Copernical Team
Antarctica vulnerable to extreme events
According to the World Meteorological Organization, July 2023 is likely to have been the hottest month on record. While much of Europe, North America and Asia suffered the immediate consequences of these brutal temperatures, extreme events are also hitting hard far away in the icy reaches of Antarctica. In a paper published today, scientists highlight Antarctica’s vulnerability to extremes and the role that satellites play in monitoring this remote region.
A banner year for the Perseid meteor shower
The Perseid meteor shower, a celestial event eagerly awaited by millions of skywatchers around the world, is about to make its annual return to the night sky. The shower is predicted to reach its peak before dawn on Sunday, August 13, but viewers should plan to start looking for meteors already at nightfall on Saturday, August 12. In a dark site away from light pollution, at the peak of the shower, observers might see one meteor per minute.
"Conditions this year couldn't be more perfect," says Diana Hannikainen, Sky & Telescope's Observing Editor. "The waning crescent moon, which is only 8% illuminated, rises in the wee hours of the morning on August 13 and won't interfere with viewing.
NASA's deep space communications to get a laser boost
Set to launch this fall, NASA's Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) project will test how lasers could speed up data transmission far beyond the capacity of current radio frequency systems used in space. Known as a technology demonstration, DSOC may pave the way for broadband communications that will help support humanity's next giant leap: when NASA sends astronauts to Mars.
Boeing's 1st astronaut flight bumped into next year, more repairs needed
Already running years behind, Boeing's first astronaut flight is now off until at least next March.
Problems with the parachute lines and flammable tape surfaced during final reviews in late spring, ahead of what should have been a July launch for the Starliner capsule.
Russia to launch lunar mission Friday, first in nearly 50 years
Russia said Monday it plans to launch a lunar lander this week after multiple delays, hoping to return to the moon for the first time in nearly fifty years.
The launch, which is scheduled for the early hours of Friday, comes as Russia's Ukraine offensive stretches into a second year, sparking huge tensions with the West.
With the Luna-25 lander, Russia's first since 1976, Moscow is keen to restart and build upon a pioneering Soviet-era lunar program.
The Russian space agency said that a Soyuz rocket had been assembled at the Vostochny cosmodrome in the Russian Far East for the launch of the Luna-25.
"The launch is on August 11," Roscosmos said in a statement.
"The Luna-25 will have to practice soft landing, take and analyze soil samples and conduct long-term scientific research," the statement added.
The four-legged lander, which weighs around 800 kilograms, is expected to touch down in the region of the lunar south pole. By contrast, most moon landings occur near the lunar equator.
The launch is the first mission of Moscow's new lunar program and comes as Russia looks to strengthen cooperation in space with China amid ruptured ties with the West.
Spacecraft, landers and rovers could be recycled for parts on the moon
Additive manufacturing is slowly becoming more and more useful as the technology improves. One of the places it continues its development is in the realm of space exploration. It has long been mooted as an integral part of any in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) efforts and is especially important for ensuring early explorers on the moon have the right tools and materials they need to survive.
The European Space Agency is supporting that research effort, as their Technology Development Element fund supported work by an Austrian company called Incus to develop a 3D printing solution that could reprint metal parts on the moon.
The moon undoubtedly has plenty of metallic ore ready to be mined by either robots or explorers. However, making metal from that ore is expensive in energy and time, both of which are limited in any early lunar exploration scenario.
Russia to launch Luna-25 on Friday, first moon mission in 50 years
After a long hiatus of nearly fifty years, Russia is gearing up to return to the Moon with its Luna-25 lunar lander, setting the stage for a new era in lunar exploration.
The Russian space agency announced Monday that the Luna-25 lander, powered by a Soyuz rocket, is set for an August 11 launch from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Amur Oblast at 2:10 a.m. Moscow time, The mission mark SpaceX launches 22 additional Starlink satellites
SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket with another payload of Starlink satellites into space from Florida late Sunday.
The rocket launched at 10:41 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, sending the 22 satellites into low-Earth orbit where they will join Starlink's constellation of thousands of orbitals that provide high-speed, low-latency Int Register now: ESA Open Day for people with a disability
Registration is now open for this year’s annual ESA Open Day in the Netherlands for people with a disability, which will take place on Saturday 7 October, at the Agency’s ESTEC technical centre in Noordwijk.
Save the date: ESA Open Day 2023 in the Netherlands
Save the date: this year’s annual ESA Open Day in the Netherlands will take place on Sunday 8 October, at the Agency’s ESTEC technical centre in Noordwijk. Registration to attend will be opened later this summer; keep an eye on this webpage and social media for further details.