The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has finalized design plans for the Deep Synoptic Array (DSA), an unprecedented radio observatory that will be the most sensitive radio telescope ever built.

Following a successful final design review funded by Schmidt Sciences, construction is slated to begin in a remote, radio-quiet valley floor located in Spring Valley, Nevada. The massive facility is engineered to survey the celestial sphere 100 times faster than any existing radio telescope, fundamentally altering how astronomers map the universe.

Historically, radio astronomy has faced a compromise between sensitivity and image clarity. Large single-dish telescopes excel at capturing incredibly faint cosmic signals but lack spatial resolution, while traditional multi-dish arrays take sharp photos but take longer to sweep wide areas.

The DSA resolves this layout bottleneck by deploying a sprawling constellation of 1,650 steerable satellite dishes, each measuring roughly 6.1 meters in diameter, distributed across a geometric grid spanning 20 kilometers (~12.5 miles) by 16 kilometers (~10 miles).

The ‘radio camers’ solution

Operating an array of this magnitude creates a staggering logistical obstacle: data volume. Combined, the 1,650 dishes generate raw electronic data equivalent to the entire current internet traffic of the United States.

To prevent a system crash, storing this information conventionally would require a multi-billion-dollar storage facility housing five million hard drives to hold roughly 100 exabytes of data.

To overcome this issue, Caltech researchers developed a specialized “radio camera” architecture. Utilizing an on-site network of graphics processing units (GPUs), the telescope automatically flags, cleans, and synthesizes the incoming streams of radio waves into finished, high-fidelity images in real time.

This pipeline immediately strips away raw data clutter, reducing the long-term storage footprint to just tens of petabytes per year. Furthermore, the electronics are kept highly stable through the use of specialized indium phosphide transistors that achieve exquisite sensitivity while operating at room temperature, eliminating the need for complex cryogenic cooling systems.

Cataloging a billion cosmic objects

The raw speed of the array will drastically reshape the catalog of known space phenomena. Over the last several decades, all global radio telescopes combined have cataloged approximately 20 million unique radio sources.

The DSA is projected to match that entire historical benchmark on its very first day of operational testing. Over its initial five-year all-sky survey window, the facility is expected to discover more than one billion previously unrecorded radio sources.

Led by Principal Investigator Gregg Hallinan, the telescope will provide critical open-source tracking data to help astrophysicists study fast radio bursts (FRBs), track moving pulsars, and observe black hole explosions. Project managers anticipate full construction to be finished with science operations commencing by 2029.

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In a major structural realignment aimed at maximizing rapid deployment capabilities, the United States Army has officially converted a key cold-weather cavalry unit into a dedicated airborne assault force.

The strategic transition, executed within the 11th Airborne Division based in Alaska, shifts the unit’s operational focus from ground-based reconnaissance to high-mobility vertical insertions.

This pivot is specifically designed to project power across two highly challenging environments: the frozen terrain of the Arctic and the sprawling, island-dotted waters of the Indo-Pacific region.

The restructuring centers on the inactivation of the 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, a unit long trained in specialized cold-weather scouting and ground reconnaissance. In its place, the Army has activated the 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment.

While the personnel remain stationed in the critical sub-Arctic theater, their core tactical mandate has been completely overhauled, turning them into a light, paratrooper-driven infantry asset that can be air-dropped into austere locations at a moment’s notice.

Shifting focus to vertical mobility

Traditional cavalry units rely heavily on ground vehicles, such as light armored transports and tactical trucks, to scout ahead of main forces and screen large geographic sectors. However, the unique geography of the Arctic—defined by extreme permafrost, shifting mountain ranges, and a lack of developed road infrastructure—frequently limits the mobility of heavy wheeled or tracked vehicles.

Similarly, the Indo-Pacific theater demands a force that can bypass vast oceanic stretches to quickly seize isolated airfields or secure contested coastal bridgeheads.

By transitioning into an airborne light infantry configuration, the battalion eliminates its dependence on heavy ground transport. The unit can now pack its entire operational footprint into long-range military transport aircraft, allowing forces to deploy via parachute directly onto objectives.

This vertical mobility ensures that the 11th Airborne Division can insert a combat-ready force into remote regions without roads, providing commanders with a rapid-response option for sudden regional crises.

Strategic alignment and global readiness

The re-designation is more than a change in naming conventions; it represents a comprehensive overhaul of the unit’s training pipeline and logistics. The transformed battalion will undergo rigorous airborne qualification cycles, focusing on cold-weather parachute operations and small-unit tactics tailored for high-altitude or sub-zero environments.

