DIU solicitation: CUAS Low Cost Sensing Challenge – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-05-20 00:00
The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), in collaboration with the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), seeks to identify solutions for scalable, cost-effective, unmanned aircraft system (UAS) detection, identification, and tracking. “This work will significantly enhance our ability to detect and track threats, and will help our NORTHCOM teammates secure the homeland,” said DIU Director, Doug Beck.
Carbyne and AT&T launch APEX Continuity for uninterrupted 9-1-1 call handling for AT&T customers – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-05-19 00:00
Carbyne has collaborated with AT&T to make APEX Continuity available to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) on AT&T ESInet. APEX Continuity delivers a reliable failover system to sustain emergency response operations without interruption. Emergency telecommunicators can securely log into APEX Continuity to reroute and answer emergency calls.
NASA’s Webb Reveals New Details, Mysteries in Jupiter’s Aurora – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-05-19 00:00
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured new details of the auroras on our solar system’s largest planet. The dancing lights observed on Jupiter are hundreds of times brighter than those seen on Earth. With Webb’s advanced sensitivity, astronomers have studied the phenomena to better understand Jupiter’s magnetosphere.
SSC selects CACI, General Atomics, and Viasat to develop EST Phase 2 prototypes providing on-orbit crosslink compatibility in future DoD space systems – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-05-19 00:00
The U.S. Space Force’s (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC) awarded contracts to CACI, General Atomics, and Viasat to continue development of space laser communication terminal prototypes. The contracts were awarded through the Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC) Other Transaction Authority (OTA)
NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover to Take Bite Out of ‘Krokodillen’
Original Publication Date: 2025-05-19 15:04
NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover is exploring a new region of interest the team is calling “Krokodillen’ The area marks an important boundary between the oldest rocks of Jezero Crater’s rim and those of the plains beyond the crater. “The last five months have been a geologic whirlwind,” said Ken Farley, deputy project scientist for Perseverance.
Using ‘X-Ray Eyes’ to Find Hidden Black Holes – NASA’s NuSTAR Mission
NuSTAR has powerful X-ray vision that can see certain objects or features of the universe that are invisible to the human eye. The high-energy X-rays can also penetrate thick gas and dust. At least 35% of the growing supermassive black holes in the universe are hidden.
Perseverance Rover Captures Dust Devils Whirling Across Mars (Mars Report)
Perseverance rover spotted a huge dust devil on Mars. The Martian atmosphere is so thin that it would feel like a gust of wind. Scientists are fascinated by dust devils on Mars. Every time we spot a dust devil, it helps us refine our climate models of Mars.
NASA’s SPHEREx and PUNCH Missions Launch From Vandenberg Space Force Base (Highlights)
SPHEREx will orbit Earth for a two-year prime mission and create a 3D map of the cosmos. Ride-sharing with SPHEREx was NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission. PUNCH will study the outer portion of the Sun, the corona, to understand how solar wind forms.
Preparing NASA’s CADRE Moon Rovers for Launch
Three small lunar rovers were packed up at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the first leg of their multistage journey to the Moon. These suitcase-size rovers, along with a base station and camera system that will record their travels on the lunar surface, make up NASA’s CADRE (Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration) technology demonstration.
Faces of Leadership: The Directors of JPL
JPL Director, 2001-2016 Charles Elachi was born in Lebanon and received a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Grenoble, France. Elachi taught at Caltech, served in a variety of research and management positions at JPL beginning in 1971, specializing in remote sensing. He became the Director of JPL in May 2001.
Webb, Keck observe Titan; find clouds and carbon molecule in northern hemisphere
Original Publication Date: 2025-05-18 21:51
Scientists have observed cloud convection in the northern hemisphere of Saturn’s moon Titan. It is the first time such atmospheric activity has been observed in the region. A majority of Titan’s methane lakes and seas are located in the northern hemisphere. The data was also used to detect a carbon-containing molecule within Titan’s atmosphere.