Deciding how to power a CubeSat is one of the greatest challenges when designing a modular spacecraft. Tradeoffs in solar panel size, battery size, and power consumption levels are all key considerations when selecting parts and mission architecture. To help with those design choices, a paper from researchers in Ethiopia and Korea describes a new machine-learning algorithm that helps CubeSat designers optimize their power consumption, ensuring these little satellites have a better chance of fulfilling their purpose.
Space News & Blog Articles
This Week In Space podcast: Episode 154 — The View From On High
On Episode 154 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk with Space TV director Liam Kennedy about bringing content and video from the International Space Station down to Earth.
1st solar eclipse of 2025 puts on stunning show for skywatchers around the world (photos)
The partial solar eclipse of March 2025 did not disappoint as observers turned their eyes and cameras to the sky.
X-rays, mushrooms and more: The science riding on SpaceX's Fram2 astronaut mission around Earth's poles
Here's a rundown of the science experiments that SpaceX's Fram2 astronaut mission will conduct while orbiting Earth's poles.
A total solar eclipse from 2471 B.C. may have shaken Egypt's cult of the sun
"It is always difficult to establish if the eclipses were seen in the ancient past as bad omens or good omens."
NASA's New Dust Repelling Shield Seems to Work Well
The hazards facing lunar astronauts are many. There's the radiation, the temperature extremes, the psychological challenges associated with isolation, and the risk of important equipment breaking down. But there's also the dust, which constitutes an ever-present background hazard.
Doom games in order: Chronological and release date
With Doom: The Dark Ages around the corner, now is the perfect time to chainsaw your way through all the Doom games in order.
Fram2 astronauts arrive in Florida ahead of polar spaceflight
The four astronauts of the Fram2 mission stand atop the crew access tower at Launch Complex 39A during a pad visit in mid-February. From left to right: Eric Philips, Chun Wang, Rabea Rogge, Jannicke Mikkelsen. Image: Fram2
Less than a month after the SpaceX Crew-10 mission blasted off to the International Space Station, another four-person crew is gearing to up launch from the same pad in Florida this time making history as the first astronauts to fly in a polar orbit.
'Chappie' is 10 years old, and Blomkamp's flawed humanist take on robots and AI is more relevant than ever
Neill Blomkamp's Johannesburg-set riff on Short Circuit and RoboCop wasn't a winner by any means, but it's far from soulless.
Its Mission Over, Gaia Rides Off Into the Sunset
No matter where on Earth you stand, if you have a view of the night sky, and if it is dark enough, you can see the Milky Way. The Milky Way is our home, and its faint clouds of light and shadow have inspired human cultures across the globe. And yet, our view of the Milky Way is limited by our perspective. In many ways, we have learned more from other galaxies than from our own. But when the Gaia spacecraft launched in 2013, all of that changed.
Solar eclipse US weather forecast: Best places to see the moon 'bite' the sun tomorrow
A partial solar eclipse is coming this weekend, but weather could be an issue for many hoping to get a glimpse of the moon "taking a bite" out of the sun.
Surprise X-class solar flare from emerging sunspot triggers radio blackouts across the Americas
"Further strong activity is likely!"
Revealing Proxima Centauri's Extreme Flares
In this age of exoplanet discovery, the flaring of red dwarf stars (M-dwarfs) has taken on new importance. M-dwarfs are known to host many terrestrial planets in their putative habitable zones. The problem is the flaring could make their habitable zones uninhabitable.
NASA astronaut who gave up seat for Starliner crew takes command of SpaceX Crew-11 flight to ISS
Zena Cardman,who was removed from an ISS launch to facilitate the return to Earth of Starliner's first crew, will command SpaceX's upcoming Crew-11 mission to the station.
Last chance! 72% off Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Plus bundle means you can watch all Marvel movies and TV shows, including X-Men, for just $2.99 a month
Watch all Marvel content, including the Avengers movies and the X-Men movies from the 2000s, ahead of Avengers: Doomsday next year, with a 72% discount.
Exoplanet nurseries around infant stars can be much smaller than expected: 'It is astonishing'
New findings from the ALMA telescope have revealed that planets are born in much smaller protoplanetary disks than astronomers suspected, some of which would fit with the orbit of Earth.
James Webb Space Telescope discovers 2 galaxies forming breathtaking 'cosmic lens': Space photo of the day
The space telescope's image of a odd-looking spiral galaxy is, in reality, two distant galaxies overlapping each other.
This spacecraft swarm could spot interstellar visitors zipping through our solar system
Hiroyasu Tsukamota has developed a deep-learning-based guidance and control framework called Neural-Rendezvous that could allow spacecraft to safely encounter interstellar objects.
Arnaud Prost | Sky, Sea, Space | ESA Explores #12
Video: 00:15:30
Meet Arnaud Prost—aerospace engineer, professional diver, and member of ESA’s Astronaut Reserve. From flying aircraft to getting a taste of spacewalk simulation, his passion for exploration knows no bounds.
Meet the astronauts of SpaceX's Fram2 mission, the 1st to fly over Earth's poles
The crew of SpaceX's pioneering Fram2 mission includes a polar explorer, a marine technology scientist, a filmmaker and a bitcoin magnate.