Week in images: 07 - 11 June 2021

Discover our week through the lens

Image: Moons of the giant planets

Image: New physical probes of the early Universe

ESA’s large-class science missions for the timeframe 2035-2050 will focus on moons of the giant Solar System planets, temperate exoplanets or the galactic ecosystem, and new physical probes of the early Universe.

Chongqing, the largest municipality in China, is featured in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image.

Washington DC (SPX) Jun 11, 2021
On June 10, 2021, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced the selection of EnVision as its newest medium-class science mission. EnVision will make detailed observations of Venus to understand its history and especially understand the connections between the atmosphere and geologic processes. As a key partner in the mission, NASA provides the Synthetic Aperture Radar, called VenSAR, to make hig

Philadelphia PA (SPX) Jun 11, 2021
Researchers from Penn's Department of Physics and Astronomy have developed a new method for better understanding the relationship between a star's chemical composition and planet formation. The study was led by recent graduate Jacob Nibauer for his senior thesis with Bhuvnesh Jain and was co-supervised by former Penn postdoc Eric Baxter. The researchers found that the majority of stars in

Oslo, Norway (SPX) Jun 11, 2021
Intuitive Machines (IM) has entered a long-term agreement with Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) where KSAT will support every stage of IM's missions to the Moon, from launch and early operations, through transit, including lunar operations. IM will use KSAT services for its 2022 IM-1 mission to the Moon, and future missions. "Our first mission has a very unique orbit for the first 24 ho

Washington DC (SPX) Jun 11, 2021
As NASA continues plans for multiple commercial deliveries to the Moon's surface per year, the agency has selected three new scientific investigation payload suites to advance understanding of Earth's nearest neighbor. Two of the payload suites will land on the far side of the Moon, a first for NASA. All three investigations will receive rides to the lunar surface as part of NASA's Commercial Lu