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China's defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment about the researchers' findings. Reuters could not determine how closely the conclusions reflect the thinking among China's military leaders. A U.S. defence official told Reuters that despite differences with the situation in Taiwan, the Ukraine war offered insights for China. The conflict has also forged an apparent consensus among Chinese researchers that drone warfare merits greater investment. Beyond the battlefield, the work has covered the information war, which the researchers conclude was won by Ukraine and its allies.

☆ China gears up to compete with SpaceX's Starlink this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Nacho DoceBEIJING, March 2 (Reuters) - China's military-industrial complex is set to start building its first constellation of very low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites later this year, the latest Chinese bid to catch up with U.S.-based Starlink. Starlink, operated by billionaire Elon Musk's Space X, has built a fast-growing network of more than 3,500 satellites in low-Earth orbit. LEO satellites have the added advantage of being cheaper and providing more efficient transmission than satellites at higher orbits. While CASIC and others have already launched their first LEO satellites, the gap with Starlink is likely to remain large throughout the next decade. Analysts estimate that China currently has no more than several hundred LEO satellites in operation and it would only reach 4,000 by 2027.

☆ Fact Check-No evidence linking clouds to earthquakes, contrary to claims following Turkey-Syria quake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Experts contacted by Reuters dismissed claims shared online conflating the events that occurred weeks apart and emphasized that there is no evidence linking cloud formations to quakes. “Lenticular clouds form from a natural interaction of the air with mountains,” Mark Wysocki, senior lecturer in Cornell University’s Earth and Atmospheric Sciences department, told Reuters by email. A diagram illustrating this process provided by Wysocki is viewable (ibb.co/PmKM019)“And earthquakes form from the natural movement of the Earth’s crust. Experts contacted by Reuters say there is no evidence linking clouds to earthquakes. The science behind the formation of lens-like-shaped clouds, or lenticular clouds, has been documented.

☆ ‘Star Chasers of Senegal’ Review: Between Science and the Sacred
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( John Anderson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Orthodox religion and state-of-the-art astrophysics would seem to have a star-crossed relationship at best, but they intersect gracefully in the latest “NOVA” special, which looks both backward and forward in time. The principal of “Star Chasers of Senegal”—and straddler of worlds—is Maram Kaire , a Senegalese astronomer affiliated with the Africa Initiative for Planetary and Space Sciences and a scientist-advocate eager to establish a space agency in his own country. Meanwhile, he assists in projects from abroad, the one at the center of “Star Chasers” being NASA’s most recent deep-space probe, christened “Lucy”—after the fossilized human discovered in 1974, and the song “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.” The “jewels” the new Lucy is out to observe are the so-called Trojan Asteroids trapped in Jupiter’s orbit, which theoretically predate the creation of the sun and the Earth. Traveling at 15,000 mph, Lucy will have mere moments to make her observations, so it behooves the NASA scientists to have as much advance knowledge as they can collect about the size, shape and speed of Orus.

☆ The green comet and Mars will appear side-by-side next weekend. Spot them together in the sky.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A green comet and Mars will appear side-by-side in the night sky on February 10 and 11. The green comet and the red planet will be visible side-by-side across the Northern Hemisphere on the nights of February 10 and 11. All that could make it much easier to spot the cosmic visitor, a ball of frozen gas and dust called Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), or Comet ZTF for short. Once you spot Mars, finding the green cosmic snowball should be a breeze if it's bright enough. How to see Mars and Comet ZTFThe Hubble Space Telescope took this snapshot of Mars in the 1990s.

☆ Space power China to build ground stations on Antarctica to support satellites
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China's global network of ground stations to support a growing number of satellites and outer space ambitions has drawn concern from some nations that it could be used for espionage, a suggestion China rejects. In 2020, Sweden's state-owned space company, which had provided ground stations that helped fly Chinese spacecraft and transmit data, declined to renew contracts with China or accept new Chinese business due to "changes" in geopolitics. The project was part of broader initiatives aimed at building China's marine economy and turning China into a marine power, according to China Space News. A Chinese-built ground station in Argentina's Patagonia has stirred concerns about its purpose despite China's assurance that the station's goal is peaceful space observation and spacecraft missions. China in October launched the last of three modules of its space station, which became the second permanently inhabited outpost in low-earth orbit after the NASA-led International Space Station.

WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday stepped up sanctions against the Wagner Group, labeling the Russian mercenary company fighting in Ukraine as a transnational criminal organization responsible for widespread human rights abuses. The U.S. Treasury Department, as part of action targeting dozens of people and entities in an effort to degrade Russia's ability to wage the war, said it designated Wagner Group as a "significant transnational criminal organization" on Thursday. It had previously designated Wagner under its Russia and Ukraine sanctions programs. "These images were gathered in order to enable Wagner combat operations in Ukraine," Treasury said. He said the United States assesses Wagner has about 50,000 personnel deployed to Ukraine, including 40,000 convicts recruited from Russian prisons.

☆ Treasury imposes sanctions against Russian paramilitary firm Wagner Group
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Amanda Macias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

A mural praises the Russian Wagner group and its mercenaries fighting in Ukraine on March 30, 2022 in Belgrade, Serbia. The Treasury Department identified the Wagner Group, led by Putin crony Yevgeny Prigozhin, as a "significant transnational criminal organization." Joint Stock Company Terra Tech, a Russian-based technology firm, for providing space and aerial imagery to the Wagner Group. Joint Stock Company Research and Production, a Russian space company supporting Russia's military activities in Ukraine. In addition, State announced steps to impose visa restrictions on 531 members of the Russian military for their role in Ukraine.

