Global Stocktake: how space drives climate action
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Almost 200 countries are gathering in Dubai to attend the biggest climate event of the year. COP28 – the 2023 United Nations climate change summit – isn’t just another conference though. For the first time, country representatives will assess the progress they’ve made towards cutting their greenhouse gas emissions through a process called the ‘global stocktake’.
Satellites are critical in the quest to tackle climate change as they give the robustness and transparency needed to monitor progress towards a lower-emissions and more resilient world. If undertaken effectively, the global stocktake can provide an opportunity to leverage decisions and
Ariane 6 launch animation
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Animation of the first launch of the Ariane 6 rocket with two boosters.
Ariane 6 is an all-new design, created to succeed Ariane 5 as Europe's heavy-lift launch system. With Ariane 6's upper stage and its reignitable Vinci engine, Europe's launch capability will be tailored to the needs of multiple payloads, for example to orbit satellite constellations. This autonomous capability to reach Earth orbit and deep space supports Europe's navigation, Earth observation, scientific and security programmes. Ongoing development of Europe's space transportation capabilities is made possible by the sustained dedication of thousands of talented people working in ESA's
Webb study reveals rocky planets can form in extreme environments
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An international team of astronomers have used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to provide the first observation of water and other molecules in the inner, rocky-planet-forming regions of a disc in one of the most extreme environments in our galaxy.
First launch of Europe's Ariane 6 rocket planned for June-July
Thursday, 30 November 2023 13:44
The European Space Agency announced on Thursday that the long-delayed first launch of its next-generation Ariane 6 rocket will take place between June 15 and July 31 next year.
The rocket launcher system was initially planned to blast off in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic and repeated technical issues have kept it on the ground, depriving Europe of an independent way to send heavy missions into space.
ESA chief Josef Aschbacher told a press conference that the announcement of the 2024 launch date range came after the "complete success" of a dress rehearsal at Europe's spaceport in French Guiana last week.
That test involved firing up the launcher's Vulcain 2.1 engine and running it for more than seven minutes.
Aschbacher said it was a "good day" for European space efforts, adding that a more precise launch date is expected to be announced in March or April 2024.
Shaking it up for Gateway
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The structural model of the communications system that ESA is supplying for NASA’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) on the Gateway recently completed a vibrations test to check it will withstand the intense shaking during the launch.
The HALO Lunar Communication System (HLCS) is an advanced piece of technology that will enable communication between the upcoming lunar space station, the Gateway, and satellites and rovers around and on the Moon.
In October, the structural model of the main box of HLCS completed a critical mechanical qualification test. This included a vibration test, which checks that the system can endure vibration levels
Hera asteroid mission, shaken not stirred
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Space Team Europe for Euclid: Laurent Brouard
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Focus on Euclid with Laurent Brouard: “I’m going to show you what a telescope that we send into space looks like.”
Laurent Brouard, Project Manager at Airbus Defence and Space, was responsible for building the Euclid payload module (PLM).
In this interview, which took place in a clean room at the Airbus premises in Toulouse, he describes with words, gestures, and the Euclid PLM structural and thermal model how Euclid works.
Did you know that Euclid sees the same part of the sky at the same time in both the infrared and visible wavelengths? Or that in space radiators
First launch of Europe's Ariane 6 rocket planned for mid-2024
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Tata and Satellogic sign deal to build LEO satellites in India
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Firefly Aerospace completes first Miranda Engine hot fire test
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Framatome partners with USNC to produce fuel for Micro-Modular Reactors
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Macao science satellites begin study of South Atlantic Anomaly
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Minimalist or maximalist? The life of a microbe a mile underground
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