Reuters Science News Summary

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Scientists make potential ​breakthrough in search for dark matter

Scientists have made ​a possible breakthrough in the hunt ‌for dark matter — ​observing hints of it during an experiment about a mile (1.6 km) underground in South Dakota — though they stopped short of saying they have finally detected ‌this elusive cosmic component. The researchers described a particle interaction documented at the Sanford Underground Research Facility — built in a former gold mine in the state's Black Hills region — that may have involved a hypothesized particle called a WIMP, short for "weakly ‌interacting massive particle." This is one of the proposed candidates for being a dark matter particle.

US, China arm ‌for space warfare: hunter satellites and orbital weapons

In June, a secretive unmanned Chinese spaceplane closely monitored by U.S. military analysts released a small satellite hundreds of miles above Earth in an orbital region crowded with commercial and military satellites. The object then looped around another ⁠Chinese satellite ​before returning towards the spaceplane, ⁠according to U.S. space-tracking firm LeoLabs. Little is known about the satellite or the mission. But the U.S. military operates a similarly secretive ⁠spaceplane resembling a small shuttle, also with no crew. Both programs reflect the rapidly evolving field of military space operations as ​Beijing and Washington prepare for the possibility of conflict extending into space, according to a Reuters review ⁠of documents, space-tracking data and interviews with current and former military officials.

Spain's PLD Space adds $125 million to its latest funding round

Aerospace engineering firm PLD ⁠Space ​said on Tuesday it had extended its equity funding round by €108 million ($125 million), bringing the round's total to €288 million. The company's cumulative funding stands at €488 million, as it seeks to boost its capacity to launch rockets into ⁠space.

Europe may accelerate space launches to meet satellite demand

The European Space Agency is considering increasing the launch rate of its ⁠Ariane 6 and Vega-C ⁠rockets in the coming years to overcome a potential bottleneck in satellite deployments, the agency's chief said on Wednesday. Director General Josef Aschbacher told reporters that a decision would ‌be needed soon if ‌forecasts of a sharp rise in demand, expected to peak ​around 2030, prove accurate.