October 13, 2024

When UAE Joined Artemis Accords That Will Bring the First Woman to the Moon (Source: Khaleej Times)
On October 13, 2020, the UAE Space Agency (UAESA) took a significant step by signing NASA’s Artemis Accords. This move aligned the UAE with seven other countries that were the original signatories, all committed to promoting safe and responsible international space cooperation. These accords are more than just a formal agreement; they also serve as the foundation of the Artemis program that will send the first woman and first person of colour to the surface of the Moon, “using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before.” (10/13)

Russia’s Illicit Starlink Terminals Help Power its Advance in Ukraine (Source: Washington Post)
Russian forces have become deadlier and more agile with the help of illicit Starlink terminals, allowing them to use satellite internet to enhance coordination during assaults, fly more drone sorties and batter Ukrainian troops with accurate artillery fire despite U.S. efforts to stop the flow of technology.

The terminals, which give commanders live battlefield views with drones and secure communication between soldiers, are subject to prohibitions that outlaw many U.S. electronics from reaching Moscow. Yet there is a burgeoning black market of Starlinks bringing the terminals to Russians on the front, and their proliferation has been an important factor in Russia’s recent gains during its offensive, Ukrainian soldiers said. (10/12)

Gravity Can Exist Without Mass and Dark Matter Could be Myth (Source: Interesting Engineering)
According to the theory of general relativity, a galaxy must have a certain amount of mass to be held together by gravity. However, scientists don’t see enough visible mass in many galaxies in the universe, yet gravity keeps such galaxies intact. How’s this even possible? This is where the concept of dark matter comes into play. Scientists believe that galaxies have invisible mass in the form of matter that doesn’t interact with light. The gravity holding these galaxies exists because of this invisible mass.

For decades, this explanation has supported the existence of the hypothetical dark matter. However, a new study claims that gravity can exist even without mass, potentially eliminating the need for dark matter altogether. This unique theory “is in turn driven by my frustration with the status quo, namely the notion of dark matter’s existence despite the lack of any direct evidence for a whole century,” said Richard Lieu. According to Lieu, the gravity needed to hold some galaxies or clusters together might come from “shell-like topological defects.” Topological defects are unique compact structures in space that have a high density of matter. (10/12)

SpaceX Nails Chopstick Booster Catch in Latest Super-Heavy Test (Source: Florida Today)
Sunday morning, a scene that could easily have been mistaken for a science fiction movie played out in Boca Chica, Texas. And it's a scene that could be seen at Cape Canaveral in the coming years. The fully stacked, SpaceX Starship Super Heavy rocket — towering492-feet-tall — fired its 33 first stage engines before appearing to slowly rise off its Texas launch pad as it has successfully done four times before. But something else was coming.

As the first and second stages separated, SpaceX engineers worked quickly to assess if the first stage, the Super Heavy booster, had the all-clear to make a return back to the launch pad. Being able to recapture the booster is essential for the rocket to be reusable. The team decided to go for it.

Just over seven minutes into the flight, the first stage came back into view. It hovered over the launch pad in Boca Chica − as its controlled burns brought it slowly into the cradle of the launch tower's Mechazilla arms (referred to as "chopsticks"). Just over an hour later, the Starship spacecraft also returned, making a splashdown in the Indian Ocean. While it came down apparently in tact, it burst into flames upon landing. (10/13)

SpaceX's Crew-8 Astronauts to Depart ISS for Trip Home Soon Amid Weather Delays (Source: Space.com)
SpaceX's Crew-8 astronauts will have to wait a bit longer to begin their trip home to Earth after plans to depart the ISS Sunday morning were postponed by bad weather at their splashdown site. Crew-8's Dragon capsule, named Endeavour, was scheduled to undock from the ISS at 7:05 a.m. EDT on Sunday and splash down off the coast of Florida no earlier than 3:38 p.m. EDT on Monday (Oct. 14). That plan was thwarted by poor weather conditions at their splashdown zone. (10/13)

Alien Worlds Might Not Have a Night and Day. How Would That Change Evolution? (Source: BBC)
Do aliens sleep? You may take sleep for granted, but research suggests many planets that could evolve life don't have a day-night cycle. It's hard to imagine, but there are organisms living in Earth's lightless habitats, deep underground or at the bottom of the sea, that give us an idea what alien life without a circadian rhythm may be like. Click here. (10/13)

Starship Readies for Chopsticks Landing Attempt at Texas Launch Pad. Implications for Florida? (Source: Florida Today)
As early as Sunday, October13, the huge rocket could lift off on another orbital test flight, this time with plans to return the first stage, the Super Heavy booster, to the launch pad — being caught by arms referred to as "chopsticks." Should the landing not go correctly, SpaceX claims that the Super Heavy booster will automatically switch to a trajectory that will take it out to the Gulf of Mexico for a splashdown in the water. It may still sound like science fiction, but SpaceX is taking the chance. If this is successful, it raises the question of just when Starship will launch from Cape Canaveral.

Currently, there is no update on the FAA and Space Force environment impact surveys, which were conducted earlier this year, and are necessary before SpaceX can attempt a launch from Kennedy Space Center's Pad 39A. Open to the Brevard Country public, these environmental impact surveys looked closely at any potential environmental impacts to the Space Coast. Concerns ranged from the vibrations of the rocket on surrounding area structures to impacts to wildlife.

While there isn't an official timeline for Starship to launch from Kennedy Space Center, it is noteworthy that SpaceX has had a Starship launch tower standing at Pad 39A − where it will launch − for quite some time. There is currently no update on the progress. (10/12)

The Giant Sphere that China Hopes Will Track Elusive Neutrinos (Source: South China Morning Post)
China is a step closer in its quest to measure elusive particles called neutrinos with the installation of a massive subterranean sphere detector in the country’s south. The sphere is about 35 meters in diameter and is a central element of the $376 million Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory, or JUNO, project in Jiangmen, Guangdong province. It will be filled with 20,000 tonnes of a “liquid scintillator” and suspended in 35,000 tonnes of pure water 700 meters below ground to try to measure the mass of different types of neutrinos produced by two nearby nuclear power plants. (10/12)

Boeing Plans More Commercial Crew Charges (Source: Space News)
Boeing expects to take up to several hundred million dollars in additional charges against earnings for its CST-100 Starliner commercial crew program in the third quarter. Boeing said it expects to report pre-tax earnings charges of $2 billion on four programs, including Starliner, in its Defense, Space & Security (BDS) business when it reports its third quarter financial results Oct. 23. Of that $2 billion, $1.6 billion will be charged against two military aircraft programs, the T-7A and KC-46A. That leaves $400 million for Starliner and the MQ-25 drone, but the statement did not mention the charges for each of those programs. (10/12)