This specialized preparation ensures that the soldiers can operate effectively immediately after landing, maintaining structural cohesion despite harsh environmental stressors.

Military leadership noted that this transformation directly aligns with the broader defense strategy of maintaining a highly agile, lethal force capable of multi-domain operations. As global interests intensify across both the Arctic shipping lanes and Indo-Pacific maritime borders, the availability of a modernized, air-droppable infantry unit based in Alaska bridges a critical logistical gap.

The successful activation of the 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment establishes a flexible, highly scalable framework for projecting American military readiness into the world’s most isolated geographic corridors.

Cameras have long been limited to capturing images exactly as the human eye perceives them, but a collaborative research breakthrough is fundamentally changing that dynamic.

Researchers from Zhejiang University, in collaboration with RMIT University, have successfully developed a tiny, integrated chip that gives imaging hardware the ability to analyze light wavelengths directly, unlocking capabilities far beyond standard color photography.

Standard imaging systems excel at capturing high-resolution photos but often struggle with specialized tasks such as automated industrial inspection, precise material classification, and granular environmental monitoring.

These applications require the ability to detect subtle differences in light wavelengths—data that reveals the hidden chemical composition or specific surface conditions of an object, even if it looks identical to the human eye. Historically, extracting this level of detail required bulky, external laboratory equipment, making it difficult to deploy in real-world or portable scenarios.

Embedding light analysis into Hardware

The new device solves this by embedding light-analysis capability into the hardware itself. The research effort combined expertise in nanomanufacturing and applied photonics from RMIT’s Centre for Atomaterials and Nanomanufacturing (CAN), led by Distinguished Professor Baohua Jia, and the team at Zhejiang University, led by Professor Jianrong Qiu.

The collaboration relied on highly specialized nanofabrication lab equipment at RMIT, which is capable of building and imaging structures roughly 1,000 times smaller than a human hair in real time. This unique synergy between ultrafast laser fabrication and applied photonics was instrumental in transforming the physical concept into a functional prototype.

How micro-vortices sort light

The core innovation lies in how the researchers manipulate light at the micro-scale. Using ultrafast laser pulses, the team created precise, spiral-shaped structures within transparent materials. These structures act as microscopic “light sorters,” breaking incoming light into distinct patterns that a standard image sensor can interpret.

By separating light very close to the sensor, the device functions as an integrated microspectrometer. This approach works effectively across both visible and near-infrared light spectra and, crucially, remains largely unaffected by viewing angles—a common limitation in many existing microscale optical technologies.

From prototype to future sensing

To prove the feasibility of this strategy, the researchers integrated the spiral structure with a commercial image sensor. This successful integration demonstrated that the chip could capture spectral information and support microscopic spectral imaging without the need for additional bulky equipment or moving parts.

While the project is currently in the development phase, the team views this chip-level success as a critical milestone. It validates that complex sensing tools can be realistically miniaturized for future consumer and industrial electronics.

The corresponding authors, including Professors Jianrong Qiu, Bo Zhang, and Zhuo Wang from Zhejiang University, alongside co-author Dr. Han Lin from RMIT, noted that the current work establishes a robust new strategy for compact sensing technology.

Future development steps for the team include scaling up the fabrication processes, testing different materials to expand the sensor’s range, and refining the software algorithms required to reconstruct light information.

As fabrication techniques improve, this technology could move from a laboratory prototype to a fundamental component in the next generation of smart vision systems.

The research was first published in the journal Nature Electronic.

Researchers at the University of Central Florida (UCF) are pioneering a new approach to one of the most complicated challenges in drone technology: enabling unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to transition seamlessly from underwater to aerial flight.

Supported by a grant from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM Army Research Office), the UCF team’s nine-month study could unlock game-changing advances for both defense and civilian applications.

How drones exit water

Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering Samik Bhattacharya and graduate student Dominic Polidoro ’25 are at the forefront of this research. Their focus is on “egress”—the split-second process in which a drone’s wing emerges from water into the air. While nature makes this look easy—think of birds or rays leaping from the ocean—the dynamics for machines are far more complex.

Using a combination of mathematical modeling and hands-on experimentation, the team is analyzing how the forces acting on a UAV’s wing change during this transition.

Their experiments rely on 3D-printed wings and a specialized water tank in UCF’s Experimental Fluid Mechanics Lab, capturing high-speed interactions as the wings break the water’s surface.

