SpaceX rival Rocket Lab preps landmark rocket launch
Rocket Lab is preparing to launch its workhorse Electron rocket for the 50th time. The 18-meter-tall, two-stage rocket first flew in May 2017 and last launched on June 5, with…
Physicists Capture First-Ever Image of an Electron Crystal
Electrons are typically seen flitting around their atoms, but a team of physicists has now imaged the particles in a very different state: nestled together in a quantum phase called…
Physicists Designed an Experiment to Turn Light Into Matter
Plasma could be wrangled to collide photons and yield matter, according to physicists who ran simulations to explore the practical applications of a world-famous equation. Gizmodo’s Top Five Gadgets of…
Faster-Than-Light ‘Quasiparticles’ Touted as Futuristic Light Source
Nothing can travel faster than light, or 299,792,458 meters per second. But a certain group of particles acts as if it can, a team of physicists recently concluded, potentially paving…
How Virgin Orbit Went Bankrupt
Virgin Orbit has set a deadline of May 14 for bids on its business, the bankrupt rocket-maker said in a court filing this week. Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX…
Physicists Recreate Classic ‘Double-Slit’ Experiment Using Time Instead of Space
A team of physicists has recreated a classic experiment in particle physics with a dimensional twist, by performing it in time instead of just space. In the process, they showcased…
Why the First Launch of a 3D-Printed Rocket Wasn’t a Total Failure
Screenshot: Relativity Space In addition to passing Max-Q, the mission managed to complete main engine cut-off (MECO), stage separation, and the ignition of the lone second-stage Aeon vacuum engine. Roughly…
How Plant Quantum Electronics Could Make Better Renewable Energy
What if we could mimic how plants, algae, and bacteria harvest sunlight to create better solar panels? New research published Wednesday in Nature explores the molecular nitty-gritty of photosynthesis, and…
Rocket Lab’s Second U.S. Launch Successfully Delivers Capella Satellites to Orbit
Update: March 17 at 9:27 a.m. ET: Electron took flight at 6:38 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 16 and successfully delivered two Capella Space satellites to low Earth orbit. CC…
Rocket Lab aces its first launch from U.S. soil
Rocket Lab has completed its maiden mission from its new launch site in the U.S., marking a big step forward for the company as it seeks to better compete with…