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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
February 5, 2025
Comet G3 ATLAS Setting over a Chilean Hill
Where is Comet ATLAS going? In the featured time-lapse video, the comet is not itself moving very much, but the Earth's rotation makes it appear to be setting over a hill. The Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) sequence was captured with an ordinary camera on January 22 from the Araucanía Region in central Chile. Comet ATLAS has been an impressive site in the evening skies of Earth's Southern Hemisphere over the past few weeks, so bright and awe-inspiring that it may eventually become known as the Great Comet of 2025. Unfortunately, Comet G3 ATLAS is not going anywhere anymore because its central nucleus broke up during its close pass to the Sun last month. Some of the comet's scattered remains of rocks and ice will continue to orbit the Sun, some in nearly the same outward section of the orbit that the comet's nucleus would have taken.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
En Route to Jupiter, NASA’s Europa Clipper Captures Images of Stars
Feb 04, 2025
The spacecraft’s star trackers help engineers orient the orbiter throughout its long journey to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa.
Three months after its launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agency’s Europa Clipper has another 1.6 billion miles (2.6 billion kilometers) to go before it reaches Jupiter’s orbit in 2030 to take close-up images of the icy moon Europa with science cameras.
Meanwhile, a set of cameras serving a different purpose is snapping photos in the space between Earth and Jupiter.
Called star trackers, the two imagers look for stars and use them like a compass to help mission controllers know the exact orientation of the spacecraft — information critical for pointing telecommunications antennas toward Earth and sending data back and forth smoothly.
In early December, the pair of star trackers (formally known as the stellar reference units) captured and transmitted Europa Clipper’s first imagery of space.
The picture, composed of three shots, shows tiny pinpricks of light from stars 150 to 300 light-years away.
The starfield represents only about 0.1% of the full sky around the spacecraft, but by mapping the stars in just that small slice of sky, the orbiter is able to determine where it is pointed and orient itself correctly.
The starfield includes the four brightest stars — Gienah, Algorab, Kraz, and Alchiba — of the constellation Corvus, which is Latin for “crow,” a bird in Greek mythology that was associated with Apollo.
Hardware Checkout
Besides being interesting to stargazers, the photos signal the successful checkout of the star trackers. The spacecraft checkout phase has been going on since Europa Clipper launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on Oct. 14, 2024.
“The star trackers are engineering hardware and are always taking images, which are processed on board,” said Joanie Noonan of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, who leads the mission’s guidance, navigation and control operations.
“We usually don’t downlink photos from the trackers, but we did in this case because it’s a really good way to make sure the hardware — including the cameras and their lenses — made it safely through launch.”
Pointing the spacecraft correctly is not about navigation, which is a separate operation. But orientation using the star trackers is critical for telecommunications as well as for the science operations of the mission. Engineers need to know where the science instruments are pointed.
That includes the sophisticated Europa Imaging System (EIS), which will collect images that will help scientists map and examine the moon’s mysterious fractures, ridges, and valleys. For at least the next three years, EIS has its protective covers closed.
Europa Clipper carries nine science instruments, plus the telecommunications equipment that will be used for a gravity science investigation.
During the mission’s 49 flybys of Europa, the suite will gather data that will tell scientists if the icy moon and its internal ocean have the conditions to harbor life.
The spacecraft already is 53 million miles (85 million kilometers) from Earth, zipping along at 17 miles per second (27 kilometers per second) relative to the Sun, and soon will fly by Mars.
On March 1, engineers will steer the craft in a loop around the Red Planet, using its gravity to gain speed.
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/europa-clipper/en-route-to-jupiter-nasas-europa-clipper-captures-images-of-stars/
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/pia26562-star-trackers-for-europa-clipper/
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/pia26561-first-images-from-nasas-europa-clipper/
Straight Shot: Hubble Investigates Galaxy with Nine Rings
Feb 04, 2025
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured a cosmic bullseye! The gargantuan galaxy LEDA 1313424 is rippling with nine star-filled rings after an “arrow” — a far smaller blue dwarf galaxy — shot through its heart.
Astronomers using Hubble identified eight visible rings, more than previously detected by any telescope in any galaxy, and confirmed a ninth using data from the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. Previous observations of other galaxies show a maximum of two or three rings.
“This was a serendipitous discovery,” said Imad Pasha, the lead researcher and a doctoral student at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
“I was looking at a ground-based imaging survey and when I saw a galaxy with several clear rings, I was immediately drawn to it. I had to stop to investigate it.” The team later nicknamed the galaxy the “Bullseye.”
