In November 2020, the Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite was launched into orbit from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, US. Now, months later, the satellite has successfully passed what is known as the ‘in-orbit verification phase’, where its equipment is switched on and the instruments’ performance is checked.

Image: Happy new Mars year

Morgantown WV (SPX) Feb 05, 2021
In data gathered and analyzed over 13 years, the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) Physics Frontiers Center (PFC) has found an intriguing low-frequency signal that may be attributable to gravitational waves. NANOGrav researchers - including a number from West Virginia University's (WVU's) Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Center for Gravitati

Bonn, Germany (SPX) Feb 05, 2021
On 4 February 2021 at 15:40 CET, the airborne observatory of the German Space Agency at DLR and the US space agency, NASA, is due to land at Cologne Bonn Airport. From there, it will explore the night sky over Europe until 16 March. "The SOFIA infrared observatory is one of the largest German-American projects for space exploration and underlines how important the cooperation with NASA is

Edwards AFB CA (SPX) Feb 05, 2021
As NASA's human spaceflight centers are busy preparing the Orion spacecraft and its components for the early Artemis missions around the Moon, a NASA aeronautics-focused center is lending a hand. NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, is providing system engineering and integration expertise to assist with an Orion heat shield spectrometer system (OHSS). The system

Cerritos CA (SPX) Feb 05, 2021
Calnetix Technologies reports it has successfully designed and developed a high-speed in-line blower and a dual controller for NASA's next-generation CO2 removal system. The design and development of the Four Bed Carbon Dioxide Scrubber (4BCO2) is being led by NASA and is planned for installation on the International Space Station (ISS) after rigorous ground testing at its facilities.

Huntsville AL (SPX) Feb 05, 2021
Student Launch, one of NASA's Artemis Student Challenges, is an annual competition that typically culminates each April with a gathering of teams for a weekend of rocket launches and celebration. This year, in an effort to comply with federal guidance and help restrict the spread of COVID-19, these events will be modified to take place locally to each team or virtually. A virtual awards ce

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Feb 04, 2021
Using ground, airborne, and satellite data, a diverse team of international researchers - including NASA scientists - has created a new method to assess how the changes in forests over the past two decades have impacted carbon concentrations in the atmosphere. In addition to better understanding the overall role of forests in the global carbon cycle, the scientists were also able to distin

Herndon VA (SPX) Feb 05, 2021
ST Engineering iDirect, a global leader in satellite communications, has been awarded a contract by system integrator Shaf Broadcast, Pvt. Ltd, on behalf of Indian state-owned telecommunications company, BSNL, to augment satellite bandwidth to the offshore Indian islands of Andaman, Nicobar and Lakshadweep under a Universal Service Obligation (USO) project funded by the Department of Telecommuni