NASA demonstrates space navigation using X-rays for 1st time
In a first, NASA has demonstrated fully autonomous X-ray navigation in space, which could help pilot robotic spacecraft beyond the Solar System. The SEXTANT experiment showed pulsars (rotating neutron stars) could be used to track fast-moving objects in space, like GPS satellites. Using X-rays from four pulsars, engineers located a satellite orbiting Earth at 17,500 mph within a 10-mile radius.