Hubble and Keck’s follow-up observations also helped the researchers prove which galaxy plunged through the center of the Bullseye — a blue dwarf galaxy to its center-left.
This relatively tiny interloper traveled like a dart through the core of the Bullseye about 50 million years ago, leaving rings in its wake like ripples in a pond. A thin trail of gas now links the pair, though they are currently separated by 130,000 light-years.
“We’re catching the Bullseye at a very special moment in time,” said Pieter G. van Dokkum, a co-author of the new study and a professor at Yale.
“There’s a very narrow window after the impact when a galaxy like this would have so many rings.”
Galaxies collide or barely miss one another quite frequently on cosmic timescales, but it is extremely rare for one galaxy to dive through the center of another.
The blue dwarf galaxy’s straight trajectory through the Bullseye later caused material to move both inward and outward in waves, setting off new regions of star formation.
How big is the Bullseye? Our Milky Way galaxy is about 100,000 light-years in diameter, and the Bullseye is almost two-and-a-half times larger, at 250,000 light-years across.
The researchers used Hubble’s crisp vision to carefully to pinpoint the location of most of its rings, since many are piled up at the center. “This would have been impossible without Hubble,” Pasha said.
They used Keck to confirm one more ring. The team suspects a 10th ring also existed, but has faded and is no longer detectable. They estimate it might lie three times farther out than the widest ring in Hubble’s image.
A One-to-One Match with Predictions
Pasha also found a stunning connection between the Bullseye and a long-established theory: The galaxy’s rings appear to have moved outward almost exactly as predicted by models.
“That theory was developed for the day that someone saw so many rings,” van Dokkum said. “It is immensely gratifying to confirm this long-standing prediction with the Bullseye galaxy.”
If viewed from above, it would be more obvious that the galaxy’s rings aren’t evenly spaced like those on a dart board. Hubble’s image shows the galaxy from a slight angle.
“If we were to look down at the galaxy directly, the rings would look circular, with rings bunched up at the center and gradually becoming more spaced out the farther out they are,” Pasha explained.
To visualize how these rings may have formed, think about dropping a pebble into a pond. The first ring ripples out, becoming the widest over time, while others continue to form after it.
The researchers suspect that the first two rings in the Bullseye formed quickly and spread out in wider circles.
The formation of additional rings may have been slightly staggered, since the blue dwarf galaxy’s flythrough affected the first rings more significantly.
Individual stars’ orbits were largely undisturbed, though groups of stars did “pile up” to form distinguishable rings over millions of years.
The gas, however, was carried outward, and mixed with dust to form new stars, further brightening the Bullseye’s rings.
There’s a lot more research to be done to figure out which stars existed before and after the blue dwarf’s “fly through.”
Astronomers will now also be able to improve models showing how the galaxy may continue to evolve over billions of years, including the disappearance of additional rings.
Although this discovery was a chance finding, astronomers can look forward to finding more galaxies like this one soon.
“Once NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope begins science operations, interesting objects will pop out much more easily,” van Dokkum explained. “We will learn how rare these spectacular events really are.”
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-investigates-galaxy-with-nine-rings/
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/bullseye/
https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/2041-8205
NASA’s Cloud-based Confluence Software Helps Hydrologists Study Rivers on a Global Scale
Feb 04, 2025
Rivers and streams wrap around Earth in complex networks millions of miles long, driving trade, nurturing ecosystems, and stocking critical reserves of freshwater.
But the hydrologists who dedicate their professional lives to studying this immense web of waterways do so with a relatively limited set of tools.
Around the world, a patchwork of just 3,000 or so river gauge stations supply regular, reliable data, making it difficult for hydrologists to detect global trends.
“The best way to study a river,” said Colin Gleason, Armstrong Professional Development Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, “is to get your feet wet and visit it yourself.
The second best way to study a river is to use a river gauge.”
Now, thanks to Gleason and a team of more than 30 researchers, there’s another option: ‘Confluence,’ an analytic collaborative framework that leverages data from NASA’s Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission and the Harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 archive (HLS) to estimate river discharge and suspended sediment levels in every river on Earth wider than 50 meters.
NASA’s Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC) hosts the software, making it open-source and free for users around the world.
By incorporating both altimetry data from SWOT which informs discharge estimates, and optical data from HLS, which informs estimates of suspended sediment data, Confluence marks the first time hydrologists can create timely models of river size and water quality at a global scale.
Compared to existing workflows for estimating suspended sediment using HLS data, Confluence is faster by a factor of 30.
Nikki Tebaldi, a Cloud Adoption Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Co-Investigator for Confluence, was the lead developer on this project.
