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NASA

Ursa Major eyes ‘Iron Dome’ applications for its mid-size rocket engine

WASHINGTON — Rocket propulsion startup Ursa Major is accelerating development and testing of its Draper liquid rocket engine in collaboration with U.S. defense agencies and military contractors. The goal: to position the engine for potential use in next-generation missiles that would be part of the Trump administration’s Iron Dome missile-defense initiative.Ursa Major last year completed ground tests of the Draper engine, developed with U.S. Air Force funding. These hot-fire tests took place at the company’s facilities in Berthoud, Colorado. Now, the company is planning a flight-testing campaign to further mature the design and explore military applications as well as commercial uses in space tugs and in-space transportation. “We believe Draper fills a gap that the United Stat...

Why AI firms should follow the example of quantum computing research

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Science

Why AI firms should follow the example of quantum computing research

David Parker/Science Photo Library What is the difference between artificial intelligence and quantum computing? One is a sci-fi-sounding technology that has long promised to revolutionise our world, providing researchers can sort out a few technical wrinkles like the tendency to make errors. Actually, so is the other. And yet, while AI appears to have breathlessly and inescapably taken over, well, everything, the average person has had no experience with quantum computing. Does this matter? Practitioners in both fields are certainly guilty of hyping up their wares, but part of the problem for would-be quantum proponents is that the current generation of quantum computers is essentially useless. As we detail in our special report on the state of the industry (see “Quan...

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Astronomy

Does planetary evolution favor human-like life? Study ups odds we’re not alone

Humanity may not be extraordinary but rather the natural evolutionary outcome for our planet and likely others, according to a new model for how intelligent life developed on Earth. The model, which upends the decades-old "hard steps" theory that intelligent life was an incredibly improbable event, suggests that maybe it wasn't all that hard or improbable. A team of researchers at Penn State, who led the work, said the new interpretation of humanity's origin increases the probability of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. "This is a significant shift in how we think about the history of life," said Jennifer Macalady, professor of geosciences at Penn State and co-author on the paper, which published today (Feb. 14) in the journal Science Advances. "It suggests that the evolution of ...

Space Force leaders visit Japan to strengthen partnership > United States Space Force > Article Display

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Space Force

Space Force leaders visit Japan to strengthen partnership > United States Space Force > Article Display

TOKYO (AFNS) -- Senior leaders from U.S. Space Force’s Space Operations Command visited Japan Feb. 9-11, to engage with U.S. Space Force personnel and bolster an alliance with one of the U.S. Space Force’s closest allies, the Japanese Self-Defense Force.While in Japan, Lt. Gen. David N. Miller Jr., SpOC commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Caleb Lloyd, SpOC command senior enlisted leader, met with members of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force’s Space Operations Group, which was activated in 2022, at Fuchu Air Base. During this engagement, Miller spoke to the continuously growing strength of the partnership between the two organizations.“I believe what you see from the United States is a recognition that throughout our history, we don’t go it alone when d...

Record-breaking neutrino spotted tearing through the Mediterranean Sea

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Science

Record-breaking neutrino spotted tearing through the Mediterranean Sea

Part of the KM3NeT neutrino detector on the seafloorKM3NeT A shockingly powerful neutrino that ripped through a new particle detector in the Mediterranean Sea has taken physicists by surprise, and it could be a first tantalising glimpse into some of the universe’s most cataclysmic events, such as the merging of supermassive black holes. Neutrinos, sometimes referred to as “ghost particles”, barely interact with most matter because they are nearly massless and have no electric charge. This means that neutrino detectors typically incorporate vast amounts of dense substance, such as water or ice, in the hopes that a powerful neutrino might knock into an atom and produce a shower of particles that reveal tell-tale signs of its existence. Damien Dornic at the Centre fo...