pointing to the presence of a massive gravitational force in that region.

Evidence from Hypervelocity Stars

According to a study accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal, researchers analysed 21 hypervelocity stars that are on course to exit the Milky Way. Tracing their origins, the team determined that nearly half of these stars were flung from the Milky Way’s core, but the remaining stars followed a trajectory linked to the LMC. This led scientists to theorise that a supermassive black hole within the LMC may have played a role in accelerating them.

Jesse Han, an astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA), told Space.com that the possibility of another supermassive black hole in close proximity to the Milky Way is striking. He noted that black holes are often difficult to detect, making this discovery particularly significant.

Potential Mass and Implications

The mass of this hidden black hole has been estimated at around 600,000 times that of the Sun, based on the number and speed of stars ejected from the LMC. Though smaller than Sagittarius A*, which is 4.3 million times the Sun’s mass, it fits within the expected range for supermassive black holes.

Scott Lucchini, a researcher at CfA, said that the findings suggest the Milky Way may not be the only galaxy in the vicinity ejecting stars due to the gravitational influence of a supermassive black hole. The study’s conclusions align with previous theories predicting the presence of hypervelocity stars as a signature of an unseen black hole in the LMC.

Scientists have successfully developed a quantum computer capable of operating at room temperature, marking a significant step towards scalable and networked quantum computing. The system, named Aurora, is designed to function using interconnected modules, eliminating the need for extreme cooling, which has been a major hurdle in quantum computing. The technology leverages photonic qubits, which use light instead of traditional superconducting qubits that require near absolute zero temperatures. This advancement could pave the way for large-scale quantum data centers and more reliable error correction mechanisms, as reported by various sources.

Findings of the Study

According to the study published in Nature, Aurora, created by Xanadu, is the first photonic quantum computer built to operate at scale using multiple processors linked through fiber optic cables. This structure enables enhanced fault tolerance and error correction, key challenges in quantum computing.

As reported by Live Science, Christian Weedbrook, founder and CEO of Xanadu, the focus is on improving error correction and scalability. He stated in a press release that overcoming these obstacles is essential for practical quantum computing.

Traditional quantum computers rely on superconducting qubits, which generate heat when processing data. This requires complex cooling systems, increasing operational costs and limiting accessibility. The study highlights that by using photonic qubits instead, Aurora can be integrated with existing fiber optic networks, offering a more scalable and energy-efficient alternative.

Industry Experts Weigh In

Darran Milne, a quantum information theory expert and CEO of VividQ, commented on the development, stating that breaking quantum computers into smaller, interconnected units may improve error correction. He noted that while this modular approach could simplify computing, it has been seen whether it will effectively reduce errors or introduce new challenges.

The system utilises 35 photonic chips connected through 13 kilometers of fiber optic cables, leveraging Xanadu’s existing technologies such as the X8 quantum processor and Borealis quantum computer.

Future Prospects and Challenges

Potential applications for Aurora include simulating molecular structures for drug development and enhancing secure communication through quantum cryptography. Scientists at Xanadu are now focusing on minimizing optical signal loss in fiber optic connections to further refine the technology.