12th June 2019

'Superflare' may threaten Earth in the next 100 years

A new study finds that stars like our own Sun can experience giant eruptions on timescales that are relatively frequent in astronomical terms.

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26th May 2019

First nanosat to rendezvous with an asteroid

The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a contract with GomSpace to design the first ever nanosatellite to rendezvous with an asteroid, planned for launch in 2023.

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24th May 2019

SpaceX launches first 60 Starlink Internet satellites

Elon Musk's space company, SpaceX, has deployed the first 60 satellites in what will eventually become a vast network providing high-speed broadband services around the globe.

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7th May 2019

Rare chemical element could power spacecraft for up to 400 years

UK scientists have reported the first generation of usable electricity from americium, which could lead to the development of "space batteries" that power missions for up to 400 years.

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26th April 2019

Dark matter project observes "rarest event ever recorded"

The XENON project has observed the radioactive decay of xenon-124, which has a half-life of 1.8 sextillion years.

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17th April 2019

NASA reveals future technology concepts

NASA has announced funding for 18 studies to determine the feasibility of early-stage technologies that could one day change what's possible in space.

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11th April 2019

Public invited to help name largest unnamed world in our Solar System

More than 10 years since its discovery, 2007 OR10 is the largest minor planet in our solar system without a name, and the three astronomers who discovered it want the public's help to change that.

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10th April 2019

First ever image of a black hole

Scientists have today announced the first ever image of a black hole, located 54 million light years away in the centre of the M87 galaxy.

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7th April 2019

Mars rover captures two solar eclipses

NASA has released animated images of solar eclipses by the two moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, as viewed by the Curiosity rover.

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1st April 2019

First direct detection of exoplanet using optical interferometry

ESO astronomers, employing the GRAVITY instrument on their Very Large Telescope, have announced the first direct detection of an exoplanet, HR 8799 e, using optical interferometry.

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27th March 2019

NASA ordered to return astronauts to the Moon by 2024

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has ordered NASA to fly Americans to the Moon within five years, using government or private carriers.

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6th March 2019

Asteroids may be harder to destroy than previously thought

Incoming asteroids may be harder to break apart than scientists previously thought, based on a study that revises our understanding of rock fracture and a new computer model to simulate asteroid collisions.

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25th February 2019

Synthetic DNA expands genetic alphabet from four to eight

Scientists have announced a new form of DNA composed of four natural and four unnatural nucleobases. The benefits of such an eight-base DNA system may include an enhanced ability to store digital data, as well as insights into what may be possible in the search for extraterrestrial life.

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23rd February 2019

Privately funded Moon mission blasts off

SpaceIL has launched its Beresheet probe, the world's first privately financed mission to the Moon.

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19th February 2019

Massive collision in the planetary system Kepler-107

Two extrasolar planets orbiting the star Kepler-107 are likely the result of an impact similar to that which made the Earth produce our Moon.

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