Copernical Team
Week in images: 10-14 June 2024
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Week in images: 10-14 June 2024
Discover our week through the lens
Ariane 6 launches GRBBeta: small satellite, big astrophysics
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Europe’s newest rocket soon launches, taking with it many space missions, each with a unique objective, destination and team at home, cheering them on. Whether launching new satellites to look back and study Earth, peer out to deep space or test important new technologies in orbit, Ariane 6’s first flight will showcase the versatility and flexibility of this impressive, heavy-lift launcher. Read on for all about GRBBeta, then see who else is flying first.
Ariane 6 first flight tracking infographic
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Ariane 6 first flight tracking infographic Earth from Space: Heel of Italy
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The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over a section of Italy’s heel in the southern part of the boot-shaped peninsula. Ariane 6
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Ariane 6
Ariane 6
New approach could take space missions to new heights
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New Curtin University research could change how space missions are conducted and lead to improvements in industries as diverse as environmental management, agriculture, disaster management and infrastructure inspection.
A team from Curtin's School of Earth and Planetary Sciences has developed a breakthrough in operating and monitoring small satellites, known as CubeSats.
The project saw new algorithms created to use links between satellites to precisely determine a CubeSat's position, whether flying individually or in formation.
Project lead Professor Ahmed El-Mowafy said the new approach overcomes many of the constraints faced when using CubeSats, such as their small size and changes in aerodynamic forces affecting their orbits.
"These new methods mean CubeSats can now operate more independently, without the need for constant human control," Professor El-Mowafy said.
"When human control is needed, the CubeSats are simpler to manage and can be guided and controlled in real time—making them far more efficient to use in space missions.
"We can now operate them and be precise down to a few centimeters, which is a huge improvement on the previous accuracy level of several meters.
NASA cancels spacewalk at ISS over 'spacesuit discomfort issue'
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A spacewalk scheduled for two astronauts outside the International Space Station was canceled by NASA about an hour before it was to begin Thursday morning.
"The spacewalk today, June 13, at the International Space Station did not proceed as scheduled due to a spacesuit discomfort issue," NASA said on its blog. No other details were immediately given.
"The spacewalk today, June 13, with NASA astronauts Tracy C. Dyson and Matt Dominick at the International Space Station will not be proceeding as scheduled," NASA said.
NASA said Tracy C. Dyson and Matt Dominick, the astronauts scheduled for the space walk, started taking off their spacesuits at approximately 7:25 am EDT, about an hour before the crew was anticipated to exit the ISS through an airlock.
Dyson and Dominick's spacewalk was supposed to include station maintenance and science work.
In announcing the spacewalk, NASA said two astronauts would remove some communications equipment from one of the ISS's laboratory modules with assistance from a robotic arm on the station. Dyson and Dominick were also going to swab surfaces on the ISS to "determine if microorganisms released through station vents can survive the external microgravity environment.
Space weather forecasting needs an upgrade to protect future Artemis astronauts
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NASA has set its sights on the moon, aiming to send astronauts back to the lunar surface by 2026 and establish a long-term presence there by the 2030s. But the moon isn't exactly a habitable place for people.
Cosmic rays from distant stars and galaxies and solar energetic particles from the sun bombard the surface, and exposure to these particles can pose a risk to human health.
Both galactic cosmic rays and solar energetic particles, are high-energy particles that travel close to the speed of light.
While galactic cosmic radiation trickles toward the moon in a relatively steady stream, energetic particles can come from the sun in big bursts. These particles can penetrate human flesh and increase the risk of cancer.
Earth has a magnetic field that provides a shield against high-energy particles from space. But the moon doesn't have a magnetic field, leaving its surface vulnerable to bombardment by these particles.
First Camera Integrated for Plato Exoplanet Explorer
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The integration of Plato's cameras has commenced at OHB's Space Centre and Optics facility in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. The first of 26 cameras has been successfully attached to Plato's optical bench, ensuring precise alignment for the mission.
"Plato will use 24 'normal' cameras and 2 'fast' cameras to look at more than 100 000 stars and search for planets around them." The mission uses NASA Selects Proposals for Space Weather Study
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NASA has selected three proposals for concept studies of missions to investigate the complex system of space weather that surrounds our planet and its connection to Earth's atmosphere.
The three concepts propose how to implement the DYNAMIC (Dynamical Neutral Atmosphere-Ionosphere Coupling) mission, recommended by the 2013 Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics. The DYNAMIC mission aim