She said that while the individual components of Confluence have been around for decades, bringing them together within a single, cloud-based processing pipeline was a significant challenge.
“I’m really proud that we’ve pieced together all of these different algorithms, got them into the cloud, and we have them all executing commands and working,” said Tebaldi.
Suresh Vannan, former manager of PO.DAAC and a Co-Investigator for Confluence, said this new ability to produce timely, global estimates of river discharge and quality will have a huge impact on hydrological models assessing everything from the health of river ecosystems to snowmelt.
“There are a bunch of science applications that river discharge can be used for, because it’s pretty much taking a snapshot of what the river looks like, how it behaves.
Producing that snapshot on a global scale is a game changer,” said Vannan.
While the Confluence team is still working with PO.DAAC to complete their software package, users can currently access the Confluence source code here.
https://github.com/swoT-Confluence/
For tutorials, manuals, and other user guides, visit the PO.DAAC webpage here.
https://podaac.github.io/tutorials/notebooks/datasets/SWOT_L4_DAWG_SOS_DISCHARGE.html
https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/science-enabling-technology/nasas-cloud-based-confluence-software-helps-hydrologists-study-rivers-on-a-global-scale/
NASA probe snaps spectacular images of the moon's Grand Canyon
February 4, 2025
A visit to the Grand Canyon is a true bucket list item for anyone on a US road trip. But Arizona isn't the only place where an ambitious explorer can find a Grand Canyon.
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has snapped pictures of two gigantic basins on the lunar surface.
Named Vallis Schrödinger and Vallis Planck, these measure 168 miles (270 km) long and 1.7 miles (2.7 km) deep, and 174 miles (280 km) long and 2.2 miles (3.5 km) deep, respectively.
That makes them just as long as the Grand Canyon and more than three times as deep at their lowest points.
While Earth's canyon was formed by the Colorado River over six to seven million years, the researchers say these were carved out in just 10 minutes.
The moon's canyons stretch out from the Schrödinger impact basin, a 200-mile-wide (320 km) crater located near the moon's south pole, which was formed when a meteor slammed into the lunar surface.
The researchers think that these lunar valleys were cut into the rock by a stream of rocks thrown out from that violent impact 3.81 billion years ago.
The Schrödinger impact basin is located on the outer margins of the moon's 1,500-mile-wide (2,400 km) South Pole–Aitken basin.
Scientists believe it was formed when a large meteor tore into the lunar surface, creating an extremely violent explosion and tossing debris up to 310 miles (500km) from the crater rim.
Lead author Dr David Kring, a space geologist from the Lunar and Planetary Institute, told MailOnline: 'Variations in the crust of the Moon may have generated concentrated streams of rock within the curtain of debris that was ejected to form the crater.'
This led to debris falling in long, straight lines called ejecta rays which created deep channels of overlapping craters like Vallis Schrödinger and Vallis Planck.
'Such rays are commonly observed on the Moon. For example, backyard astronomy enthusiasts will be familiar with the rays around Tycho and Copernicus craters on the near side of the Moon,' says Dr Kring.
Now, using photographs from NASA's probe, researchers have created a three-dimensional map of these valleys to model the direction and speed of the debris flow.
In their paper, published in Nature Communications, the researchers calculate that the debris must have been travelling at speeds between 2,125 and 2,863 miles per hour (3,420-4,608 kmph).
In turn, this velocity suggests that the fragments which formed the canyon would be between two and five per cent the size of the original meteor.
That means each fragment could have been up to 1,250 metres wide - more than 60 times larger than the Chelyabinsk meteor which exploded over Russia in 2013.
Dr Kring says: 'The energy to produce the two grand canyons of the moon was equal to 130 times the energy of the world’s total inventory of nuclear weapons.
'The research shows that lunar canyons the size of Earth’s Grand Canyon can form in minutes rather than millions of years. Impact-generated streams of rock on the Moon are far more capable of carving canyons than is water on Earth.'
By tracing the ejecta rays back to the point where they meet, the researchers have also been able to identify the meteor's probable impact location.
Interestingly, this point is not at the centre of the Schrödinger crater as you might expect, but rather further to the South at 78.2° South and 143.7° East.
This detail implies that the meteor probably hit the lunar surface at a fairly low angle, spraying debris away from the moon's South Pole.
Beyond being an interesting geological detail, this is extremely good news for NASA's upcoming Artemis moon landing mission currently scheduled for 2026.
The intended Artemis landing site is just 77 miles (125 km) from the rim of the Schrödinger basin.
If the meteor impact had sprayed debris evenly over the surrounding area, it would have made landing a spacecraft more difficult and made it harder for explorers to get samples from the original lunar surface below.
