Science Saturday: China sky eye, EU space race, Japanese satellite and nuclear-contaminated wastewater

China Sky Eye

The world's largest neutral hydrogen catalog in deep space was built. Chinese scientists created this project with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), or China Sky Eye.

The data, which contained more than 41,000 H1 sources, covers about 35 percent of the total sky.

Hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, is a key component of galaxies.

Experts said the data will help them understand several astrophysical issues, like the possible properties of dark matter, faint unknown galaxies and cosmic structure and evolution.

Space race

Europe joins the space race with other big players. It's seeking final offers for a six billion euro satellite constellation, which will compete with Elon Musk's Starlink and Jeff Bezos' Kuiper.

The project, IRIS-2, has an array of up to 170 satellites that will secure communications for European Union governments and open new commercial broadband services to under-served areas between 2025 and 2027.

However, authorities said red tape might make the system outdated even before it's launched.

Rocket lab launch

California-based Rocket Lab successfully launched a Japanese satellite on December 15.

The Electron rocket carried a TSUKU-YOMI-I satellite, which is designed to gather images of the Earth using synthetic-aperture radar, into orbit last week on behalf of a Japanese startup.

The launch is the first for Electron after a failure in September during a launch of another radar imaging satellite.

Rocket Lab said the successful launch cements Electron's position as the leading small launch vehicle globally.

Fukushima nuclear-contaminated wastewater

High levels of radiation have been found in the nose of a worker at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The plant operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), said the worker is believed to have removed his full-face mask, which was possibly exposed to radioactive materials, upon completion of his work.

The TEPCO disclosed that the worker didn't experience any adverse health-related effects and there were no signs of internal contamination.

The incident, which follows a similar occurrence three months ago, highlights the ongoing risks associated with the cleanup efforts at the facility that was crippled in 2011.