* Astronomy

A "star wars" inspired defence shield that will alert the US to the launch of ballistic missiles is expected to be operational from a North Yorkshire airbase before the end of the year.
The Space Based Infrared System is seen as the successor to Ronald Reagan's unrealised "star wars" programme, which would have detected Soviet missiles and shot them down using lasers.
The new system, which has cost more than $10bn, has taken almost two decades to build and has been subject to numerous delays and cost overruns.
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