However, this study suggests that this isn't likely to be too much of a problem.
Dr Kring says: 'The research suggests most of the debris ejected from the Schrödinger basin landed outside the Artemis exploration zone.
'Artemis astronauts will find it easier to collect rocks older than the Schrödinger impact. 'The Schrödinger impact formed near the end of a period of early Solar System bombardment.
Geologic samples collected by missions to the lunar south polar region should help decipher the magnitude and duration of that bombardment of asteroids and comets.'
https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/nasa-probe-snaps-spectacular-images-of-the-moon-s-grand-canyon/ar-AA1yoSfK
UND Aerospace, Grand Sky partner on NASA weather project
February 4, 2025
A group of UND Atmospheric Science researchers has entered a NASA-funded research partnership with Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) business park Grand Sky, to enhance weather forecasting for drone flights and missions.
The team, led by Mounir Chrit, research atmospheric sciences professor, will receive UAS-collected data from Grand Sky using the “Meteodrone,” a small data collection aerial platform, which they will use to build an advanced, high-fidelity forecasting system to support decision making for UAS flights and missions.
This collaboration is part of a larger NASA-funded project aimed at advancing the capabilities of UAS in intense, complex and uncertain environments.
“North Dakota is all about UAS,” Chrit said. “What we are building at UND is not just about flying drones, it’s about providing well-calibrated systems that support decision making under uncertainty.
Our work will enhance the safety, efficiency, and reliability of UAS missions, creating a model for the future of aviation.”
The partnership focuses on utilizing UAS data to enhance forecasting systems that will enable more precise decision making in various mission-critical applications, including weather related challenges and airspace management.
By leveraging North Dakota’s robust UAS ecosystem, this project will provide crucial insights into managing UAS operations in unpredictable conditions.
The integration of real-time UAS data into forecasting systems is expected to pave the way for more accurate flight planning, especially in challenging weather conditions.
This innovative approach aligns with NASA’s goal to improve UAS capabilities and ensure safer, more efficient integration into the national airspace system.
Marwa Majdi, research assistant professor of Atmospheric Sciences and co-principal investigator of the NASA project, said using the Meteodrone is the perfect way to capture data from where most UAS fly.
“UAS-collected data is important to fill data gaps in the low-altitude atmosphere where most UAS flights take place,” she said.
Grand Sky, known for its cutting-edge infrastructure and proximity to Grand Forks Air Force Base, is the ideal environment for this type of pioneering work.
As a hub for UAS technology, Grand Sky continues to attract industry leaders and provide a collaborative space for the development of next-generation uncrewed systems.
Tom Swoyer, president of Grand Sky, said enhanced weather forecasting system is crucial to the future of UAs development.
“As the first large-scale commercial UAS test park in the nation, providing aircrews with the most accurate weather information possible is of paramount importance to various UAS industry stakeholders,” Swoyer said.
Chrit said the collaboration with Grand Sky highlights North Dakota’s position at the forefront of UAS development in the world.
“Along with recent initiatives and advancements, we are strengthening our state’s claim as the most drone-friendly place in the country,” he said.
“The future of UAS technology is being built here, and it’s exciting to lead this important part of it.”
This partnership is a key part of ongoing efforts to drive innovation in UAS technologies and enhance the state’s leadership in the growing drone industry.
https://blogs.und.edu/und-today/2025/02/und-aerospace-grand-sky-partner-on-nasa-weather-project/
At NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Embry‑Riddle Students Defend Space Systems From Cyberthreats
Feb 05, 2025, 9:03 AM
Two Embry‑Riddle students have collaborated with NASA investigators on efforts to protect space operations — the next frontier in aerospace cybersecurity.
Michael Boehm and Justin La Zare, who are both National Science Foundation (NSF) CyberCorp Scholarship for Service recipients, worked on projects at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.
Boehm explored satellite cybersecurity vulnerabilities, while La Zare focused on risks posed by artificial intelligence tools.
Dr. Krishna Sampigethaya, chair of the Cyber Intelligence and Security Department and principal investigator for the CyberCorp Scholarship for Service program at the Prescott Campus, praised Boehm and La Zare’s efforts.
“Michael and Justin’s collaborations with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory exemplify the high-quality research and leadership our students, department and Scholarship for Service program demonstrate,” he said.
Securing Satellites
Boehm, who is earning a bachelor’s degree in Cyber Intelligence and Security and will graduate in 2026, analyzed the F Prime flight software framework used in spacecraft operations, identifying potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Such vulnerabilities could allow attackers to cause satellite software to crash and seize control of satellites, he said.
