Copernical Team
Field Tests Help Prepare NASA Tech for Fire Season
Even before the summer's hottest, driest weather has arrived, wildfires have taken a heavy toll in some parts of the U.S. This spring, in collaboration with fire response teams, NASA researchers tested their prototype tools to help make the demanding job of wildland firefighters safer. One element of the solution developed by NASA's Scalable Traffic Management for Emergency Response Operat
Keeping the energy in the room
It may seem like technology advances year after year, as if by magic. But behind every incremental improvement and breakthrough revolution is a team of scientists and engineers hard at work. UC Santa Barbara Professor Ben Mazin is developing precision optical sensors for telescopes and observatories. In a paper published in Physical Review Letters, he and his team improved the spectra reso
NASA's CAPSTONE lunar orbiter leaves Earth orbit
The CAPSTONE orbiter left the low Earth orbit on its way to the moon, NASA said in a statement. The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment is attached to Rocket Lab's Photon upper stage, which maneuvered CAPSTONE into position for its journey to the moon. The Photon engine gradually increased its orbit over six days to 810,000 miles
SatixFy Technology enables first 5G link through a LEO constellation
SatixFy Communications Ltd has announced its critical role in enabling the first ever demonstration of a high-speed, low-latency link with a LEO satellite constellation incorporating 5G. SatixFy has partnered with OneWeb under the ESA Sunrise Partnership Project, with support from the UK Space Agency, to develop a compact electronically steered multi-beam array suitable for mobility servic
Sidus Space marks successful space-qualification of Dhruva space's satellite orbital deployer
Sidus Space, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIDU), a Space-as-a-Service company focused on mission critical hardware manufacturing; multi-disciplinary engineering services; satellite design, production, launch planning, mission operations; and in-orbit support is proud to announce that Dhruva Space's Satellite Orbital Deployer successfully achieved space-qualification on June 30. Dhruva Space's Satellite Or
The futuristic South Pole Telescope looks far back in time
Surveying the cosmos from its isolated position in Antarctica, a collaborative project aims to reveal insights about the universe's beginnings. In summer at the South Pole, which lasts from November through February, the average temperature is a biting minus 18 degrees F. The sun does not set during this time, making sleep a challenge. The environment is harsh and dry. And the Internet connecti
A new method for predicting the 11-year solar cycle strength
The Sun is our superstar, continuously providing our planet with energy, light, and heat, thus making it a very habitable environment for life. However, it is also the source of powerful explosions, which can affect astronauts and modern technologies in space and on Earth. At the beginning of the 17th century, Galileo Galilei dared to direct his telescope to the Sun and discovered sunspots there
Star with the shortest orbital period around black hole discovered
Researchers at the University of Cologne and Masaryk University in Brno (Czech Republic) have discovered the fastest known star, which travels around a black hole in record time. The star, S4716, orbits Sagittarius A*, the black hole in the centre of our Milky Way, in four years and reaches a speed of around 8000 kilometres per second. S4716 comes as close as 100 AU (astronomical unit) to the bl
Update on CAPSTONE communications issue
Following successful deployment and start of spacecraft commissioning on July 4, the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) spacecraft experienced communications issues while in contact with the Deep Space Network. The spacecraft team currently is working to understand the cause and re-establish contact. The team has good trajector
Earth orbit, Moon, Mars: ESA's ambitious roadmap
In a bold vision to secure Europe's role in space exploration and so benefit from the many scientific, economic, and societal rewards, ESA is publicly releasing its new exploration roadmap after its presentation to its Council, the agency's highest ruling body.
Called Terrae Novae 2030+ (Latin for new worlds), the document lays the groundwork for Europe to ensure its leading role in space exploration for future prosperity.
"This new long-term roadmap for exploration is now available to guide decision-makers who will ultimately make the choices on how far to take Europe on the journey of deep-space exploration," says ESA's director of Human and Robotic Exploration, David Parker.
"Terrae Novae is not only literally about exploring new worlds, but by describing the limitless opportunities for discovery, economic growth and inspiration it also expresses our ambitions for Europe's future innovators, scientists and explorers.
"We hope that everyone can use this roadmap to make our three-part vision a reality: to continue a strong presence working in low-Earth orbit, to send the first European astronauts to explore the Moon throughout the 2030s, and to prepare Europe's role in the first historic human voyage to Mars.