Connect with us

Published

5 hours ago

on

NASA is testing new scalable satellite technology to integrate and launch scientific sensors faster and at lower cost. NASA’s Athena EPIC (Economical Payload Integration Cost) mission uses a compact, modular spacecraft platform that “shares resources among the payloads onboard” so each instrument doesn’t need its own control system. By offloading routine functions to the bus, this architecture promises “lower costs to taxpayers and a quicker path to launch”. Langley leads the project, which will fly as a SpaceX rideshare in mid-2025 to test the concept in orbit. It could expedite deployment of climate and weather sensors and accelerate future missions.

Scalable Satellite Platforms and Demonstration Missions

According to official site, NASA and industry partners are developing modular small satellite platforms. The Athena EPIC spacecraft is built from eight interlocking Hyper-Integrated Satlet (HISat) modules that form a “SensorCraft” bus, simplifying integration of multiple instruments. In parallel, NASA’s Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator (PTD) series uses a standard six-unit (6U) CubeSat bus (by Terran Orbital) that can be reconfigured quickly. The PTD-3 mission, launched in 2022, carried MIT Lincoln Laboratory’s TBIRD optical-communications payload and achieved a record 200 gigabits-per-second laser downlink from orbit.

Commercial partners are involved as well: Blue Canyon Technologies built the two CubeSats for NASA’s CubeSat Laser Infrared Crosslink (CLICK) mission, and will supply four for the forthcoming Starling formation-flying demo. These standardized buses and partnerships speed integration and testing of new satellite systems.

Faster Deployments, Lower Costs, and Scientific Gains

These scalable satellite buses promise to cut mission costs and cycle times. Instead of the billion-dollar platforms of old, the new “SensorCraft” design can slash costs to the single-digit millions per mission. Smaller satellites are cheaper to build and easier to replace if failures occur. Moreover, by reusing existing parts, teams can accelerate development – for example, Athena’s optical sensor was assembled from spare components of NASA’s CERES climate-observation satellites. NASA officials note that, “as satellites become smaller, a less traditional, more efficient path to launch is needed” to maximize science return.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Science

Algae-Grown Bioplastic Passes Mars Pressure Test, Boosting Hopes for Red Planet Habitats

Published

4 hours ago

on

July 21, 2025

By

Algae-Grown Bioplastic Passes Mars Pressure Test, Boosting Hopes for Red Planet Habitats

In a major step forward for sustainable space travel, researchers have been able to successfully grow algae inside biodegradable bioplastic, which mimics the conditions of the extreme Martian environment. The experiment was intended to see how well materials made of polylactic acid could keep conditions habitable on Mars, where the surface pressure is less than 1 percent that of the Earth’s. It’s an important step toward the development of self-sustaining habitats for the human portion of the expeditionary force that require regenerative biological systems instead of expensive resupply missions from Earth.

Algae Thrive in Bioplastic Chambers Under Mars-Like Conditions, Paving Way for Space Habitats

As per a study published in Science Advances, a research team led by Robin Wordsworth of Harvard University demonstrated that the green algae Dunaliella tertiolecta could not only survive but perform photosynthesis inside 3D-printed chambers engineered to replicate Mars’s thin, carbon dioxide–rich atmosphere. The bioplastic chamber also protected the algae from ultraviolet radiation while allowing enough light for biological activity. Liquid water was stabilised using a pressure gradient within the chamber.

The researchers highlighted that bioplastics offer distinct advantages over traditional industrial

materials, which are difficult to recycle or transport in space. Since polylactic acid is derived from natural sources, it could potentially be manufactured or regenerated on-site using algae—establishing a self-sustaining loop. “If you have a habitat that is composed of bioplastic and it grows algae within it, that algae could produce more bioplastic,” Wordsworth noted in a statement.

This latest experiment builds on the team’s earlier work involving silica aerogels that replicated Earth’s greenhouse conditions. By combining algae-based bioplastic systems for material regeneration with aerogels for thermal and atmospheric control, the team sees a viable path forward to long-term extraterrestrial habitation. The chambers’ success under Mars-like conditions reinforces the possibility of using biologically sourced materials to support life beyond Earth.

In future experiments, those systems are to be tested in harsher vacuum conditions, eventually for the benefit of human spaceflight and with spinoff applications on Earth, said Wordsworth, who contends such technology can have spinoff benefits.

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.


Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Might Not Feature Upgraded Titanium Backplate Included With Galaxy Z Fold 7: Report



NASA’s Twin TRACERS Satellites Will Monitor Space Weather to Shield Earth from Solar Storms

Continue Reading

Science

NASA’s Twin TRACERS Satellites Will Monitor Space Weather to Shield Earth from Solar Storms

Published

5 hours ago

on

July 21, 2025

By

NASA’s Twin TRACERS Satellites Will Monitor Space Weather to Shield Earth from Solar Storms

Two NASA satellites are scheduled to be launched into low-Earth orbit in a mission designed to do nothing less than study magnetic storms that imperil the Earth’s atmosphere, communication, and orbital systems. Travelling together in sun-synchronous orbit, the Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) will keep watch over Earth’s polar cusps — a pair of funnel-shaped regions in Earth’s magnetosphere where solar particles and energy flow in. By observing these regions, TRACERS will continue to learn how magnetic reconnection works throughout space, powering the giant explosions on the sun as well as the solar wind that spreads throughout the solar system, leading to space weather.

NASA’s $170M TRACERS Mission to Track Solar Wind and Shield Earth from Space Weather Threats

As per NASA’s briefing, TRACERS will explore how solar wind triggers disruptions in Earth’s magnetic field, helping researchers better predict when and where such activity might occur. The spacecraft will fly closely behind one another, allowing for nearly real-time comparison of plasma and magnetic conditions—an improvement over previous single-satellite studies. Joe Westlake, NASA’s Heliophysics Division Director, stated the mission will help protect GPS, power grids, and astronauts by enabling earlier forecasts of solar storm activity.

The mission tackles a major challenge in heliophysics, our understanding of dynamic magnetic reconnection phenomena that vary on short timescales. TRACERS dual approach also enables scientists to discern between environmental shifts due to the travelling stars or to inherent magnetic variations. “These findings are crucial for basic studies of how the Earth’s magnetosphere interacts with solar energy,” said principal investigator David Miles.

TRACERS, a spacecraft located 590 kilometers above Earth, will collaborate with other missions to observe the Sun-Earth connection from various vantage points, providing unique low-orbit data to complement broader heliophysics observations.

The $170 million TRACERS mission, set to launch later in July, has been created to bolster readiness for such solar weather and keep space-dependent modern societies resilient and safe in a space-dependent world.

Continue Reading

Science

CERN’s LHCb Detects First CP Violation in Baryons, Shedding Light on Matter–Antimatter Puzzle

Published

11 hours ago

on

July 21, 2025

By

CERN’s LHCb Detects First CP Violation in Baryons, Shedding Light on Matter–Antimatter Puzzle

The researchers used the LHCb detector at the Large Hadron Collider in CERN for the first time, and found that charge parity (CP) violation in baryons, including particles like neutrons and protons that make up most of the universe’s visible matter. CP violation describes that nature treats antiparticles and particles slightly differently. This was seen in mesons only, the particles which are composed of a pair of quark-antiquark; further, it is important to explain that the universe is comprised of matter and not antimatter.

LHCb Detects 2.45% Asymmetry in Beauty–Lambda Baryon Decay

As per Live Science, this discovery is focused on the beauty-lambda baryon to a proton, two pions and a kaon. From 2009 to 2018, the data was analysed, which amounts to millions of decays and the counterparts of the antiparticle. However, they found a 2.45% asymmetry, which confirms the CP violation in baryons. The study was published in the journal Nature. This confirms the Standard Model prediction and leads to new physics.

CP violation was known in the 960s, first in kaons, then in the beauty mesons during 2001 and later in charm mesons during 2019. Baryons are made of three quarks, and remain enigmatic still. This CP violation directly tests the phenomenon’s universality with different types of particles and adds an important piece to the asymmetric antimatter mystery.

Breakthrough Offers New Clues to Matter–Antimatter Imbalance

However, the difference of 2.45% is not enough to determine the dominance of matter. We need to know the CP violation in baryons, which provides a promising and fresh direction in the search for physics. Scientists even found local asymmetry in decay channels specifically. This signals a rich substructure of deeper theory and exploration.

This research underscored CERN’s strength to probe basic symmetries at never-before-known precisions. Further, for 2030, the upgrades are scheduled, and there are large sets of data to be analysed with even more precise CP violation. This unlocks the new aspects of the universe and historical physics.

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.


New Climate Model Uncovers Detailed Regional Effects of Global Warming



Narivetta Now Streaming on SonyLIV: Everything You Need to Know

Continue Reading

Trending