“If you can communicate with a device, so can an attacker,” said Boehm, who presented his research at the Small Satellite Conference in Logan, Utah, in 2024.
Boehm collaborated with NASA scientists to address these risks by developing security measures, such as command authentication and encrypted communication channels.
Boehm’s efforts also improved memory management within the system, and he optimized testing procedures to identify and fix potential weak points.
“Michael demonstrated sophisticated technical understanding and exceptional hands-on problem-solving capabilities while addressing complex spacecraft security challenges,” said Dr. Arun Viswanathan, a senior cybersecurity researcher at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
“The caliber of research emerging from Dr. Sampigethaya’s lab underscores the readiness of his students to make significant contributions to aerospace security.”
Boehm, who described the collaboration with NASA as both “challenging and immensely rewarding, said that the project “provided a unique opportunity to apply cybersecurity skills to space missions.”
Making AI Safe for Space
La Zare, a graduate student in Cyber Intelligence and Security, worked with the team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to mitigate cybersecurity risks in AI-enhanced space systems
“Justin performed an impressive cybersecurity assessment with recommended improvements that determined the feasibility of autonomous operations of the Mars Helicopter,” said flight software engineer Steven Doran.
By developing a Large Language Model-based prototype, La Zare focused on protecting AI-driven tools from exposing mission details or generating misleading data to operators.
“The prototype I designed can be hosted internally, allowing for the use of sensitive mission documents,” La Zare said. “This system’s use of generative AI could potentially impact space operations.”
La Zare credited Embry‑Riddle for preparing him to address these challenges. He said faculty mentorship has been an invaluable key to his success.
“Professors with industry experience pushed me to excel and gave me confidence for my first space mission cybersecurity project,” he said.
Doran, of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said he looks “forward to future collaborations with Dr. Sampigethaya and the students at Embry‑Riddle in researching solutions for the many challenges in aerospace cybersecurity.”
https://news.erau.edu/headlines/at-nasas-jet-propulsion-laboratory-embry-riddle-students-defend-space-systems-from-cyberthreats
Raspberry Pi Pico Spacewar controller brings vintage space combat to the 21st century
February 5, 2025
If there's one thing that all Raspberry Pi are good for, it's emulating classic games but this project doesn't emulate the DEC PDP-1 minicomputer, instead it emulates the controllers.
Today we're delighted to share with you a cool Pico-powered controller system designed to control an emulator for the 1962 game Spacewar! developed for the PDP-1.
According to Tominator2000, this project was put together to share with others at a convention known as Chicago Gamespace.
If you haven't heard of Spacewar! before, we'll catch you up to speed. Released in 1962, this game simulates flying through space and blasting oncoming threats using torpedoes.
It was created for the DEC PDP-1 minicomputer that was initially developed in 1959 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The controls are operated entirely by just one Raspberry Pi Pico. In the demo video, we get a good look at the hardware setup which currently involves a breadboard, two analog controllers and a pushbutton.
Tominator 2000 goes on to explain that the system is programmed to be plug and play and is recognized by devices as a USB gamepad thanks to USB HID emulation.
The screen used for the emulator is round in appearance but is actually square with the edges wrapped in a bezel mimicking the PDP-1.
The display has a resolution of 1024 x 1024 which is way more than the original and plenty to replicate the graphics for this classic game.
The Spacewar! game is running on a Javascript-based emulator. The joysticks are driven using a library called PicoGamepad created by a Reddit user known as Jake_at_real_robots.
The left joystick is programmed to rotate your vessel while the right stick is responsible for adjusting the thrust. The button is dedicated to firing torpedoes at your opponent.
If you want to get a closer look at this Raspberry Pi project, you can check out the demo video shared in the original project thread shared to Reddit.
https://www.tomshardware.com/raspberry-pi/raspberry-pi-pico-spacewar-controller-brings-vintage-space-combat-to-the-21st-century
https://www.reddit.com/r/raspberry_pi/comments/1ignh68/when_the_past_and_the_present_collide_im_working/
Russia launches military satellites into space with an unknown mission
February 5, 2025 16:17
Russia launches a Soyuz-2.1v rocket with unknown satellites on board, claiming it was in the interests of the Ministry of Defence.
Here's What We Know
The launch took place from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region, which is under the control of the Russian Ministry of Defence. The aerospace forces of the aggressor country did not disclose details about the payload, limiting themselves to a general statement.
In short, this spaceport is used to launch satellites and conduct military tests.
In October 2024, strategic nuclear forces exercises took place there, with the launch of the Yars intercontinental ballistic missile.
