Copernical Team
Rocket on the move – Ariane 6 upper stage transport timelapse
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A timelapse of the upper stage for the first Ariane 6 rocket as it left the ArianeGroup assembly hall in Bremen, Germany on 31 January 2024.
The upper stages for Ariane 6 are assembled in Bremen where the fuel tanks, Vinci engine and unique Auxiliary Power Unit are assembled to provide fuel, pressure, electricity and propulsion to put satellites into their required orbit.
The upper and main stage form the central core of Ariane 6 and are transported to Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana by ship. The two stages are connected horizontally at before being transport the final few
Ariane 6 transport ship docking
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00:00:53
The upper stage and main stage for the first Ariane 6 launch arrived at the port of Pariacabo in Kourou, French Guiana on the novel ship, Canopée (canopy in French) on 22 February 2024. It is the first custom-built transporter to use sails, reducing emissions and saving on fuel by up to 30%, and on this trip, it has travelled for 10 days covering over 7000 km.
The hybrid-propulsion vessel is 121 m long and has 37 m tall sails. Canopée rotates continuously between stop-offs to load each Ariane 6 stage and other parts and ship them across
15th satnav summer school open for registrations
Are you a researcher in the field of satellite navigation? Register now for this year’s ESA-JRC International Summer School on Global Navigation Satellite Systems, taking place in Slovenia in July, to learn from top-notch experts and expand your network.
GENESIS mission patch
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GENESIS mission patch 
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Grip on Mars Virtual Reality for body and mind
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ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen explains how two experiments involving virtual reality makes on International Space Station. The first is Virtual Assistance Mental Balance (VAMB) where Andreas gets to enjoy a calm setting in nature that helps him relax. The second one is VR for Exercise, where he cycles on the Space Station’s exercise bike and through different bike routes in Denmark on the VR headset, which has quickly become a favourite for Andreas.
Penn State scientists say dwarf galaxies were among earliest universe starlight
Penn State University researchers said in a study Wednesday that working with the James Webb Space Telescope they found the first full spectra of tiny galaxies, revealing some of the earliest starlight in the universe.
Scientists said it's the clearest picture yet of tiny galaxies created less than a billion years after the Big Bang. The study published in the journal Nature suggests th Cosmic lighthouses that cleared primordial fog identified with JWST
Scientists working with data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have obtained the first full spectra of some of the earliest starlight in the universe. The images provide the clearest picture yet of very low-mass, newborn galaxies, created less than a billion years after the Big Bang, and suggest the tiny galaxies are central to the cosmic origin story.
The international team of Hold on to your atmospheres: how planet size affects atmospheric escape
Which planets are most likely to lose their atmospheres? New research finds a surprising relationship between planet size and atmospheric escape and suggests that the smallest planets aren't losing their atmospheres the fastest.
Don't panic, but Earth is slowly losing its atmosphere - very slowly, at a rate so small that the Sun will balloon into a red giant and engulf our planet long befo