Copernical Team
NASA Collaborates with Small Businesses on Laser Communications for Artemis Missions
In a significant move to enhance space exploration, NASA is actively collaborating with private industry partners and small businesses in the context of its Artemis program. This collaboration aims to develop scalable, affordable, and advanced laser communication systems, which promise to significantly expand the boundaries of space exploration and discovery for the collective benefit.
Las Iridium announces Project Stardust for Global, Standards-Based IoT Connectivity
Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) has announced the development of Project Stardust, marking a significant evolution in its direct-to-device (D2D) strategy. This initiative aligns with the 3GPP 5G standards, embracing Narrowband-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) Non-Terrestrial Network (NB-NTN) service development. By incorporating these advancements into its existing satellite network, Iridi HERA Mission: NASA's 45-Day Mars Simulation to Study Human Responses
NASA has embarked on its latest 'analog mission' to simulate a journey to Mars, using the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) facility at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. On January 26, a selected crew of four volunteers, comprising Abhishek Bhagat, Kamak Ebadi, Susan Hilbig, and Ariana Lutsic, will enter HERA for a 45-day mission that mimics the conditions of a Mars expedition. This si China's Chang'e 6 set for historic Lunar Sample Return mission from far side
China is set to make space exploration history with its upcoming Chang'e 6 mission, which aims to be the first to collect samples from the far side of the moon. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has announced that the Chang'e 6 spacecraft is scheduled to land on the lunar surface in the first half of this year, marking a new milestone in lunar research.
Components of the Chang Researchers release open-source space debris model
MIT's Astrodynamics, Space Robotics, and Controls Laboratory (ARCLab) announced the public beta release of the MIT Orbital Capacity Assessment Tool (MOCAT) during the 2023 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Space Forum Workshop on Dec. 14. MOCAT enables users to model the long-term future space environment to understand growth in space debris and assess the effectivenes ESA Director General’s Annual Press Briefing
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Watch the replay of ESA's start-of-the-year press briefing looking ahead to 2024. Director General Josef Aschbacher presents this year's key milestones from ESA HQ in Paris: in 2024, Europe will regain its autonomous access to space, with the inaugural flight of the heavy-lift launcher Ariane 6 from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. Hear more about Hera, the planetary defence mission which will be launched at the end of 2024 and EarthCARE, ESA’s Earth observation mission studying the role that clouds and aerosols play in reflecting solar radiation. Updates are also provided on how commercial European space companies
ESA’s merchandise shines brightest
ESA won the Best Merchandise award at Space Creator Day 2023, a significant recognition by a community of space enthusiasts. The award highlights ESA’s efforts to promote its activities through innovative and attractive designs that appeal to the public.
Eyes on the stars
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Eyes on the stars Help ESA pave the way for a space circular economy
ESA plans to implement a circular economy in space by 2050. To achieve this, we are looking for creative solutions to contribute to greater sustainability in space activities.
NASA's Webb Finds Signs of Possible Aurorae on Isolated Brown Dwarf
Astronomers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have found a brown dwarf (an object more massive than Jupiter but smaller than a star) with infrared emission from methane, likely due to energy in its upper atmosphere. This is an unexpected discovery because the brown dwarf, W1935, is cold and lacks a host star; therefore, there is no obvious source for the upper atmosphere energy. The team s