Previously, the Sarmat missile was tested there, which ended in failure with an explosion and destruction of the launch pad in September 2024.
From this cosmodrome, Russia has also launched military satellites, including the Bars-M and Lotus-S1 radio reconnaissance systems, as well as Glonass navigation satellites.
https://gagadget.com/en/578642-russia-launches-military-satellites-into-space-with-an-unknown-mission/
Auxilium Biotechnologies Successfully Prints Medical Devices for the First Time on the International Space Station
February 05, 2025 08:00 AM
Auxilium Biotechnologies, a leader in regenerative medicine and bioprinting innovation, has successfully deployed its revolutionary 3D bioprinter aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
This cutting-edge platform is the first of its kind, making history by printing eight implantable medical devices simultaneously in just two hours.
By harnessing the unique properties of microgravity, the Auxilium Microfabrication Platform (AMP-1) can create medical devices with unmatched precision and efficiency.
Microgravity provides advantages for bioprinting, including uniform material distribution and the ability to create finer, more intricate structures that would collapse under Earth’s gravity.
These benefits are critical for implants that incorporate biological materials or therapeutic agents, delivering consistency and reliability that Earth-based manufacturing struggles to achieve.
The AMP-1 bioprinting system remains on the ISS, using lightweight cartridges preloaded with biological materials to print implants that are returned to Earth.
It requires less than a minute of astronaut time per print session, minimizing costly labor valued at up to $130,000 per hour. The system’s lightweight cartridges ensure cost-effective and sustainable transportation via commercial resupply missions.
“The deployment of our bioprinter on the ISS is a landmark achievement for space biomanufacturing and Auxilium,” said Jacob Koffler PhD MBA, CEO of Auxilium.
“AMP-1 is the most advanced 3D-printing platform ever sent to space, enabling us to develop regenerative medicine treatments that can transform patient care.
This facility not only demonstrates the feasibility of mass 3D-printing production in space but also highlights the economic potential of space-based manufacturing.
Bioprinting in microgravity will drive innovation benefiting life on Earth, aboard commercial space stations in Low Earth Orbit, and in future space exploration, including upcoming Moon missions.”
“This represents a leap in technological innovation,” said Isac Lazarovits, Auxilium’s Director of Engineering.
“The installation of the printer on the ISS required only two minutes of astronaut time before it was fully operational — an impressive milestone in itself.
For the first time, we have achieved a straightforward integration solution for a manufacturing facility in space.
With AMP-1 now operational, we are advancing our biomanufacturing research and the development of regenerative medical devices at an unprecedented pace. We extend our gratitude to our partners at Space Tango and Invetech, who have worked closely with us to make this project a reality.”
AMP-1's initial applications focus on producing implants for peripheral nerve repair, with future milestones including preclinical animal testing and commercialization.
In the near term, these implants will be used on Earth, while longer-term applications aim to support space exploration, including missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
The ability to bioprint implants in space could significantly improve medical care for the crew during long-duration missions.
Auxilium’s use of bioprinting in microgravity builds on NASA’s pioneering legacy in medical innovations, such as the LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device), enhanced digital imaging for MRIs and CT scans, and life-saving technologies like artificial heart defibrillators and insulin pumps.
The AMP-1 has the potential to revolutionize medicine on both Earth and in space, further advancing space-based manufacturing's role in transforming medical solutions.
These cutting-edge bioprinting capabilities represent the next generation of space-based manufacturing.
By leveraging funding from NASA’s InSpace Production Applications (InSpa) program, Auxilium has emerged as a leader in its category, commanding a strong market position and attracting investor interest.
Auxilium’s success underscores the critical role of small businesses in shaping the future of space exploration and commercialization.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250205806594/en/Auxilium-Biotechnologies-Successfully-Prints-Medical-Devices-for-the-First-Time-on-the-International-Space-Station
https://auxiliumbio.com/
Kayhan Space Debuts Unified Satcat Suite for Industry Wide Spaceflight Intelligence
Feb 05, 2025
Kayhan Space, a provider of modern spaceflight and safety solutions, has announced the official rollout of its expanded Satcat Product Suite.
This major enhancement of its space intelligence exchange platform merges the core capabilities of Satcat, a premier data hub, with Pathfinder, an advanced suite of spaceflight tools, into a single integrated offering.
It unifies the industry's most comprehensive real-time data for space situational awareness (SSA) with autonomous features and direct operator-to-operator coordination, all through one streamlined interface for improved orbital monitoring, collision avoidance, and mission support.
