Here are today’s most important updates from the realm of Science and Space
Dragon Firepower: SpaceX Pushes ISS to New Heights
Elon Musk-led SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft has added a new skill to its resume:
raising the orbit of the International Space Station (ISS). In a first-of-its-kind manoeuvre, Dragon used engines in its trunk section to gently push the orbiting laboratory to a slightly higher altitude. The test burn lasted five minutes and three seconds, employing two Draco engines powered by an independent propellant system housed in the spacecraft’s trunk. The burn successfully raised the ISS’s altitude by about one mile at perigee, placing the station into a new orbit of 260.9 by 256.3 miles. Now, Nasa and SpaceX envision Dragon carrying out regular orbit-raising burns, reducing reliance on other vehicles and offering added flexibility.
Moon Magic: NASA Explains Jupiter’s Stunning Auroras
Jupiter hosts the most dazzling auroras in the Solar System, lighting up its poles in spectacular displays shaped not only by the solar wind but also by the planet’s four largest moons. While Io, Europa, and Ganymede have long been known to create distinctive auroral “footprints” in Jupiter’s atmosphere, Callisto, the most distant of the Galilean moons, has until now remained an unsolved mystery. The breakthrough came when two rare events coincided: Jupiter’s main auroral oval shifted equatorward under the pressure of a strong solar wind, clearing space for Callisto’s faint signature to emerge, and Juno passed directly through the magnetic field line linking Callisto and the giant planet. Jupiter’s immense magnetic field extends millions of kilometres into space, creating a magnetosphere that interacts with both the solar wind and its moons. Just as solar storms on Earth can intensify the northern lights, solar activity modifies Jupiter’s auroras.
Future Unlocked: 6G Chip Shatters Speed Records
In a groundbreaking development, engineers have unveiled a prototype 6G chip capable of internet speeds exceeding 100 gigabits per second (Gbps), a leap almost 10 times faster than 5G's theoretical maximum and nearly 500 times faster than the average speeds most users experience today. What makes this breakthrough especially remarkable is the chip's tiny footprint, measuring just 11 by 1.7 millimetres. Inside this small package, the device can operate across an ultra-broad frequency band ranging from 0.5 GHz to 115 GHz, a feat typically requiring multiple distinct components and radio bands. The secret lies in a novel electro-optic modulator, which converts radio signals into optical signals efficiently. Coupled with optoelectronic oscillators that regenerate frequencies across the ultra-wide spectrum, this innovation allows the chip to support blistering 6G-class performance.
Deep Sea Disruption: Panama Currents Fail to Rise
Scientists have reported the first-ever failure of the critical upwelling process in the Gulf of Panama in 2025, marking the end of a consistent 40-year pattern. Upwelling, which usually occurs between December and April during Central America's dry season, is driven by northern trade winds that bring cold, nutrient-rich deep ocean waters to the surface. This phenomenon fuels highly productive fisheries, helps protect coral reefs from thermal stress, and keeps Panama’s Pacific coastal waters cool during the "summer" vacation season. The Gulf of Panama's upwelling failure is a stark reminder of how quickly climate anomalies can alter fundamental oceanic processes that coastal communities have relied upon for thousands of years.
