Copernical Team
NASA study reveals comprehensive global river water accounting
NASA has spearheaded a significant study that recalibrates our understanding of global river water volumes, offering new estimates on river flow and storage vital for managing the Earth's freshwater resources. The research, detailed in Nature Geoscience, employs an innovative methodology merging traditional stream-gauge readings with advanced computer simulations across approximately 3 million r
Spire Global to supply AI-Enhanced Weather Predictions to Financial Sector
Spire Global has finalized a significant agreement with a financial firm to deliver advanced weather forecasting solutions. The deal involves supplying a high-resolution weather forecast model with a six-day outlook, enhanced by unique data sourced from space, and the development of an AI-driven model for extended-range forecasts. The collaboration will extend Spire's recent partnership wi
NASA's ORCA, AirHARP Projects Paved Way for PACE to Reach Space
It took the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission just 13 minutes to reach low-Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in February 2024. It took a network of scientists at NASA and research institutions around the world more than 20 years to carefully craft and test the novel instruments that allow PACE to study the ocean and atmosphere with unprecedented clarity.
NASA uses small engine to enhance sustainable jet research
Located inside a high-tech NASA laboratory in Cleveland is something you could almost miss at first glance: a small-scale, fully operational jet engine to test new technology that could make aviation more sustainable. The engine's smaller size and modestly equipped test stand means researchers and engineers can try out newly designed engine components less expensively compared to using a m
Shenzhou XVII astronauts safely back from Tiangong space station
The crew of Shenzhou XVII has successfully returned to Earth after a six-month tenure aboard the Tiangong space station, marking the conclusion of their extensive orbital mission. The crew's spacecraft, Shenzhou XVII, landed its reentry capsule in the Gobi Desert at the Dongfeng Landing Site in Inner Mongolia at precisely 5:46 pm following a nine-hour return journey. Upon landing, th
Satellite Deployment and Orbital Risks Increase Amid Growing Space Congestion
Slingshot Aerospace, Inc., a leader in AI-powered solutions for satellite tracking, space traffic coordination, and space modeling and simulation, has released its first State of Satellite Deployments and Orbital Operations report. The report draws on data from the Slingshot Seradata satellite and launch database and is the result of analyses by Slingshot Seradata analysts and the Slingshot Aero
NASA's Cube Quest Challenge Stimulates Innovation in Space Thruster Technology
NASA encourages public participation in space technology development through its Cube Quest Challenge, launched in 2015 with a $5 million prize pool. This initiative aims to foster the creation of small satellites, or CubeSats, equipped for deep space missions by university and private groups. The competition unfolds in two phases: design and construction of CubeSats capable of orbit opera
World's highest observatory explores the universe
In the quest to unravel the mysteries of planetary formation, galaxy evolution, and the origins of the universe itself, a pioneering astronomical observatory commences its exploration on April 30, 2024. Sitting atop a desert mountain in northern Chile at an altitude of 5,640 meters, the University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory (TAO) emerges as the world's highest astronomical observatory, o
NASA's Solar Sail Mission Successfully Phones Home
NASA's Advanced Composite Solar Sail System has now connected with ground operators following its April 23 launch aboard Rocket Lab's Electron rocket. The satellite is on its way to testing next-generation solar sail technology, which uses the power of sunlight to propel a spacecraft. The results from this mission will advance future space travel to expand our understanding of our Sun and solar
Gateway progresses: Artemis IV readies for lunar assembly
The Artemis IV mission is advancing with key components for Gateway, set to be humanity's first orbiting lunar space station, being prepared in Turin, Italy. NASA is gearing up to launch the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO), depicted in the image's background, and the Power and Propulsion Element to lunar orbit as initial parts of Gateway. These components will precede the Artemis I