Thousands of satellites and millions of debris pieces currently traverse low Earth orbit (LEO), and tens of thousands of additional satellites are anticipated by 2030.
This influx intensifies orbital congestion and heightens collision risks across every mission phase, from launch through decommissioning.
In response, Satcat Product Suite offers a single environment where space operators can manage both SSA and space traffic coordination (STC).
It establishes a broad, publicly accessible repository of space object details to provide a clear picture of orbital traffic patterns and possible threats to operational fleets.
The platform further introduces an extensive business directory and operator-to-operator communication channels, encouraging transparency and instant collaboration.
Additionally, AI/ML-enhanced domain awareness, orbit determination, sophisticated conjunction assessment, and autonomous collision avoidance help expedite decisions on maneuvers and bolster orbital safety.
"Kayhan has been providing critical space traffic coordination and collision avoidance services to many satellite operators since 2020," said Siamak Hesar, CEO and Co-Founder of Kayhan Space.
"But as the congestion in the LEO environment has increased dramatically, we have started noticing critical shortcomings of siloed operational data sources required for making timely operational decisions.
This is why we built Satcat - the largest space object data aggregation and intelligence exchange platform.
By unifying Pathfinder's operational STC capabilities with Satcat's aggregated data architecture, we are delivering a truly comprehensive and all-in-one experience to satellite operators and space professionals that meet key U.S. and global best practices for space safety."
Satcat Product Suite sets a new standard for spaceflight management by combining advanced intelligence with the industry's first autonomous space traffic coordination system, boosting efficiency and collaboration throughout the sector.
AI-driven tools deliver real-time insight, predictive analytics, and cohesive coordination for operators everywhere.
https://www.spacewar.com/reports/Kayhan_Space_Debuts_Unified_Satcat_Suite_for_Industry_Wide_Spaceflight_Intelligence_999.html
https://kayhan.space/products/satcat
Kayhan Space Debuts Unified Satcat Suite for Industry Wide Spaceflight Intelligence
Feb 05, 2025
Kayhan Space, a provider of modern spaceflight and safety solutions, has announced the official rollout of its expanded Satcat Product Suite.
This major enhancement of its space intelligence exchange platform merges the core capabilities of Satcat, a premier data hub, with Pathfinder, an advanced suite of spaceflight tools, into a single integrated offering.
It unifies the industry's most comprehensive real-time data for space situational awareness (SSA) with autonomous features and direct operator-to-operator coordination, all through one streamlined interface for improved orbital monitoring, collision avoidance, and mission support.
Thousands of satellites and millions of debris pieces currently traverse low Earth orbit (LEO), and tens of thousands of additional satellites are anticipated by 2030.
This influx intensifies orbital congestion and heightens collision risks across every mission phase, from launch through decommissioning.
In response, Satcat Product Suite offers a single environment where space operators can manage both SSA and space traffic coordination (STC).
It establishes a broad, publicly accessible repository of space object details to provide a clear picture of orbital traffic patterns and possible threats to operational fleets.
The platform further introduces an extensive business directory and operator-to-operator communication channels, encouraging transparency and instant collaboration.
Additionally, AI/ML-enhanced domain awareness, orbit determination, sophisticated conjunction assessment, and autonomous collision avoidance help expedite decisions on maneuvers and bolster orbital safety.
"Kayhan has been providing critical space traffic coordination and collision avoidance services to many satellite operators since 2020," said Siamak Hesar, CEO and Co-Founder of Kayhan Space.
"But as the congestion in the LEO environment has increased dramatically, we have started noticing critical shortcomings of siloed operational data sources required for making timely operational decisions.
This is why we built Satcat - the largest space object data aggregation and intelligence exchange platform.
By unifying Pathfinder's operational STC capabilities with Satcat's aggregated data architecture, we are delivering a truly comprehensive and all-in-one experience to satellite operators and space professionals that meet key U.S. and global best practices for space safety."
Satcat Product Suite sets a new standard for spaceflight management by combining advanced intelligence with the industry's first autonomous space traffic coordination system, boosting efficiency and collaboration throughout the sector.
AI-driven tools deliver real-time insight, predictive analytics, and cohesive coordination for operators everywhere.
https://www.spacewar.com/reports/Kayhan_Space_Debuts_Unified_Satcat_Suite_for_Industry_Wide_Spaceflight_Intelligence_999.html
https://kayhan.space/products/satcat
Scientists spot tiny Sun jets driving fast and slow solar wind
05/02/2025
Back in 2023, we reported on Solar Orbiter’s discovery of tiny jets near the Sun’s south pole that could be powering the solar wind.
