Weighing in at just about 160 kg (around 353 lbs), a new type of scientific satellite is planned to be built in Israel over the next four years, with a projected launch date of 2023. The satellite, known as ULTRASAT, will carry a telescope designed to observe the universe as it has never been seen before. The satellite will operate in a range of light that is normally invisible to us – ultraviolet, or UV – and have a very large field of view.
August 12, 2019
The Times of Israel reports on ULTRASAT, the new ultra-light satellite that will use the UV light range to gain novel insight into elements such as black holes. Weizmann’s Prof. Eli Waxman heads the project, and says that it will help answer “some of the big questions in astrophysics.”
August 12, 2019
As Xinhua news agency reports, Weizmann archaeologists used a new method to date water found in a reservoir in a Negev “fossil aquifer,” showing that it is orders of magnitude older than previous tests showed.
August 05, 2019
Haaretz profiles Dr. Hagar Landsman-Peles, a particle physicist who is part of the search for dark matter – and is skilled at explaining what that means.
August 01, 2019
Meet Dr. Efi Efrati, a member of the Department of Physics of Complex Systems. Dr. Efrati speaks about his research on “geometric frustration,” a physical state that could help us understand a host of phenomena—from the behavior of plastics to how living tissue remodels itself. His work may lead to the design of new materials, improved surgical procedures, and more. Find out why Dr. Efrati believes the Weizmann Institute is “the best place to do science in Israel … perhaps in the world.”
An international team, including Weizmann astrophysicists, has shown that a red sun “only” 12 light years away has two planets that may be in the “inhabitable zone,” thus supporting life. The Jerusalem Post reports.
June 19, 2019
Israel’s lunar lander – which Weizmann has been helping develop – is en route to the Moon. The XPRIZE Foundation, “inspired” by the effort, has announced creation of a new “Moonshot Award,” which the SpaceIL team will receive upon a successful landing.
March 28, 2019
A team of scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science and SpaceIL engineers have identified the site for Israel's Beresheet spacecraft's lunar landing. According to a release disseminated by the Weizmann Institute, the chosen site was selected by Prof. Oded Aharonson of the Weizmann Institute and Prof. Jim Head of Brown University. It is located in the northeastern part of Mare Serenitatis, a few hundreds of miles east of the Apollo 15 landing site and a similar distance northwest from the Apollo 17 site.
March 19, 2019
The main scientific instrument on board the Israeli Beresheet spacecraft, the SpaceIL Magnetometer (SILMAG), has now been successfully turned on in space and data returned to Earth. After its successful launch, Beresheet is circling Earth on its journey to the Moon. Prof. Oded Aharonson of the Weizmann Institute of Science is heading the team that is currently analyzing the SILMAG information to evaluate the health and accuracy of the instrument in space, as well as recording the magnetic signature of the spacecraft itself, which will then be subtracted from the measurements made on the Moon.
March 17, 2019
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