Copernical Team
GAO to probe choice of Alabama as Space Command's headquarters
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The Government Accountability Office will open a review of the selection of Huntsville, Ala., as the permanent headquarters of the U.S. Space Command.
The GAO informed Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., of the decision, his office said on Friday.
On Feb. 1, Lamborn was among several bipartisan Colorado legislators who requested an investigation of the decision, announced in the last wee Russia launches more UK telecom satellites into space
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A Soyuz rocket blasted off from the Vostochny cosmodrome in Russia's Far East on Thursday carrying 36 UK telecommunications and internet satellites, the Roscosmos space agency said.
OneWeb, a London-headquartered company, is working to complete the construction of a constellation of low earth orbit satellites providing enhanced broadband and other services to countries around the world.
The company is competing in the race to provide fast internet for the world's remote areas via satellites along with tech billionaire Elon Musk and fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos of Amazon.
Images released by Roscosmos showed the Soyuz rocket taking off against clear blue skies Thursday morning at 0247 GMT.
Roscosmos said in a statement that the launch and separation "took place normally".
"We can confirm our sixth separation is complete. Over half our satellites have now been released!" OneWeb wrote on Twitter.
The UK company plans for its global commercial internet service to be operational by next year, supported by some 650 satellites.
SpaceX launch sends 23rd Starlink communications satellite cluster
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SpaceX launched 60 more Starlink broadband communications satellites before dawn on Wednesday, from Florida.
Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket carrying the satellites occurred at Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The weather was cooperative for the 23rd Starlink mission.
"Deployment of 60 Starlink satellites confirmed," Space tweeted.
"This was the sixth launc Cosmic mouthful: Tasters savor fine wine that orbited Earth
Chandra X-ray data sonification: Stellar, galactic, and black hole
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This latest installment from our data sonification series features three diverse cosmic scenes. In each, astronomical data collected by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes are converted into sounds. Data sonification maps the data from these space-based telescopes into a form that users can hear instead of only see, embodying the data in a new form without changing the original content.
Chandra Deep Field (below)
This is the deepest image ever taken in X-rays, representing over seven million seconds of Chandra observing time. For that reason, and because the observed field is in the southern hemisphere, astronomers call this region the "Chandra Deep Field South". At first glance, this image may appear to be a view of stars. Rather, almost all these different colored dots are black holes or galaxies. Most of the former are supermassive black holes that reside at the centers of galaxies. In this data sonification, the colors dictate the tones as the bar moves from the bottom of the image to the top.
ESA boost for UK space transportation initiatives
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As part of its Boost! programme, ESA has signed two new contracts which support UK-based Orbex and Skyrora in their separate proposals for new commercial launch services for small satellites. These services are set to start in the UK from 2022.
ESA has awarded €7.45 m of co-funding to Orbex and its partners, and €3 m to Skyrora.
Water mission takes on space weather
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For well over a decade, ESA’s SMOS satellite has been delivering a wealth of data to map moisture in soil and salt in the surface waters of the oceans for a better understanding of the processes driving the water cycle. While addressing key scientific questions, this exceptional Earth Explorer has repeatedly surpassed expectations by returning a wide range of unexpected results, often leading to practical applications that improve everyday life. Adding to SMOS’ list of talents, new findings show that what was considered noise in the mission’s data can actually be used to monitor solar activity and
World-leading CubeSat satellites launched
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UNSW Canberra Space's M2 CubeSat satellites successfully launched with Rocket Lab's "They Go Up So Fast' mission from New Zealand earlier today, representing a significant step forward in Australia's sovereign space capabilities.
The M2 mission, a collaboration between UNSW Canberra Space and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), brings together emerging technologies that deliver advanced capabilities in Earth observation, maritime surveillance, and satellite communications.
UNSW Canberra Space Director Professor Russell Boyce said M2 will deliver world-leading CubeSat technologies including formation flying, where the craft is able to split into two separate satellites (M2- A and M2-B) and fly in sequence, enabling significant mission flexibility.
Supporting Australia's space situational awareness, the data captured by M2 can inform maritime surveillance, weather observations and low-orbit satellite traffic. This information is processed through advanced in-orbit artificial intelligence, on a platform reconfigurable throughout the mission.
"The M2 mission is one of the most complex CubeSat programs ever attempted. It will enable both UNSW Canberra Space and the RAAF to gain experience and capability in the development and operation of in-orbit space science and technology missions," Professor Boyce said.
Lunar cave explorer
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Lunar cave explorer Satellites map record floods in Australia
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Stretches of land across New South Wales, Australia, have been hit with torrential rain leading to record-breaking floods. Data from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission are being used to map flooded areas to help relief efforts.