Copernical Team
The Mars Sample Return mission is starting to look expensive
Getting to space is hard. It's even more hard to do new and interesting things in space. And when projects get hard, that usually means they cost more money. That is certainly the case for one of the most anticipated missions on NASA's current docket—the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission. And it's not looking like it's going to get any easier anytime soon.
A recent report from Casey Dreier, the Planetary Society's Chief of Space Policy, looks at some of the challenges the mission faces. Arguably, the mission itself has already started, with Perseverance busily capturing, analyzing, and then dropping off samples to be returned to the laboratories on Earth. But three other main mission components still need to be completed for those samples ever to see the light of day (or the light of a sealed laboratory chamber) on Earth.
NASA is responsible for two of those components—the Sample Return Lander (SLR) and the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV). Each is appropriately named, as the SLR is designed to land, collect the samples that Perseverance has been collecting, and then return them to the MAV.
Italian researchers reach the edge of space flying aboard Virgin Galactic's rocket-powered plane
Virgin Galactic launches first commercial spaceflight
Virgin Galactic successfully commenced commercial spaceflights on Thursday, marking a major milestone for the company founded in 2004 by British billionaire Richard Branson.
Its inaugural customers were a three-member crew from the Italian Air Force and National Research Council of Italy, alongside a Virgin Galactic astronaut instructor occupying the fourth seat.
Named Galactic 01, t Media session from ESA’s 316th Council in Sweden
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Watch the replay of the media briefing following the 316th ESA Council which takes place on 28 and 29 June in Stockholm. ESA Council Chair Anna Rathsman (Sweden) and ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher will share the outcome of the meeting and provide an update on the launch of new ESA Earth observation missions, upcoming astronaut missions, the Space Summit planned for 6-7 November 2023 in Sevilla (Spain), as well as the decision on the public release of official ESA documents.
Developing future space experiment platforms for astrobiology and astrochemistry
The long history and bright future of space sample deliveries
When NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft releases a capsule with material from asteroid Bennu onto the Utah desert on Sept. 24, it will become the latest in a line of missions to gather samples from space and deliver them to Earth. Collecting material from space is a challenging feat that requires teams of dedicated scientists and engineers, innovative technology, and patience. But the scientific breakthroughs these samples unlock make the effort worthwhile as we attempt to understand the origins of our planet and the life that thrives here.
Euclid space telescope to shed light on the darkness
On 1 July, the Euclid space telescope will start its journey into outer space on an important mission—to seek further clues about the origin of the universe. UZH researchers are involved in the scientific preparation and evaluation of the mission as part of a project led by the European Space Agency (ESA).
Shining stars, mysterious nebulae and faraway galaxies—images from space fire our imagination and spark fantasies about extraterrestrial life. But the visible matter known to researchers is actually only around 5% of the universe; 95% of the universe is a proverbial black box. Two invisible factors—called dark matter and dark energy—influence the arrangement of objects in space and the expansion of the universe.
Students to solve exploration challenges with ESA
An exciting initiative based at ESA’s facility in the UK will give student researchers the opportunity to quickly investigate key challenges associated with space exploration.
Spacesuit design: Flavio Gentile
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Spacesuit design: Flavio Gentile Euclid: Ready for launch
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ESA’s Euclid space telescope is nearly ready for launch. The spacecraft arrived in Florida on 30 April for final tests and checks, and now being integrated with the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will carry it into space.
For the team at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, this means that the most intense phase of their work is about to begin. To prepare themselves, the team has simulated the launch operations, tackling issues ranging from team members falling ill to a computer mouse being taped over.
Euclid is ESA’s space telescope designed to explore the