Daejeon, South Korea, and Vilnius, Lithuania, 2 June 2025 – Kongsberg NanoAvionics (NanoAvionics), a leading small satellite bus manufacturer and mission integrator, has been selected by the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in South Korea to build the first CubeSat for the world’s first long-term planetary science campaign which will use a series of CubeSats to monitor Venus from low Earth orbit.

• Tracing the origin of an ultra-hot exoplanet: The chemical composition of WASP-121b suggests that it formed in a cool zone of its natal disc, comparable to the region of gas and ice giants in our Solar System.

• Methane indicates unexpected atmospheric dynamics: Despite extreme heat, methane was detected on the nightside – a finding that can be explained by strong vertical atmospheric circulation.

• First detection of silicon monoxide in a planetary atmosphere: Measurements of this refractory gas allow quantifying the rocky material the planet had accumulated.

Surrey NanoSystems has joined forces with scientists at the University of Surrey, led by astrophysicist Dr Noelia Noel, to tackle the increasing issue of satellite brightness, which threatens ground-based astronomical research.  

Researchers from Tsung-Dao Lee Institute (TDLI) & School of Physics and Astronomy (SPA), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) have proposed a lutetium yttrium oxyorthosilicate (LYSO) crystal electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL)^[1], designed for the DarkSHINE experiment^[2-6]. By precisely measuring the energy loss of electrons after their interaction with a target, the ECAL is designed to search for invisibly decay products of dark photons. Featuring excellent energy resolution and strong radiation tolerance, this calorimeter significantly enhances the sensitivity of dark photon detection.

A series of studies from Vanderbilt University sheds light on the origins and characteristics of intermediate-mass black holes.