Here are today’s most important updates from the realm of Science and Space.
At least 30 Indian companies have stepped forward to participate in a groundbreaking initiative to establish Earth Observation (EO) satellite constellations, responding to a call from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe). Notable applicants include innovative startups like Google-backed Pixxel and Baring Private Equity-backed SatSure, alongside established firms such as Tata Advanced Systems. India is currently planning to reduce reliance on foreign satellite data for critical sectors such as defense and infrastructure management. The market for small satellite and data services is projected to reach $45 billion by 2030, as demand for EO data grows across various industries, including telecommunications and climate monitoring.
NASA is preparing to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon, focusing on the Lunar South Pole (LSP) as the target for its ambitious Artemis missions. This strategic choice is driven by the LSP's advantages in communication with Earth, solar exposure, and access to potential water ice resources. However, the unique lighting conditions at the poles present significant challenges for astronauts, as the Sun remains low on the horizon, creating a harsh environment that has never been encountered in previous missions like Apollo. The human visual system struggles in bright light and cannot adjust quickly between light and dark environments. To tackle this, scientists recommended developing a variety of simulation techniques both physical and virtual to evaluate how well helmets and artificial lighting perform in the LSP's unique environment.
At least 2,600 light-years from our own Solar System, there lies one of the most peculiar planetary systems in the entire galaxy. Named ad Kepler-51, the Sun-like yellow dwarf star was found in 2012 to have three exoplanets in its orbit; each, it would turn out, with a density lighter than cotton candy, putting them all in a rather adorably named category of super-puff worlds. Now astronomers have found a fourth. The newly found fourth exoplanet will be named Kepler-51e as the other previous found were named Kepler-51b, Kepler-51c, and Kepler-51d.
Gravitational waves are the ripples in space-time caused by powerful cosmic events and first predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916, A new review highlighted how artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced computing techniques are revolutionising the way these waves are detected and analyzed, offering deeper insights into the universe's most mysterious phenomena. Tools like convolutional neural networks (CNNs), autoencoders, and long short-term memory networks (LSTMs) are now being used to detect gravitational waves and estimate their properties with remarkable precision. Conventionally, gravitational waves are detected using sophisticated instruments like ground-based interferometers—such as LIGO and VIRGO—and pulse timing arrays like the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array.
