Head of Russian space agency says work under way on modernised Angara rocket
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is working on a modernised Angara-A5M rocket capable of launching manned spacecraft, and plans to launch it in 2027, the head of its Roscosmos state space agency said on Wednesday. "Already now, by order of Roscosmos, a mo...
Apr 17, 2024
Astronomers detect Milky Way's second-largest known black hole
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Astronomers have discovered a black hole with a mass about 33 times greater than that of our sun, the biggest one known in the Milky Way aside from the supermassive black hole lurking at the center of our galax...
Apr 16, 2024
Genome study reveals prehistoric Ethiopian origins of coffee
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - You might call it a cup of Joe, java, mud, brew, mocha, or your morning jolt. Coffee undoubtedly is a big part of global culture, and the kind made from the Arabica bean is the most appreciated by coffee drinke...
Apr 16, 2024
Australia's Juukan Gorge yields up rare Tasmanian Devil tooth
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Archaeologists surveying the Juukan Gorge rock shelter in Western Australia that was destroyed by Rio Tinto in 2020 have unearthed major finds including the tooth of a Tasmanian Devil that has not been recorded on the mainland...
Apr 16, 2024
Dinosaurs displayed a fast growth rate from the very beginning
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One of the traits that helped make the dinosaurs such an evolutionary success story - thriving for 165 million years - was their fast growth rate, from massive meat-eaters like Tyrannosaurus to immense plant-ea...
Apr 15, 2024
China launch of relay satellite Queqiao-2 for lunar probe mission successful
BEIJING (Reuters) - China National Space Administration (CNSA) said on Friday its launch of a key signal relay satellite was a "complete success" and it would serve as the communication bridge for its future lunar probe missions for years to come, ...
Apr 12, 2024
Astronomers unravel the mystery of the 'Dragon's Egg' nebula
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two large stars residing inside a spectacular cloud of gas and dust nicknamed the "Dragon's Egg" nebula have presented a puzzle to astronomers. One of them has a magnetic field, as does our sun. Its companion d...
Apr 11, 2024
Space startups see funding surge as government spending remains high, report says
By Akash Sriram and Jaspreet Singh (Reuters) - Funding for space startups more than doubled in the first quarter as government spending remained robust setting the stage for the space economy to grow stronger, venture capital firm Space Capital sai...
Apr 11, 2024
Russia launches Angara-A5 space rocket from Vostochny
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia test launched its Angara-A5 rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome on Thursday after technical glitches prompted officials to abort missions at the very last minute for two days in a row. The launch of the Angara is intended...
Apr 11, 2024
Russia aborts Angara-A5 space rocket launch for second time
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia on Wednesday aborted the test launch of its Angara-A5 space rocket due to a malfunction of the engine launch control system, the second time in two days that the rocket's blast-off was cancelled at the very last minute. The lau...
Apr 10, 2024
US, Japan announce partnership to accelerate nuclear fusion
By Jarrett Renshaw and Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States and Japan on Wednesday announced a joint partnership to accelerate development and commercialization of nuclear fusion. The partnership was unveiled as Japanese Prime Minist...
Apr 10, 2024
US reconnaissance satellite launched in final flight of Delta rocket family
By Steve Gorman (Reuters) - The U.S. Space Force and a Boeing-Lockheed joint venture sent a secret reconnaissance payload to space on Tuesday atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket, the last flight of a workhorse launch brand dating back to the early 1960s. ...
Apr 10, 2024
Launch of Russia's Angara rocket set for Wednesday, Roscosmos says
(Reuters) - The launch of the Angara A5 space rocket from Russia's Vostochny Cosmodrome will take place on Wednesday, the state space agency Roscosmos said on the Telegram messaging app, after the original launch was aborted on Tuesday due to a tec...
Apr 10, 2024
UK Nobel Prize-winning physicist Peter Higgs dies aged 94
By Robert Evans LONDON (Reuters) - Physicist Peter Higgs, whose theory of an undetected particle in the universe changed science and was vindicated by a Nobel prize-winning discovery half a century later, has died aged 94, the University of Edinbur...
Apr 09, 2024
Russia aborts launch of Angara A5 space rocket from Vostochny cosmodrome
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia on Tuesday aborted the test launch of the Angara-A5 rocket from its Vostochny cosmodrome minutes before it was scheduled to lift off. According to an announcement made through loudspeakers at the launch pad, the launch - w...
Apr 09, 2024
Russia to launch Angara rocket for first time from Vostochny Cosmodrome
(Reuters) - The first launch of the Angara A5 space rocket from Russia's Vostochny Cosmodrome will take place on Tuesday, the state space agency Roscosmos said on Monday, in what could be a milestone for President Vladimir Putin's space ambitions. ...
Apr 09, 2024
Millions across North America await total solar eclipse
By Brad Brooks, Jonathan Allen and Steve Gorman (Reuters) - A total solar eclipse will have millions of people across a heavily populated swath of North America gazing toward the heavens on Monday as the moon completely blocks the sun for more than...
Apr 08, 2024
Russian descent vehicle lands in Kazakhstan with three astronauts
MOSCOW (Reuters) -A Russian descent vehicle landed safely in Kazakhstan on Saturday, returning from the International Space station with astronauts from Russia, Belarus and the United States, live footage broadcast by Russia's Roscosmos space agency sh...
Apr 06, 2024
India's space startup Agnikul delays maiden rocket launch again
(Reuters) - Indian aerospace startup Agnikul Cosmos postponed the maiden launch of its Agnibaan rocket again, people at the launch site said on Saturday, citing technical issues. The company postponed the liftoff while conducting pre-launch checks,...
Apr 06, 2024
Forecasts for cloudy skies cast shadow over North American solar eclipse
By Steve Gorman (Reuters) - Cloudy skies forecast for Monday could spell disappointment for many of the millions of North Americans hoping to glimpse the continent's first total solar eclipse since 2017, possibly turning this spellbinding celestial...
Apr 05, 2024
Texas woman who measures her life in eclipses about to see her 21st
By Evan Garcia FARMERS BRANCH, Texas (Reuters) - Leticia Ferrer is an "umbraphile" - literally, a shadow lover - but what it really means is that she is a chaser of eclipses. The 63-year-old Texas woman says she has traveled to all seven continents...
Apr 05, 2024
Explainer-How Monday's total solar eclipse affects U.S. grid operators
By Harshit Verma (Reuters) - Electric grids across the U.S. are anticipating a rapid decline in solar generation during Monday's total solar eclipse, which will span multiple states. NASA estimates the path of totality - when the sun is fully block...
Apr 05, 2024
Exclusive-Japan space startup Astroscale aims for June listing, sources say
By Sam Nussey and Miho Uranaka TOKYO (Reuters) - Space junk removal startup Astroscale is targeting a Tokyo listing as early as June, sources said, taking the high-profile venture public in a sector with out-of-this-world prospects and down-to-Eart...
Apr 05, 2024
Exclusive-White House directs NASA to create time standard for the moon
By Joey Roulette and Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Tuesday directed NASA to establish a unified standard of time for the moon and other celestial bodies, as the United States aims to set international norms in space amid a g...
Apr 02, 2024
Gene involved in cell shape offers clues on left-handedness
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - What do Lady Gaga, Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Paul McCartney and Justin Bieber have in common with Ronald Reagan, Jimi Hendrix, Judy Garland, Fidel Castro and David Bowie? They are all left-handed, a trait share...
Apr 02, 2024