Copernical Team
EXPLAINER: Veteran Hubble vs. new Webb space telescope
Don't ask astronomers to choose between the Hubble Space Telescope and the new kid on the cosmic block, the James Webb Space Telescope.
Webb on Ariane 5 roll-out to the launch pad
On Thursday 23 December, the James Webb Space Telescope, safely stowed inside the fairing of ESA’s Ariane 5 launch vehicle, left the final assembly building for roll-out to the launch pad at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
Webb mission trailer
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Webb is the next great space science observatory following Hubble, designed to answer outstanding questions about the Universe and to make breakthrough discoveries in all fields of astronomy. Webb will see farther into our origins – from the formation of stars and planets, to the birth of the first galaxies in the early Universe.
The telescope will launch on an Ariane 5 from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.
Webb is an international partnership between NASA, ESA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
Find out more about Webb in ESA’s launch kit and interactive brochure.
Testing radar to peer into Jupiter's moons
A 1:18 scale model of Juice, ESA's spacecraft to explore the Jupiter system, is being employed to test its radar antenna.
The working version of the RIME instrument (Radar for Icy Moons Exploration), incorporating a 16-m long version of the straight 'dipole' boom seen here under the model spacecraft, will probe up to 9 km deep under the surfaces of the gas giant's main "Galilean' moons.
The testing took place in ESA's Hertz (Hybrid European RF and Antenna Test Zone) chamber based at ESA's ESTEC technical heart in the Netherlands.
Metal walls screen outside radio signals, while spiky foam interior cladding absorbs radio signals internally to create conditions simulating the infinite void of space.
This chamber's hybrid nature makes it unique: Hertz can assess radio signals from antennas either on a local 'near-field' basis or as if the signal has crossed thousands of kilometers of space, allowing it to serve all kinds of satellites and antenna systems.
A scaled model of the #JUICE Radar antenna is under characterization test @TestCentre.
Link to Webb launch kit
Webb launch kit
Interactive infographics and background information to prepare for Webb's launch
DARPA Announces Forecasting Floats in Turbulence Challenge Winners
The mystery of knowing where the proverbial message in a bottle thrown overboard in the open sea will eventually wash ashore has not been solved. But DARPA's recent Forecasting Floats in Turbulence (FFT) challenge took an exploratory first step toward trying to understand the turbulent convergence of wind, waves, and currents on the surface of the ocean - and its effect on objects floating at se L3Harris Completes Delivery of Imagers for NOAA's Advanced Environmental Satellites
L3Harris Technologies has delivered its fourth imager to NASA, completing the series of advanced weather sensors for NOAA's newest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) and lays the groundwork for future imager programs.
The fourth Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) will be integrated into the GOES-U satellite, slated to launch in 2024, and will be operated by NOAA.
T Deadliest period in Earth's history was also the stinkiest
Tiny microbes belching toxic gas helped cause - and prolong - the biggest mass extinction in Earth's history, a new study suggests. Generally, scientists believe Siberian volcanos spitting greenhouse gases primarily drove the mass extinction event about 250 million years ago, at the end of the Permian period. The gases caused extreme warming, which in turn led 80% of all marine species, as well On they march as China records 401st flight of Long March rocket family
China launched a relay satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern China early on Tuesday morning, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the nation's major space contractor.
A Long March 3B carrier rocket blasted off at 0:09 am and then deployed the Tianlian II-02 satellite into orbit, the State-owned company said in a statement. The mission marke Kepler Communications announces testing of Aether Network with Spire Global
Kepler Communications has signed a contract with Spire Global to launch a test of Kepler's Aether network. This will serve as an initial test bed for Kepler's Aether service and will also help Spire evaluate how the technology can support its goal to collect accurate, timely and global data.
Announced at Satellite 2021, Aether is the fulfilment of Kepler's mission to enable the space econo