Category: space exploration

Laser based communication in space offers higher bandwidth at cheaper cost

January 29, 2022

Current spacecrafts use radio wave technology to communicate with ground-based control station. Although this approach is established technology and reliable, it is of insufficient bandwidth especially when there is a need for long distance communication such as those between spacecraft at Pluto and Earth. Hence, efforts have began to develop the next generation of space-based … More Laser based communication in space offers higher bandwidth at cheaper cost

Almost every galaxy that we have observed has a black hole at its centre

January 22, 2022

Hubble first determined using a spectrograph attached to a telescope that the universe is expanding. More recently, astronomers have been observing black hole at the centre of galaxies. Perhaps more importantly, almost every galaxy that we have observed has a black hole at its centre. The launch of the infrared James Webb Space Telescope would … More Almost every galaxy that we have observed has a black hole at its centre

Transit spectroscopy affords the detection of biosignatures in atmospheres of exoplanets

February 24, 2021

Detection of biosignature molecules such as oxygen and methane in the atmosphere of exoplanets has long been the holy grail of astrobiology, and is a strong indicator of biotic processes on the planet. One approach for achieving this detection is transit spectroscopy performed either by orbiting observatories or ground-based telescopes. Specifically, during transit of an … More Transit spectroscopy affords the detection of biosignatures in atmospheres of exoplanets

Cubesats mark a new wave of space technologies with potential to replace some expensive large satellites

January 4, 2021

Mention space satellites, and one would think of large purpose built billion dollar satellite that we use for communications, global positioning and others. However, a wave of miniaturisation technologies have enabled the building of small satellites known as Cubesats that, in aggregate, could replace the function of larger satellites. When deployed as a constellation comprising … More Cubesats mark a new wave of space technologies with potential to replace some expensive large satellites

New horizontal assembly method for rockets

October 2, 2020

Ariane 6 is the next-generation launch vehicle for Europe. Currently in the manufacturing phase, its design incorporates many features that may reshape the future of rocket design and manufacturing. One of the significant features is the new horizontal assembly method used in assembling different stages of the rocket into a single entity ready for launch. … More New horizontal assembly method for rockets

Current endeavours in developing in-space autonomous assembly and building of large spacecraft and space station

April 28, 2020

Traditionally, spacecrafts such as satellites and space telescopes are built in its entirety on Earth and launched into space as a single entity with all systems integrated into the spacecraft. This has not been met with much obstacle as larger rockets and innovative solutions could be proposed to accommodate larger spacecraft. Such innovative solutions include … More Current endeavours in developing in-space autonomous assembly and building of large spacecraft and space station

Solar wind strips away the atmosphere of Mars

March 2, 2020

Solar wind refers to the stream of high speed charged particles streaming from the Sun. On Earth, it interacts with the planet’s magnetic field to generate the aurora lights at the polar regions. But, without the protection of the Earth’s magnetic field, charged particles of the solar wind would have interacted more strongly with the … More Solar wind strips away the atmosphere of Mars

Lab experiments helped unveil the planetary secrets of inaccessible Neptune and Uranus

November 10, 2019

Neptune and Uranus are relatively inaccessible outer planets of the Solar System. Having been visited by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in the 1980s, research on both planets rely on imaging from both ground-based telescopes and the Hubble Space Telescope. However, spectroscopic measurements could not yield deep planetary secrets such as the possible formation of diamonds … More Lab experiments helped unveil the planetary secrets of inaccessible Neptune and Uranus

Large ground-based telescopes complement space-based observatories

June 9, 2019

Until the advent of space telescopes, ground-based telescopes are the only means by which humans could peer into the distant cosmos. But inability to completely remove atmospheric blurring effects meant that developing space telescopes able to observe distant galaxies in space without distortion from atmospheric turbulence is a top priority. To this end came the … More Large ground-based telescopes complement space-based observatories

Strong winds help ameliorate temperature difference between the day and nightside of tidally-locked planets

May 28, 2019

Close-in tidally-locked exoplanets around other stars are commonly found in the past two decades of exoplanets research. Such planets have size typically much larger than Earth and orbits their parent star at a distance much closer than Mercury is to our Sun. More importantly, these exoplanets are usually tidally-locked with one side of the planet … More Strong winds help ameliorate temperature difference between the day and nightside of tidally-locked planets