Researchers from Beijing Institute of Control Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, and Macau University of Science and Technology have developed a solar X-ray detector (SXD) that features a wide energy range and a high count rate. The main goal of the instrument is to study X-ray spectral characteristics of solar flare eruption with high accuracy. These measurements require high throughput and excellent spectral resolution. The flight model integrated on the MSS-1B satellite has demonstrated remarkable in-orbit performance, achieving an energy resolution of 138 eV for solar X-ray detection. The detector's novel electronic architecture, meticulously engineered to meet stringent space mission requirements, enables reliable operation even during extreme solar events up to X-class flare intensities. Comparative analysis with existing solar X-ray instruments reveals that this new detector offers significant advancements, including enhanced energy resolution and reduced signal peaking time, which indicates a higher measurable solar flare level. 

The Second International Conference on Space Science and Technology was successfully held in Suzhou, China, from May 22 to 24, 2025. Over 300 experts, scholars, and corporate representatives from more than ten countries gathered to discuss cutting-edge research and innovations in the aerospace field. The conference, hosted by Beijing Institute of Technology and co-organized by several institutions, featured a main forum and four sub-forums with over 30 high-quality reports on topics like deep space exploration, intelligent aerospace technology, and aerospace information processing. It aimed to foster global cooperation and cross-disciplinary innovation in space science and technology. The next venue of the conference will be held at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore from July 22 to 24, 2025.

With the rapid development of the space industry, enhancing the stealth and survivability of spacecraft has become a critical challenge. Professor Qiang Li’s team at Zhejiang University has developed an innovative multilayer thin-film camouflage device, enabling invisibility across H, K, MWIR, and LWIR bands while efficiently radiating heat to address thermal control issues in space. This technology achieves precise management of solar and thermal radiation, offering significant support for future space exploration.

In 2028, Politecnico di Milano will contribute to ESA’s RAMSES mission with the CubeSat RCS-1 to explore asteroid Apophis.
The mini satellite will collect close-up data and test autonomous technologies ahead of the asteroid’s close flyby of Earth in 2029.

In the cold, dark outskirts of planetary systems far beyond the reach of the known planets, mysterious gas giants and planetary masses silently orbit their stars — sometimes thousands of astronomical units (AU) away. For years, scientists have puzzled over how these “wide-orbit” planets, including the elusive Planet Nine theorized in our own solar system, could have formed. Now, a team of astronomers may have finally found the answer. In a new study published in Nature Astronomy, researchers from Rice University and the Planetary Science Institute used complex simulations to show that wide-orbit planets are not anomalies but rather natural by-products of a chaotic early phase in planetary system development.

Thomas (Tom) Greene, astrophysicist and former Director of the NASA Ames Center for Exoplanet Studies and Chief of the NASA Ames Astrophysics Branch, will join IPAC as its new Executive Director on May 27.

Astrophysicist Kyu-Hyun Chae at Sejong University (Seoul, South Korea) has developed a new method of measuring gravity with all three components of the velocities (3D velocities) of  wide binary stars, as a major improvement over existing statistical methods relying on sky-projected 2D velocities. The new method based on the Bayes theorem derives directly the probability distribution of a gravity parameter (a parameter that measures the extent to which the data departs from standard gravitational dynamics) through the Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation of the relative 3D velocity between the stars in a binary. When the method is applied to a sample of about 300 highest-quality wide binaries selected from European Space Agency's Gaia Data Release 3, the results indicate a 4.2σ discrepancy with standard gravity at acceleration lower than about 1 nanometer per second squared. Much improved results are expected in the near future with upcoming data of precise velocities of stars in the line-of-sight (radial) direction.