Copernical Team
Webb detects most distant black hole merger to date
Write a comment
An international team of astronomers have used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to find evidence for an ongoing merger of two galaxies and their massive black holes when the Universe was only 740 million years old. This marks the most distant detection of a black hole merger ever obtained and the first time that this phenomenon has been detected so early in the Universe.
Huge Survey vs. Tiny Space Junk
Write a comment
As construction continues on the Vera Rubin Observatory, the skies above its mountaintop home grow more and more crowded following every rocket launch. Astronomers, conscious of the plans for mega-constellations of new satellites in the next few years, are rightfully worried: will these satellites and the tiny bits of debris that come with every deployment and collision affect the new telescope' Iridium-Connected Drones Receive FAA BVLOS Waiver
Write a comment
Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: IRDM), a global provider of voice and data satellite communications, announced a significant development for uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations. American Aerospace Technologies, Inc. (AATI), an Iridium partner, received a unique waiver from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct UAS surveillance of ATT and AST SpaceMobile Sign Agreement for Satellite Broadband Network
Write a comment
ATT and AST SpaceMobile have finalized a commercial agreement to create a space-based broadband network for cell phones, effective until 2030. Previously, the companies collaborated under a Memorandum of Understanding. This marks significant progress towards improved connectivity for consumers and businesses nationwide.
This summer, AST SpaceMobile plans to launch its first commercial sate Newly discovered Earth-sized planet may lack an atmosphere
Write a comment
Astronomers at MIT, the University of Liege, and elsewhere have discovered a new planet orbiting a small cold star, a mere 55 light years away. The nearby planet is similar to Earth in its size and rocky composition, though that's where the similarities end. Because this new world is likely missing an atmosphere.
In a paper appearing in Nature Astronomy, the researchers confirm the detecti Earth-sized planet discovered orbiting ultra-cool red dwarf star
Write a comment
An international team of astronomers has detected a new Earth-sized planet orbiting an ultra-cool red dwarf star, located 55 light years away.
The planet, named SPECULOOS-3 b, is the second of its kind discovered around this type of star. It completes an orbit of the star in about 17 hours. The star is more than twice as cold as our sun and significantly less massive and luminous.
SP NASA's Juno captures detailed images of Europa's surface
Write a comment
NASA's Juno spacecraft has provided high-definition images of Jupiter's moon Europa, supporting the theory that the icy crust at the poles has shifted. A new image shows signs of potential plume activity and ice shell disruption.
The findings were published in the Planetary Science Journal and JGR Planets.
On September 29, 2022, Juno flew within 220 miles of Europa's surface, capturi Boeing Starliner launch delayed to Tuesday due to helium leak
Write a comment
Boeing's Starliner flight to the International Space Station was delayed again due to a helium leak.
NASA, Boeing and the United Launch Alliance said in a statemen Tuesday that the launch date will now come no earlier than Tuesday at 4:43 p.m. EDT.
"Starliner teams are working to resolve a small helium leak detected in the spacecraft's service module traced to a flange on a singl SpaceX plans to launch 90 rockets from Vandenberg Space Force Base by 2026: Could that harm the coast?
Write a comment
SpaceX plans to launch 90 rockets into space from a Santa Barbara County military base by 2026, tripling the number of blasts rocking the coastal community—and raising concerns from neighbors and environmental groups about the effects on marine life.
Owned by billionaire Elon Musk, SpaceX has ramped up the number of rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base in recent years, and it has made clear its desire to increase the frequency of blasts-offs. But during a California Coastal Commission hearing, U.S. Space Force officials outlined for the first time its own plans to multiply the number of launches from the base, from 37 in 2023 to more than 120 a year by 2026.
The overwhelming majority of those rocket blasts would be conducted by SpaceX, which has already done more launches from the base than the commission has approved.
Last year SpaceX breached an agreement with the commission that limited the number of launches to six, sending 28 rockets into space. It is currently seeking an agreement with the commission to do 36 launches a year, increasing to 90 in 2026.
Robotic 'superlimbs' could help moonwalkers recover from falls
Write a comment
Need a moment of levity? Try watching videos of astronauts falling on the moon. NASA's outtakes of Apollo astronauts tripping and stumbling as they bounce in slow motion are delightfully relatable.
For MIT engineers, the lunar bloopers also highlight an opportunity to innovate.