Copernical Team
Europe to decide its future in space at Seville summit
European ministers are meeting in the Spanish city of Seville on Monday and Tuesday to decide on the continent's future in space, including potential exploration missions and an ongoing rocket launcher crisis.
With delays to its new Ariane rocket, Europe has no independent way to blast its missions into space and faces growing competition as the United States, China and India all aim for the moon.
"In space, a lot is at stake, and my question literally is where does Europe want to go?" European Space Agency (ESA) chief Joseph Aschbacher said ahead of the summit.
Does Europe want to join in on the economic boom in the space sector, or be "a customer of services that others are offering?" he asked.
The first day of the summit is devoted to a meeting of ministers from the 22 ESA member states, which includes most European Union nations as well as the UK, Switzerland and Norway.
Tuesday will be dedicated to a joint EU-ESA meeting.
The member states are expected to reaffirm their commitment to Earth observation missions that collect climate change data as a priority for future funding.
New dossier showcases how space is driving a greener future on Earth
The role that space can play in a greener future for us all is high on the agenda at today's ESA Space Summit. A new ‘green dossier’ to be released alongside the event in Seville on 6-7 November showcases how ESA’s flagship business-to-business programme is fuelling an unprecedented growth in green and sustainable space-enabled commercial activities to address the challenges of climate change.
SpaceX launch makes it 60 for the Space Coast, this time with record booster flight
Another Space Coast night launch Friday marked the 60th liftoff from the Space Coast for the year, this time with a booster flying for a record 18th time.
A Falcon 9 carrying another 23 of Elon Musk's company's Starlink satellites took off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40 at 8:37 p.m.
The historic booster that had previously flown on the Crew Demo-2 mission that took up the first astronauts on SpaceX's Crew Dragon back in May 2020 and has since flown on the ANASIS-11, CRS-21, Transporter-1, Transporter-3 and now 13 Starlink missions.
It made another successful recovery landing in the Atlantic on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas.
The 60 Space Coast launches continues to build on the record surpassed last month when missions from either Canaveral or neighboring Kennedy Space Center topped the 57 managed in 2002.
So far this year, Canaveral has sent up 49 rockets and KSC 11. All but four launches have been from SpaceX, which also has flown 23 times from California.
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ESA and EC to unite on climate action from space
ESA and the European Commission are joining forces to accelerate the use of Earth-observing satellites and the information they provide to address the pressing challenge of climate change.
This landmark initiative signifies a firm commitment to advancing our understanding of Earth's climate system and enhancing our ability to take timely and informed actions to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, particularly encompassing the European Green Deal.
TelePIX and Thrusters Unlimited to sell Geo-Info solutions across Latin America and Caribbean
In a strategic move that marks a significant foray into the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) market, South Korean space startup TelePIX has penned a Memorandum of Understanding with Mexico-based geo-information specialist, Thrusters Unlimited. This alliance promises to leverage satellite technology to enhance earth observation services across the region.
The agreement, formalized on Octo Monitoring nuclear weapons stockpiles with radio waves
An international research team has proposed a new method for monitoring nuclear disarmament treaties. The IT security experts developed a mechanism that uses radio waves to remotely monitor whether any changes are being made in a specific room. The researchers describe how robust and secure the approach is in the journal Nature Communications. Teams from the Max Planck Institute for Security and Military students innovate technology solutions for US Special Operations Command
All eyes were on the robot-dog pacing the hangar on Hanscom Air Force Base. The robot was just one technology, among small drones, autonomous mapping vehicles, and virtual-environment simulators, set up for military cadets to interact with. The goal was to open cadets' minds to possibilities. Over the next year, they will be applying such technologies to challenges facing the U.S. Special Operat Research to Study Liver Regeneration in Space will fly on SpaceX CRS-29
The human liver is a superhero among organs. It works to rid the body of toxins and is capable of regeneration-a unique trait that has fascinated scientists for eons, as evidenced by Prometheus in Greek mythology, who continuously has his liver ripped out by an eagle only for it to regrow the next day as a form of eternal punishment. However, due to the aging process and the hazardous nature of Early production continues on Advanced Upper Stage for SLS
Technicians at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans have completed a major portion of a weld confidence article for the advanced upper stage of NASA's SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. The hardware was rotated to a horizontal position and moved to another part of the facility Oct. 24.
The weld confidence article forms part of the liquid oxygen tank for the SLS rocket's explorati Texas physicists play key role in milestone moment toward development of nuclear clock
An international research team involving Dr. Olga Kocharovskaya , a distinguished professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Texas A and M University, has taken a major step toward development of a new generation of atomic clocks with mind-blowing potential affecting fundamental science and various industries, from nuclear physics to satellite navigation and telecommunications.