Copernical Team
Record-breaking laser demonstration completes mission
NASA's TBIRD (TeraByte InfraRed Delivery) demonstration and its host spacecraft—the PTD-3 (Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator-3)—have completed their technology demonstration. The TBIRD payload spent the past two years breaking world records for the fastest satellite downlink from space using laser communications.
NASA's PTD series leverages a common commercial spacecraft to provide a robust platform for effective testing of technologies with minimal redesign in between launches. After launch in May 2022 on the SpaceX Transporter 5 mission, the PTD-3 spacecraft entered low-Earth orbit, and shortly after, TBIRD began sending laser communications signals to an optical ground station in Table Mountain, California.
TBIRD's two-year demonstration showcased the viability of laser communications. Most NASA missions rely on radio frequency communication systems. However, laser communications use infrared light and can pack significantly more data in a single communications link.
Robotic moving 'crew' preps for work on moon
As NASA moves forward with efforts to establish a long-term presence on the moon as part of the Artemis campaign, safely moving cargo from landers to the lunar surface is a crucial capability.
Whether the cargo, also known as payloads, are small scientific experiments or large technology to build infrastructure, there won't be a crew on the moon to do all the work, which is where robots and new software come in.
A team at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, spent the last couple of years infusing existing robotic hardware with a software system that makes the robot operate autonomously. Earlier this month, that team, led by researcher Dr. Julia Cline of NASA Langley's Research Directorate, ran demonstrations of their system called LANDO (Lightweight Surface Manipulation System AutoNomy capabilities Development for surface Operations and construction).
Walking on the Moon in Cologne: Europe's lunar life simulator
A large, ordinary-looking warehouse in the German city of Cologne is the closest you can get to walking on the moon—without leaving Earth.
The facility known as LUNA, which was officially inaugurated on Wednesday, is the world's most faithful recreation of the lunar surface, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).
European astronauts will train inside the unique simulator and test equipment that will one day travel to the moon—including potentially on NASA's upcoming Artemis program, which plans to send humans there on a mission in a few years.
From the outside, it looks like a huge white hangar in a corner of the German Aerospace Center on the outskirts of Cologne.
Webb finds potential missing link to first stars
Looking deep into the early Universe with the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have found something unprecedented: a galaxy with an odd light signature, which they attribute to its gas outshining its stars.
Is Starlink Good for Gaming? What Player Experiences Reveal About SpaceX's Satellite Internet
With the exponential growth in the gaming industry, internet speed has become a necessity. Many gamers live in rural areas where internet connectivity is challenged due to poor infrastructure.
This has barred them from engaging in online games. For such people, SpaceX's satellite internet, known as Starlink, promises to change this narrative. But the question remains: is Starlink good for Planet Labs releases first hyperspectral satellite imagery from Tanager-1
Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL), a major provider of daily Earth data and insights, has unveiled the first images captured by its Tanager-1 satellite. The images, taken on September 19, 2024, over Karachi, Pakistan, from an altitude of 522 km, mark a significant milestone for the company's hyperspectral imaging program.
In the coming months, partners such as Carbon Mapper, alongside Planet's cu Xi emphasizes China's drive to lead in space exploration
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an accelerated push in China's space sector, urging aerospace workers to build on their recent achievements and continue advancing the nation's space ambitions. Speaking on Monday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Xi addressed representatives of space scientists and engineers involved in the Chang'e-6 lunar mission, underscoring the importanc IBM and NASA unveil open-source AI model for climate and weather applications
IBM (NYSE: IBM) has introduced a new open-source AI foundation model aimed at weather and climate analysis, now available to researchers, developers, and businesses. Created in collaboration with NASA and with contributions from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the model is designed for a wide array of weather-related tasks and long-term climate projections.
The model's architecture allows f Draco set to capture data during satellite destruction
For nearly 70 years of spaceflight, around 10,000 satellites and rocket bodies have reentered Earth's atmosphere, with many more to follow. However, what happens to a satellite during its final moments of destruction remains unclear.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing the Destructive Reentry Assessment Container Object (Draco) mission, designed to capture unique in-flight data du NJIT secures NSF grant to develop AI-driven solar eruption forecasting system
Researchers at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) have received a $593,864 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop an AI-powered system that enhances the forecasting of solar eruptions, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). This three-year initiative, led by Yan Xu from NJIT's Institute for Space Weather Sciences (ISWS) and Jason Wang from the uni