Copernical Team
Vega-C: Stacked and ready to launch
Video:
00:01:48
ESA’s newest launcher stands nearly 35m tall when its four stages and payload are fully stacked. For its inaugural flight, VV21, the main payload is LARES-2, a scientific mission of the Italian space agency, ASI.
NASA's head warned that China may try to claim the moon. Two space scholars explain why that's unlikely to happen
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson recently expressed concerns over China's aims in space, and in particular, that China would, in some way, claim ownership over the moon and stop other countries from exploring it. In an interview with a German newspaper, Nelson cautioned, "We must be very concerned that China is landing on the moon and saying: "It's ours now and you stay out." China immediately denounced the claims as a "lie."
This spat between the administrator of NASA and Chinese government officials comes at a time when both nations are actively working on missions to the moon—and China has not been shy about its lunar aspirations.
In 2019, China became the first country to land a spacecraft on the far side of the moon.
EXPLAINER: When is Manhattanhenge? Where can you see it?
![EXPLAINER: When is Manhattanhenge? Where can you see it?](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2022/explainer-when-is-manh.jpg "The sun sets along 42nd Street in Manhattan during an annual phenomenon known as "Manhattanhenge," when the sun aligns perfectly with the city's transit grid, Wednesday, May 29, 2013, in New York. There's still time to catch Manhattanhenge, when the setting sun aligns with the Manhattan street grid and bathes the urban canyons in a rosy glow. The last two Manhattanhenge sunsets of 2022 are Monday and Tuesday, July 11-12. Credit: AP Photo/John Minchillo, File")
There's another chance to catch a supermoon on Wednesday
Excitement builds as Biden to release first image from Webb telescope
US President Joe Biden will Monday release one of the first images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope, the most powerful observatory ever sent into orbit and a leap forward in uncovering the secrets of the distant universe.
The unveiling will take place at 5:00 pm (2100 GMT) during a livestreamed event at the White House, official statements said, leaving the space community in a state of keen anticipation.
NASA revealed last week Webb's first targets included distant galaxies, bright nebulae and a faraway giant gas planet.
To Sicily and beyond: ESA, partners debate future of space transportation
How can Europe exploit its technical, industrial and financial strengths to ensure it remains a leader in space transportation in the 2030s and beyond? How can ESA, Europe’s national space agencies and institutions, and both established and new industrial partners better co-ordinate their efforts to meet global competition that demands innovation and cost-reduction?
These were just a few of the questions discussed during an ESA-hosted roundtable conference held on 27-28 June in Palermo, Sicily. The event, called “Shared Vision for the Future of Space Transportation in Europe”, saw more than 100 representatives of Europe’s space sector discuss the technical and
The James Webb Space Telescope, by the numbers
The most powerful space telescope ever built, James Webb is set to deliver its first full-color scientific images to the world Tuesday.
Here is an overview of this feat of human ingenuity, in five key figures.
More than 21 feet
The centerpiece of the observatory is its huge main mirror, measuring more than 21 feet (6.5 meters) in diameter and made up of 18 smaller, hexagonal-shaped mirrors.
The observatory also has four scientific instruments: cameras to take pictures of the cosmos, and spectrographs, which break down light to study which elements and molecules make up objects.
NASA Helps Decipher How Some Distant Planets Have Clouds of Sand
A new study using archival observations by the now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope found a common trait among distant worlds where the exotic clouds form.
Most clouds on Earth are made of water, but beyond our planet they come in many chemical varieties. The top of Jupiter's atmosphere, for example, is blanketed in yellow-hued clouds made of ammonia and ammonium hydrosulfide. And on worlds Let's go to Mars
Sending humans to Mars has been a dream of scientists and a large part of the population ever since Nicolaus Copernicus first postulated that it was a planet, about 500 years ago. Even before that first Soviet satellite, Sputnik 1, was sent into orbit some 64 years ago, a mission to Mars has been the subject of many science fiction articles and books. Over the past half-century technological adv NASA reveals Webb telescope's first cosmic targets
NASA said Friday the first cosmic images from the James Webb Space Telescope will include unprecedented views of distant galaxies, bright nebulae, and a faraway giant gas planet.
The US, European and Canadian space agencies are gearing up for a big reveal on July 12 of early observations by the $10 billion observatory, the successor to Hubble that is set to reveal new insights into the origi