Copernical Team
SpaceX sunset launch from Canaveral completes Space Coast trio
SpaceX was able to send up a Falcon 9 with a pair of satellites from Cape Canaveral on Saturday at sunset to complete a trio of launches for the Space Coast this week.
Tuesday saw an Atlas V lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station while Wednesday saw the liftoff of the Crew-5 mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center sending four passengers to the International Space Station.
SpaceX was in line to make it three launches in three days, but scrubbed the Thursday launch attempt, aborted with 30 seconds left on the countdown clock. But Saturday's liftoff in clear skies and a setting sun went off without a hitch.
The company opted to skip a Friday attempt to allow it more time for teams to look at the launch vehicle.
Liftoff took place at 7:05 p.m. from Space Launch Complex 40 carrying the Intelsat G-33/G-34 satellites to geosynchronous transfer orbit.
The first-stage booster made a record-tying 14th landing on SpaceX's droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean.
The launch was SpaceX's 45th this calendar year from both Florida and California.
Image: European Service Modules currently in production at Airbus facilities
The third (pictured) and fourth European Service Modules are currently in production at Airbus facilities in Bremen, Germany. They are key elements of the Orion spacecraft, the first to return humans to the moon since the 1970s.
These modules provide the spacecraft with propulsion, power and thermal control, and will supply astronauts with water and oxygen. The Orion spacecraft is composed of a European Service Module, a Crew Module Adapter and a Crew Module. The latter two components are provided by NASA.
Powering flights to the moon is a collaborative effort. The components and hardware used in the European Service Modules are built and supplied by more than twenty different companies from ten different countries in Europe.
When ready for launch, each module will have a total mass of 13,500 kg, almost two-thirds of which is propellant (rocket fuel). More than 11 km of cables are needed to send commands and receive information from the many on-board sensors. As can be seen in the photo, tie-wraps (yellow) come in handy when it comes to keeping all these cables organized.
TRUTHS on the table at ESA’s Ministerial Council
With the satellite and instrument design consolidated and the scientific community assured it will deliver the data they need, TRUTHS has been approved as part of Earth Observation Programme proposal for the upcoming ESA Council Meeting at Ministerial Level. Carrying a primary International System of Units reference system, TRUTHS promises to set the gold standard for climate measurements.
Earth observation inspires global inventiveness
Italy’s Stromboli erupts
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A volcano on the Italian island of Stromboli erupted early on Sunday morning, releasing huge plumes of smoke and a lava flow pouring into the sea. The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission captured this image of the aftermath less than five hours after the eruption. Giant impact could have formed the Moon more rapidly, scientists reveal in new simulations
Scientists from Durham University's Institute for Computational Cosmology used the most detailed supercomputer simulations yet to reveal an alternative explanation for the Moon's origin, with a giant impact immediately placing a Moon-like body into orbit around Earth.
The researchers simulated hundreds of different impacts, varying the angle and speed of the collision as well as the masses Micro Meat and Orbital Assembly team up on space-based food production venture
Micro Meat, a pioneer in the alternative protein industry, and Orbital Assembly (OA), developer of space-based business parks with variable gravity, have signed a memorandum of understanding to co-develop cultivated meat production systems in space.
Under the agreement, Micro Meat will install its proprietary meat production equipment aboard OA's Pioneer-classTM space station to provide fo Viasat and Inmarsat confident their combination benefits consumers
Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global communications company, and Inmarsat, a leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services, remain committed to working with the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to demonstrate how their planned transaction will benefit airline, passenger, and enterprise users of In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) in aviation businesses.
"There is Exploring Europa possible with silicon-germanium transistor technology
Europa is more than just one of Jupiter's many moons - it's also one of most promising places in the solar system to look for extraterrestrial life. Under 10 kilometers of ice is a liquid water ocean that could sustain life. But with surface temperatures at -180 Celsius and with extreme levels of radiation, it's also one of the most inhospitable places in the solar system. Exploring Europa could NASA to Practice Artemis Moonwalking, Roving Operations in Arizona Desert
To prepare for the Artemis era of research on the Moon, NASA will conduct two, multi-week field tests near Flagstaff, Arizona with astronauts, engineers, and scientists to practice mission scenarios for Artemis astronauts in a simulated lunar surface environment.
The Arizona desert possesses many characteristics that are analogous to a lunar environment including challenging terrain, inter