The Open University

Euclid space mission reveals first piece of its map of the Universe

15 October 2024

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Euclid mission, supported by UK scientists at The Open University (OU) has unveiled new stunning images of stars and galaxies, forming the first section of its cosmic atlas. This first chunk of the map, which is a huge mosaic of 208 gigapixels, was revealed today at the International Astronautical Congress […]

New Clues from Asteroid Ryugu reveal how Earth became a habitable planet

26 September 2024

Open University scientists Professor Ian Franchi and Dr Richard Greenwood have played a key role in new research that reveals clues about how Earth became a planet capable of supporting life. The study, published in Nature Astronomy, reveals that phosphorus-rich compounds discovered in samples from Asteroid Ryugu could have played a vital role in making […]

OU academic discovers potential breakthrough in battle against antibiotic resistance in relation to superbug MRSA

23 September 2024

An academic from The Open University (OU) has uncovered a potential breakthrough in the prevention of antibiotic resistance in relation to MRSA, and other hospital pathogens, in an unlikely source – a historic brine bath in Droitwich Spa. Dr Michael Macey, a lecturer at the OU and specialist in extremophiles (organisms that thrive in extreme […]

The OU’s Centre for Electronic Imaging celebrates its 20th anniversary

9 September 2024

On the 4th September 2024, The Centre for Electronic Imaging (CEI) held an event at the OU to mark two decades of pioneering research and development in advanced electronic image sensing technologies. The CEI is a unique industrial/academic partnership between Teledyne-e2v and the Open University. Based at the OU since 2008, the CEI has grown […]

BepiColombo’s most astounding images yet highlight fourth Mercury flyby

5 September 2024

The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission has successfully completed its fourth of six gravity assist flybys at Mercury overnight on 4/5 September, capturing images that include two special impact craters as it uses the planet’s gravity to steer itself on course to enter orbit around Mercury in November 2026. The closest approach took place at 22:48 BST […]

OU to host The Business Agility Conference UK

5 September 2024

This September, The Open University (OU) is to host an in-person event at its campus, Walton Hall in Milton Keynes, focusing on business agility and the theme of ‘Leading through Complexity’. The Business Agility Conference UK is a collaboration between the OU, The Business Agility Institute UK and The Cynefin Company. Pre-conference workshops are taking […]

Mini lab designed by OU scientists secures NASA ride to the Moon

30 August 2024

A miniaturised laboratory created at The Open University (OU) will fly to the lunar South Polar region in the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Prospect package in search of volatiles, including water ice, as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. NASA has selected the commercial vendor for this flight opportunity in the 2027-2028 timeframe […]

Unravelling the Mysteries of a Gassy Space Rock: Phaethon’s Dual Nature

28 August 2024

Phaethon is a celestial body that defies definition. It isn’t quite an asteroid but isn’t exactly a comet either. It has properties of both bodies, being rocky in composition – a trait of asteroids but behaving like comet because of gas emission and dust release as it nears the Sun. This curious mix of characteristics—part […]

The JUICE spacecraft buzzes the Earth-Moon tower in world’s first dual flyby on its way to Jupiter

27 August 2024

Space researchers from the Open University Atmospheric Research and Surface Exploration group, led by Prof. Manish Patel, and the Centre for Electronic Imaging, watched in trepidation as the Jupiter and Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) spacecraft flew back past the Moon and the Earth on its long voyage to Jupiter. In a world-first space manoeuvre, JUICE […]