Lift instability: A critical obstacle for amphibious drones

Initial findings highlight a major technical challenge: as the wing leaves the water, the lift generated doesn’t just increase smoothly. Instead, it spikes—what researchers call a “lift overshoot”—then abruptly drops before stabilizing. This rapid fluctuation can destabilize the UAV, threatening control and reliability in real-world missions.

Dr. Bhattacharya points out, “The sudden changes in lift as a UAV transitions from water to air can lead to instability and loss of control. Understanding and eventually mitigating these forces are essential steps for creating robust amphibious drones.”

Potential impact beyond military use

While the U.S. Army’s interest is clear—amphibious UAVs could provide new capabilities in reconnaissance and rapid deployment—the research has wide-ranging implications. These drones could revolutionize search-and-rescue operations along coasts, assist in disaster response, and enhance ocean monitoring by moving easily between aquatic and aerial environments.

Bhattacharya envisions a future where “in 10 years, amphibious UAVs will operate reliably in both air and water, with improved payload capacity and autonomous capabilities, far surpassing current technology.”

Technical approach and future directions

The UCF team’s research involves detailed analysis of surface deformation, wave generation, and vortex shedding—all phenomena occurring in milliseconds as a drone exits water. Their work was recently presented at the 2026 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics SciTech Forum, drawing attention from experts in fluid dynamics and UAV design.

As the research progresses, the new mathematical models and experimental data are expected to guide the next generation of amphibious drones, making stable, controlled transitions from water to air a practical reality.

Astrobotic has publicly unveiled its Griffin-1 lunar lander — the vehicle NASA has selected to deliver one of the heaviest cargo loads ever sent to the lunar surface — as part of the agency’s emerging Moon Base initiative. The Pittsburgh-based company revealed the completed lander at its headquarters, weeks before it is scheduled to depart for environmental testing.

Griffin Mission One is targeting a launch no earlier than late 2026 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. It is the second lunar mission from Astrobotic, following the Peregrine lander’s January 2024 attempt, which ended prematurely after a propellant leak prevented the vehicle from reaching the Moon.

Built for the Moon Base era

Griffin-1 is a significantly larger vehicle than its predecessor. Both landers stand roughly 6 feet (2 meters) tall, but Griffin is nearly twice as wide, measuring approximately 15 feet (4.5 meters) across. Its payload capacity to the lunar surface is rated at 1,377 pounds (625 kilograms), with a commercial pricing of $544,000 per pound of cargo delivered.

NASA selected Griffin as the lander for its Moon Base II mission — part of the agency’s phased effort to establish a permanent lunar outpost near the south pole. Astrobotic CEO John Thornton described the vehicle’s significance in direct terms at the unveiling event.

“This is the first infrastructure-class lander going to the surface of the moon,” Thornton said. “This lander will be part of the cornerstone of building the moon base on the surface of the moon, so I’m just so excited for it to be here today, and to wish it good travels as it heads out to JPL for environmental testing.”

What Griffin-1 is carrying

Griffin-1 will carry 10 payloads from six separate nations, plus four additional NASA payloads aboard the FLIP (Flex Lunar Innovation Platform) rover built by California-based Astrolab — the mission’s marquee scientific platform.

FLIP will be integrated onto the lander in Florida ahead of launch, after the lander itself completes environmental testing at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, where it is scheduled to arrive next week.

Payloads already integrated onto the lander include Astrobotic’s own BEACON CubeRover, developed in coordination with Mission Control Space Services, and the European Space Agency’s LandCam-X — a camera system designed to improve the precision and reliability of lunar landings for future missions.

Among the smaller cultural payloads: a plaque from the Nippon Travel Agency carrying messages from children in Japan; the Galactic Library to Preserve Humanity from Nanofiche, a micro-miniaturized archive of literature and art; and a MoonBox capsule delivering items from around the world on micro SD cards.

“So, this is going to be chock full of interesting science and data that’s going to be coming back from the moon, and some of the best imagery we have seen yet coming back from the surface,” Thornton said.

The CLPS program’s evolving ambition

Griffin-1 is being delivered under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which contracts private companies to provide lunar delivery services in support of the Artemis program. Peregrine Mission One — which failed before reaching the Moon — was the program’s debut flight. Griffin represents CLPS’s second attempt and its most ambitious manifestation to date.

The mission targets the lunar south pole region — the same area where NASA plans to concentrate its base-building activities — making Griffin-1 not just a commercial delivery vehicle, but a direct precursor to crewed surface operations planned for later in the decade as the agency builds the infrastructure needed for sustained human presence on the Moon.