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In the dim, red light of an alien sun, scientists have found the first evidence for water in the atmosphere of a rocky planet – offering a tantalizing new target in the search for life in the universe. The intriguing world, which goes by the impersonal designation K2-18b, lies 110 light-years away in the constellation

LONDON (Reuters) – Scientists for the first time have detected water in the atmosphere of an Earth-like planet orbiting a distant star, evidence that a key ingredient for life exists beyond our solar system, according to a study published on Wednesday. An artist’s impression released by NASA on September 11, 2019 shows the planet K2-18b,

A pre-dawn fire on Wednesday forced Japan’s space agency to cancel the launch of an unnamed rocket meant to deliver supplies to the International Space Station, the operator said. The fire broke out near the launch pad on southern Tanegashima island at around 03:05am (1805 GMT on Tuesday), as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) was preparing

NASA is developing a new technique to forecast malaria outbreaks in Myanmar from space, as the emergence of new drug-resistant strains in Southeast Asia threatens efforts to wipe out the deadly disease globally. The goal of worldwide malaria eradication within a generation, by 2050, is “bold but attainable”, a report released this week in The

FILE PHOTO: Student walk past a screen during a live streaming of Chandrayaan-2 landing at an educational institute in Mumbai, India, September 7, 2019. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo BENGALURU (Reuters) – India has located the spacecraft it was trying to land on the moon but has not been able to establish communication with it yet, the

Not losing hope, the Indian Space Research Organisation continued to make all-out efforts to establish link with Chandrayaan-2”s ”Vikram” lander, now lying on the lunar surface after a hard-landing. Vikram, with rover ”Pragyan” housed inside it, hit the lunar surface after communication with the ground-stations was lost during its final descent, just 2.1 km above

Jio Fiber was commercially launched this week, and it is certainly the highlight in terms of tech news of the past 7 days. Telco Reliance Jio detailed Jio Fiber plans subscribers can avail, and it also explained the process of migration of current preview subscribers. This week also saw the IFA 2019 trade show take

The Chandrayaan-2 mission will “absolutely have no impact” on the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) ambitious manned mission Gaganyaan, scheduled to be launched in 2022, according to an ISRO official. P G Diwakar, who was earlier scientific secretary at the space agency and is now the Director of Earth Observations Applications and Disaster Management Programme

BENGALURU (Reuters) – India lost contact with a spacecraft it was attempting to land on the moon on Saturday, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said, in a setback to the nation’s ambitious plans to become the first country to probe the unexplored lunar south pole. FILE PHOTO: Indian Space Research Organization

Chandrayaan-2, India’s historic Moon mission, will attempt in the early hours of Saturday to reach its desired conclusion: land on the lunar surface. It’s taken over six weeks to get there, thanks to the more fuel-efficient slingshot technique used by Chandrayaan-2, which meant it spent three weeks orbiting the Earth before launching itself towards the

A European space probe has performed an evasive manoeuvre to avoid a possible collision with another satellite after its operator, private firm SpaceX, failed to receive a warning message. Officials at the European Space Agency said Tuesday that engineers decided to move the Aeolus satellite into a higher orbit after being told last month by

The second de-orbiting manoeuvre of Chandrayaan -2 spacecraft was successfully carried out early Wednesday, the Indian Space Research Organisation said, inching towards achieving a historic soft-landing on the lunar surface. The nine-second de-orbiting or retro-orbiting manoeuvre was executed at 3:42am using the onboard propulsion system, the space agency said. “With this manoeuvre, the required orbit

Researchers from the US, Europe, and around the world are coming together to discuss a mission to deflect an asteroid in space and to prove the technique to be an effective method of defence against a looming asteroid collision. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and European Space Agency (ESA) asteroid researchers and spacecraft engineers,

India’s first moon lander Vikram successfully separated from its mother spacecraft Chandrayaan-2 on Monday at 1:15pm, said Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). According to ISRO, the Vikram Lander is currently located in an orbit of 119km x 127km. The Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter continues to orbit the Moon in its existing orbit. The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft comprises three

Russia on Thursday unveiled a new space suit for a future spaceship, but the design may have to be changed to continue a decades-old tradition: making a stop to pee on the way to the launch. The Sokol-M prototype suit was demonstrated at an airshow outside Moscow, as a future replacement for suits currently worn

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday said it has successfully performed the fourth lunar bound orbit manoeuvre for the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft, that is currently in the lunar orbit for its rendezvous with the Moon. All spacecraft parameters are normal, the Bengaluru headquartered space agency said after the manoeuvre on the spacecraft. “Fourth Lunar

