Copernical Team
Micropatch algorithm improves ground-to-spacecraft software update efficiency
Course correction keeps Parker Solar Probe on track for Venus flyby
NASA's Parker Solar Probe executed a short maneuver on Aug. 3, 2023, that kept the spacecraft on track to hit the aim point for the mission's sixth Venus flyby on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023.
Operating on preprogrammed commands from mission control at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, Parker fired its small thrusters for 4.5 seconds, enough to adjust its trajectory by 77 miles and speed up—by 1.4 seconds—its closest approach to Venus. The precise timing and position are critical to that flyby, the sixth of seven approaches in which Parker uses the planet's gravity to tighten its orbit around the sun.
"Parker's velocity is about 8.7 miles per second, so in terms of changing the spacecraft's speed and direction, this trajectory correction maneuver may seem insignificant," said Yanping Guo, mission design and navigation manager at APL.
Take a journey around ESA’s sites
Take a journey around ESA’s sites
One ESA: a journey through Europe's space program
ESA’s Space Environment Report 2023
An overview of ESA's Space Environment Report 2023
To the Moon, together
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The Artemis II astronauts, set to launch on a trip around the Moon next year, stand in front of the Orion spacecraft’s European Service Module-2 (ESM-2) that will provide everything they need to thrive on their voyage to Earth’s natural satellite.
From left, the skilled crew is composed of NASA’s Victor Glover, Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen, and NASA’s Christina Koch and Reid Wiseman. Their collective experience underscores the collaborative essence of space exploration, as they prepare for the challenges of deep space travel and return.
The European Service Module-2 will provide crucial life support and necessary resources – water, air,
Solar System fingerprints found in memories of ESA flotilla
RIKEN, Mitsui Bussan and NanoAvionics team up for NinjaSat X-ray Observatory
RIKEN, Japan's largest comprehensive research institution, Mitsui Bussan Aerospace, and mission integrator Kongsberg NanoAvionics (NanoAvionics) have announced their collaboration on the astronomical NinjaSat1 X-ray observatory mission. The aim of this two-year mission in a low Earth orbit (LEO) is to observe X-ray photons from bright X-ray objects in the universe. The NinjaSat team aims to obse Northrop Grumman achieves key milestone in Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has delivered two major components of the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM) and has started the next phase of pre-launch preparations. This two-satellite constellation will deliver protected satellite communications to the Northern polar region - one of the most difficult locations on earth to deliver communications.
The most recent accompli Lockheed Martin completes CDR for Tranche 1 Transport Layer Satellites
Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and the Space Development Agency (SDA) successfully completed the Critical Design Review (CDR) for SDA's Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL) program. The integrated system review validated that Lockheed Martin's T1TL ground and space designs meet all mission requirements and can proceed to production.
The initial warfighting capability of the SDA's Proliferated War Chemical contamination on International Space Station is out of this world
Concentrations of potentially harmful chemical compounds in dust collected from air filtration systems on the International Space Station (ISS) exceed those found in floor dust from many American homes, a new study reveals.
In the first study of its kind, scientists analysed a sample of dust from air filters within the ISS and found levels of organic contaminants which were higher than the