The team behind this research has now used even more data from the European Space Agency’s prolific solar mission to confirm that these jets exist all over dark patches in the Sun’s atmosphere, and that they really are a source of not only fast but also slow solar wind.
The newfound jets can be seen in this sped-up video as hair-like wisps that flash very briefly, for example within the circled regions of the Sun's surface. In reality they last around one minute and fling out charged particles at about 100 km/s.
The surprising result is published today in Astronomy & Astrophysics, highlighting how Solar Orbiter’s unique combination of instruments can unveil the mysteries of the star at the centre of our Solar System.
The solar wind is the never-ending rain of electrically charged particles given out by the Sun. It pervades the Solar System and its effects can be felt on Earth.
Yet despite decades of study, its origin remained poorly understood. Until now.
The solar wind comes in two main forms: fast and slow. We have known for decades that the fast solar wind comes from the direction of dark patches in the Sun’s atmosphere called coronal holes – regions where the Sun’s magnetic field does not turn back down into the Sun but rather stretches deep into the Solar System.
Charged particles can flow along these ‘open’ magnetic field lines, heading away from the Sun, and creating the solar wind.
But a big question remained: how do these particles get launched from the Sun in the first place?
Building upon their previous discovery, the research team (led by Lakshmi Pradeep Chitta at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Germany) used Solar Orbiter’s onboard ‘cameras’ to spot more tiny jets within coronal holes close to the Sun’s equator.
By combining these high-resolution images with direct measurements of solar wind particles and the Sun’s magnetic field around Solar Orbiter, the researchers could directly connect the solar wind measured at the spacecraft back to those exact same jets.
What’s more, the team was surprised to find not just fast solar wind coming from these jets, but also slow solar wind.
This is the first time that we can say for sure that at least some of the slow solar wind also comes from tiny jets in coronal holes – until now, the origin of the solar wind had been elusive.
The fact that the same underlying process drives both fast and slow solar wind comes as a surprise.
The discovery is only possible thanks to Solar Orbiter’s unique combination of advanced imaging systems, as well as its instruments that can directly detect particles and magnetic fields.
The measurements were taken when Solar Orbiter made close approaches to the Sun in October 2022 and April 2023.
These close approaches happen roughly twice a year; during the next ones, the researchers hope to collect more data to better understand how these tiny jets ‘launch’ the solar wind.
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2025/02/Scientists_spot_tiny_Sun_jets_driving_fast_and_slow_solar_wind
Atmospheric River Pummeling California Seen From Space
Feb 04, 2025 at 2:39 PM EST
Satellite imagery captured an atmospheric river pummeling Northern California and the Pacific Northwest on Sunday.
After a series of back-to-back "rivers in the sky" in December, California hasn't seen many, which typically plague the state during the winter months.
One such storm arrived in the Pacific Northwest over the weekend. The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Sacramento said its impact will continue to be felt over the next couple days, as residents in the stricken areas can expect heavy rain, snow and the threat of floods.
On Monday, the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) at Colorado State University shared Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite imagery from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The time-lapse views showed a "prolonged atmospheric river" that brought heavy rain and high-elevation snowfall to the northwestern U.S. over the weekend.
Atmospheric rivers are a "long, narrow region in the atmosphere—like rivers in the sky—that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics," according to the NOAA.
The storm arrived on Friday, saturating the northern half of California with heavy rain, as well as snow in higher elevations. Another atmospheric river is battering Northern California and expected to deliver challenges to the Golden State through this week.
Numerous weather alerts remain in place across California, Washington and Oregon. NWS meteorologist Sara Purdue told Newsweek that any of the weather alerts have the "potential to be dangerous."
On Tuesday, the alerts include a winter storm warning, winter weather advisory, flood warning and wind advisory, among others.
Two to 4 inches of rain are expected across Northern California, the NWS Sacramento office posted on X, as well as heavy snow in mountainous areas.
Some northern parts of the Golden State could get walloped by 2 feet of snow from this storm.
An NWS forecast issued on Tuesday: "A prolonged atmospheric river event will continue to bring moderate to heavy rain with a risk for flooding to northern and central California with heavy mountain snow in the Sierras, southern Cascades, and northern Rockies through Wednesday."
CIRA, in a post to X: "A prolonged atmospheric river event brings heavy precipitation to the northwestern portion of the US."
According to the NWS Climate Prediction Center, the entire Golden State is expected to experience near-normal precipitation for the next eight to 14 days, as below-normal temperatures are predicted for the same period.
https://www.newsweek.com/atmospheric-river-pummeling-california-seen-space-2026034
https://twitter.com/CIRA_CSU/status/1886486934991638913