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Artifacts including stone tools and animal bone fragments found in Idaho dating back about 16,600 years represent what may be the oldest evidence of humans in the Americas and offer insight into the routes people took as they spread into the New World. Excavation work by scientists at the Cooper’s Ferry archaeological

Scientists have picked up electrical activity in pea-sized, lab-grown brains for the first time, paving the way to model neurological conditions and answer fundamental questions on how our grey matter develops. It’s not clear whether the mini-brains are conscious — the team behind the breakthrough suspect they’re not but can’t say for sure — opening

LONDON (Reuters) – A large scientific study into the biological basis of sexual behavior has confirmed there is no single “gay gene” but that a complex mix of genetics and environment affects whether a person has same-sex sexual partners. FILE PHOTO: People dance during the Youth Pride event as part of World Pride and Stonewall

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – As Hurricane Dorian advances on a course likely to slam the Florida peninsula within days, U.S. space agencies and aerospace companies are sheltering millions of dollars in hardware and assets along the Space Coast. FILE PHOTO: A member of the Emergency Operations Committee (COE) monitors the trajectory of Storm Dorian in Santo

(Reuters) – An Iranian rocket exploded on its launch pad at Imam Khomeini Space Center in northern Iran before its scheduled launch on Thursday, an Iranian official said. A satellite image shows what U.S. officials say is the failed Iranian rocket launch at the Imam Khomeini Space Center in northern Iran August 29, 2019. Mandatory

Jack Ma believes artificial intelligence poses no threat to humanity, but Elon Musk called that “famous last words” as the billionaire tech tycoons faced off Thursday in an occasionally animated debate on futurism in Shanghai. The Chinese co-founder of Alibaba and the maverick industrialist behind Tesla and SpaceX frequently pulled pained expressions and raised eyebrows

(Reuters) – SpaceX test-launched an early prototype of the company’s Mars rocket on Tuesday, unnerving residents near the Texas site and clearing another key hurdle in billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s interplanetary ambitions. SpaceX’s Mars Starship prototype “Starhopper” hovers over its launchpad during a test flight in Boca Chica, Texas, U.S. August 27, 2019. REUTERS/Trevor Mahlmann

The telemetry, tracking and command network of the Indian space agency (ISTRAC) performed the third lunar-bound orbit manoeuvre for Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft, the agency said on Wednesday. “The next lunar-bound orbit manoeuvre is scheduled on August 30 between 6-7pm IST,” ISRO said, adding that spacecraft parameters are normal. “The manoeuvre was performed successfully today (Wednesday) beginning

(Reuters) – SpaceX test-launched an early prototype of the company’s Mars rocket on Tuesday, rattling the nerves of people living near the Texas site and clearing another key hurdle in billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s interplanetary ambitions. SpaceX’s Mars Starship prototype “Starhopper” hovers over its launchpad during a test flight in Boca Chica, Texas, U.S. August

In an apparent rebuttal to those questioning India’s space programme in the face of its battle against poverty, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K Sivan on Monday the country was doing well economically and its resources should be used for the benefit of common man. Today, opportunities are many and people are thinking that

A still image, taken from a video footage and released by Russian space agency Roscosmos, shows robot Skybot F-850, also known as FEDOR, inside the Russian Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft carried by Soyuz-2.1a booster after the launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan August 22, 2019. Russian space agency Roscosmos/Handout via REUTERS MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Russian

US space agency NASA is investigating what may be the first crime committed in outer space, The New York Times reported Saturday. Astronaut Anne McClain is accused of identity theft and improperly accessing her estranged wife’s private financial records while on a sixth-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the Times said. The astronaut’s

FILE PHOTO: A white rhino walks at the Nairobi National Park, near Nairobi, Kenya, December 3, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo NAIROBI (Reuters) – Seven eggs from the world’s last two remaining northern white rhinos have been successfully fertilized artificially, reviving hopes of saving the endangered animals, scientists said on Monday. The world’s last male northern

Chandrayaan-2 has captured the first image of the Moon, two days after entering the lunar orbit. The picture was taken by Vikram, the spacecraft’s lander and shows the Mare Orientale basin and Apollo craters. The image was taken at a height of about 2, 650 km from the lunar surface on August 21. “Take a

Photographs snapped by a shoebox-sized probe that explored the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu have offered new clues about its composition, insights that will help scientists understand the formation of our solar system. The German-French Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) hitched a ride on Japan’s Hayabusa2 spaceship, touching down on the 900-meter (3,000 feet) wide asteroid, whose