☆ Fact Check-Moon visible during daytime is not proof of flat Earth
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The moon visible during the day is not proof that the Earth is flat, despite claims shared online. The moon is commonly visible during the day, however, and it is not always directly opposite the sun, experts told Reuters. At full moon, the moon rises as the sun sets and at the end of that night the moon sets at sunrise. During this lunar phase, we see part of the moon illuminated because only a part of the moon that is being illuminated by the sun is visible to us, he said. “However, the best argument against flat Earth (using the moon) is that during a lunar eclipse, the moon enters Earth shadow,” Fe McBride, assistant professor in the Physics and Astronomy department at Bowdoin College told Reuters.

The first full-color image released from the next-generation James Webb Space Telescope is the sharpest infrared image of the distant universe ever produced, according to NASA. Space Telescope Science Institut / NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERONASA released the first batch of images from the tennis court-sized observatory to much fanfare in July. The exoplanet HIP 65426 b in different bands of infrared light, as seen from the James Webb Space Telescope. Back to the moonFifty years after the final Apollo moon mission, NASA took key steps toward returning astronauts to the lunar surface. Chinese officials have also said they intend to use the space station for space tourism and commercial space initiatives.

☆ 2 climate activists got kicked out of the world's biggest Earth-science conference for protesting, and one says the association is 'silencing scientists'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Two climate scientists were kicked out of a major science conference in Chicago on Thursday. They told Insider the American Geophysical Union told them they'd be arrested if they returned. "I interpreted that as basically a threat — which I don't know if it was a hollow threat or not — to try and get us fired," Abramoff told Insider. "AGU Fall Meeting year after year provides a wide-open space for debate and discussion around all issues in Earth and space science. "I love the AGU fall meeting, and I'm really grateful that the AGU exists," Kalmus said.

☆ It's been 50 years since the last moonwalk. NASA astronauts explain why it took so long.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Hilary Brueck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The 50th anniversary of the last Apollo astronaut moonwalk is Wednesday. NASA astronauts say it's taking so long to return to the moon because of politics and money. But NASA built Orion to send astronauts back into lunar orbit and, as early as 2025, link up with SpaceX's Starship to land astronauts on the moon. NASA astronaut Victor Glover visits the Space Launch System rocket inside Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building, on July 15, 2021. NASA/Kim ShiflettAs early as 2004, former President George Bush was setting goals to return astronauts to the moon.

CNN —Three astronauts lifted off to China’s nearly completed space station on Tuesday, marking the beginning of the country’s long-term presence in space. The Shenzhou-15 spacecraft is expected to dock with the Tiangong Space Station about 6.5 hours after launch. VCG/Getty ImagesSmaller than the ISSOnce construction is completed, the space station is expected to last for 15 years. Tiangong, which means heavenly palace, is smaller than the International Space Station but similar in its modular design. The new space station will typically house three rather than six astronauts.

NASA's InSight lander felt a powerful Mars quake. Then an orbiter took a picture of the meteor impact that caused it. The impact kicked up boulders of water ice, which will be crucial for future astronaut missions to Mars. "It was immediately clear that this is the biggest new crater we've ever seen," Ingrid Daubar, InSight impact science lead, said in a press briefing. An artist illustration of the InSight lander on Mars.

☆ Russia's surging oil exports to China in Aug fail to keep Saudis down -data
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Chen Aizhu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Imports of Russian oil, including supplies pumped via the East Siberia Pacific Ocean pipeline and seaborne shipments from Russia's European and Far Eastern ports, totalled 8.342 million tonnes, data from the Chinese General Administration of Customs showed. The August amount, equivalent to 1.96 million barrels per day (bpd), was slightly off May's record of nearly 2 million bpd. read moreStill, imports from Saudi Arabia rebounded last month to 8.475 million tonnes, or 1.99 million bpd, 5% above the year ago levels. China's crude oil imports in August fell 9.4% from a year earlier, as outages at state-run refineries and lower operations at independent plants caused by weak margins capped buying. The strong Russian purchases continued to weigh on competing supplies from Angola and Brazil, which fell in August by 34% and 47% year-on-year, respectively.

☆ Saturn's gravitational pull shredded an ancient moon, creating its iconic rings and unusual tilt, new research suggests
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

New models suggest Saturn's gravity shredded a moon, Chrysalis, about 160 million years ago. The ancient moon could explain two long-standing mysteries: Saturn's iconic rings and dramatic tilt. Cassini captured five of Saturn's moons in a single frame, on July 29, 2011. Saturn's rings display their subtle colors in this view captured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, on August 22, 2009. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science InstitutePlanetary scientists have long suspected Saturn's tilt may have come from gravitational interactions with Neptune.

☆ The Artemis I mission launches NASA's return to the moon, 50 years after the last moonwalk. Astronauts explain why it took so long.
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-27 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Hilary Brueck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

NASA is about to launch its new Space Launch System toward the moon for the first time. The rocket is designed to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time in more than 50 years. NASA astronauts say it's taking so long to return to the moon because of politics and money. It's not just that the Space Launch System is giant, standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. NASA/Kim ShiflettAs early as 2004, former President George Bush was setting goals to return astronauts to the moon.

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