Live coverage: SpaceX to launch unspecified satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral

File: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now SpaceX is preparing to launch a Falcon 9 rocket with a mysterious payload for a customer avoiding pre-launch publicity. The mission, referred to by SpaceX as ‘Commercial GTO-1,’ is scheduled to launch at the beginning of a 3.5-hour-long window at 1:04 a.m. EDT (0504 UTC) on Sunday, July 13. Spaceflight Now will Continue ReadingLive coverage: SpaceX to launch unspecified satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral

Magnets Could Become the Next Generation of Gravitational Wave Detectors

When Einstein’s predicted ripples in spacetime pass through magnetic fields, they cause the current carrying wires to dance at the gravitational wave frequency, creating potentially detectable electrical signals. Researchers have discovered that the same powerful magnets used to hunt for dark matter could double as gravitational wave detectors. This means experiments already searching for the universe’s most elusive particles could simultaneously capture collisions between black holes and neutron stars, getting two of physics’ most ambitious experiments for the price of one, while potentially opening entirely new windows into the universe’s most violent events.

These are the Most Concerning Pieces of Space Debris

There are tens of thousands of pieces of space debris hurling around the Earth right now. Since it can cost tens of millions of dollars to remove just a single piece of space debris, which are the ones that we should be most concerned with? A few years ago, 11 teams of experts came together to rank the 50 most concerning pieces of debris, the ones that they think would be the highest priority. Although they used different approaches, 20-40% of the objects ended up on several experts’ lists.

We’ve tested loads of space tech and these are the best Amazon Prime Day deals still available — star projectors, model rockets, drones and more

Amazon Prime Day 2025 is now over, but there are still plenty of space tech deals still available with discounts on model rockets, star projectors and drones. Continue ReadingWe’ve tested loads of space tech and these are the best Amazon Prime Day deals still available — star projectors, model rockets, drones and more

Saturday Citations: Disproving string theory; interstellar comet arrives; lemurs age gracefully

Well, it’s July 12, which means (a) the Steam Summer Sale is over and (b) it’s really hot outside in the northeastern U.S. This week, researchers discovered a cool new fish and named it after Darth Vader. An analysis of the DART mission suggests that while it proved that an impactor could alter the trajectory of an asteroid, it ejected boulders in unpredictable directions that could complicate other impactor missions. And archaeologists uncovered a rock art panel that could depict an elite individual from the First Dynasty.

California Desert Dunes Hold Keys to Understanding Mars’ Shifting Sands

Armed with a drone and a device which is a cross between a scoop and a spatula, a graduate student is cracking the code of Mars by studying California’s desert dunes. By comparing wind carved patterns in the Algodones Desert with satellite images of the Red Planet, researchers are creating humanity’s first comprehensive database of Martian sand formations, work that could determine where future astronauts can safely establish bases without getting buried alive. Her pioneering research proves that sometimes the keys to exploring alien worlds aren’t found in billion dollar space missions, but in the shifting sands right here on Earth.

Axiom Space, Oakley partner on spacesuit visor for Artemis missions

Axiom Space’s Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit features a visor system provided through a partnership with Oakley. Image: Axiom Space The next humans to walk on the South Pole of the Moon will sport a truly unique visor, courtesy of Oakley. The high-end sunglasses designer is the newest announced partner to join Axiom Space in its development of its Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit designed for lunar exploration. Oakley’s foray into space coincides Continue ReadingAxiom Space, Oakley partner on spacesuit visor for Artemis missions

Scientists Discover Uranus Has a Dancing Partner

Hidden in the darkness between Uranus and Neptune, a team of astronomers have discovered a small world locked in a million year gravitational waltz with Uranus. The asteroid enjoying this celestial dance with Uranus completes exactly three orbits for every four of the ice giant, representing the first known stable partnership of its kind in this remote region of the Solar System. The discovery proves that even in the apparent chaos of space, there are elegant mathematical relationships that have persisted, revealing new secrets about how gravitational forces sculpt the architecture of our planetary system.