A still image, taken from a video footage and released by Russian space agency Roscosmos, shows robot Skybot F-850, also known as FEDOR, inside the Russian Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft carried by Soyuz-2.1a booster after the launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan August 22, 2019. Russian space agency Roscosmos/Handout via REUTERS MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Russian

The crucial process of the soft landing of the Vikram lander onboard the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft that is currently in the lunar orbit will be taken up in the early hours of September 7, ISRO Chairman K Sivan said on Thursday. Scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation in Bengaluru would be engaged in this process

A still image, taken from a video footage and released by Russian space agency Roscosmos, shows robot Skybot F-850, also known as FEDOR, inside the Russian Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft carried by Soyuz-2.1a booster after the launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan August 22, 2019. Russian space agency Roscosmos/Handout via REUTERS MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Russian

Amazon, Microsoft, and Intel are among leading tech companies putting the world at risk through killer robot development, according to a report that surveyed major players from the sector about their stance on lethal autonomous weapons. Dutch NGO Pax ranked 50 companies by three criteria: whether they were developing technology that could be relevant to

HOUSTON (Reuters) – A crew of veteran U.S. astronauts and aviators are training in Houston for a manned mission to the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s new Starliner spacecraft, which could also be used to take tourists into space on future missions. NASA Commercial Crew astronaut Sunita Williams is lowered into the water at NASA’s Neutral

Elon Musk is pushing a new idea to make the Mars atmosphere more hospitable to humans. The Tesla CEO believes that it makes more sense to place thousands of satellites (essentially as giant mirrors) to reflect Sun’s rays, rather than nuking the poles of the planet. Musk has been positing the “Nuke Mars” idea for

A huge asteroid will eventually hit the humanity and there will be no way out, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has predicted. A monster asteroid called Apophis — named after an Egyptian “God of Chaos” — will come dangerously close to the Earth, about 19,000 miles (31,000 kms) above the surface. “Great name! Wouldn’t worry about

SEATTLE (Reuters) – The first American spacecraft expected to land on the moon in nearly 50 years will be a robotic moon lander built by closely held Astrobotic Technology Inc and launched in two years by United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket, the companies told Reuters on Monday. FILE PHOTO: A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5

(Reuters) – Direct observations from a NASA space telescope have for the first time revealed the atmospheric void of a rocky, Earth-sized world beyond our own solar system orbiting the most common type of star in the galaxy, according to a study released on Monday. An artist’s conception shows NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope as it

In a significant milestone for India’s Moon mission, ISRO will fire Chandrayaan-2’s liquid engine on Tuesday to insert the spacecraft into a lunar orbit. “It’s tomorrow morning (tentatively between 8:30am and 9:30am). It’s challenging,” Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation K Sivan told PTI on Monday on the operation to put the spacecraft in an

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s seaside towns are at war with their seagulls, urging visitors not to feed the birds in an effort to stop them snatching titbits like potato chips from tourists’ hands. Warning signs deck promenade railings from Scarborough to Broadstairs and beyond but now research from the University of Exeter has suggested an

Space tourism moved a step closer to reality Thursday as Virgin Galactic unveiled its new Mission Control at a spaceport in New Mexico and the schedule for final test flights before taking paying customers into the final frontier. Spaceport America, a taxpayer-funded facility in New Mexico’s remote Jornada del Muerto desert, received its license to

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured two luminescent galaxies at play. Catalogued as the UGC 2369, the galactic duo has been caught in an interaction resulting from the mutual gravitational attraction between them. Galaxies interacting is not uncommon, but two similarly sized ones merging is a momentous event – the image shows the galaxies distorting

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine speaks to media during a visit to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility where engineers are preparing to add the final section to the core stage of the rocket that will power NASA’s Artemis 1 lunar mission, in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., August 15, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman WASHINGTON (Reuters) – NASA Administrator Jim

Asteroids – rocky bodies floating in the space – don’t evoke a particularly positive feeling. Remember one of them hitting the earth and wiping out the dinosaurs? Well, it appears that another huge asteroid might be on a collision course with our planet and might wreak havoc due to its sheer size. Named 1998 OR2,

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Jupiter, the solar system’s largest planet, may have been smacked head-on by an embryonic planet 10 times Earth’s mass not long after being formed, a monumental crash with apparent lasting effects on the Jovian core, scientists said on Thursday. The collision between a young Jupiter and a massive still-forming protoplanet in the

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The head of NASA is set to announce plans on Friday to name the U.S. space agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama as headquarters for its human lunar lander program, signaling progress in its drive to put astronauts back on the moon by 2024, three people familiar with the plan said.