Copernical Team
MDA Space Secures Contract for Square Kilometre Array Project
MDA Space Ltd. (TSX: MDA) announced a contract with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) to support the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) project. This international effort aims to enhance understanding of the universe's formation and evolution. The SKAO is an extensive ground-based astronomy initiative involving multiple countries to build and operate two telescopes for g
Why do astronomers look for signs of life on other planets based on what life is like on Earth?
Have you ever played hide-and-seek in a new place? It's much harder than playing at home. You only know the obvious hiding spots: under the bed, in the closet, behind the couch. The trick is trying to think of hiding spots you can't even imagine. How do you search in places you never thought could be hiding spots? That is kind of what scientists like me do when we look for alien life; we'r
Unusual Ion May Influence Uranus and Neptune's Magnetic Fields
Skoltech scientists and their Chinese colleagues have identified conditions that could support the existence of a unique ion, termed aquodiium. This ion, described as a water molecule with two additional protons, could be stable inside Uranus and Neptune and may play a role in their unusual magnetic fields. The research was published in Physical Review B. The magnetic fields of Uranus and
Chang'e-6 Lands on Moon's Far Side to Collect Samples
China's Chang'e-6 has successfully landed on the far side of the moon and will collect samples from this rarely explored terrain for the first time, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced. Supported by the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, the lander-ascender combination of Chang'e-6 landed at the designated area at 6:23 a.m. (Beijing Time) in the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin.
Mars' subsurface ice could be a key to sustaining future habitats on other planets
To survive on other planets, water is, of course, critical. We need it to drink, sustain crops and even create rocket fuel. But on spaceflights, checked luggage is exorbitantly expensive. Anything heavy, especially liquids like water, is bulky and costly to haul by rocket, even to our closest interplanetary neighbors. The best plan, then, is to find water at the spacecraft's destination.
China lunar probe takes off from Moon carrying samples: state media
The ascender module of a Chinese lunar probe successfully took off from the far side of the Moon on Tuesday bearing samples, state media reported. "The ascender of China's Chang'e-6 probe lifted off from lunar surface on Tuesday morning, carrying samples collected from the moon's far side, an unprecedented feat in human lunar exploration history," Xinhua said, citing the China National Space
Boost!
ESA supports Europe's space transportation visionaries and entrepreneurs through Boost! This video shows just some of the companies that have received co-funding from ESA’s Boost! programme: Orbex with its Prime launcher, D-Orbit offering orbital transportation and precise payload delivery with InOrbitNow, Skyrora’s XL launcher, HyImpulse’s SL1, ForgeStar from SpaceForge preparing for manufacturing in microgravity and returning them to Earth, Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum launcher, Rocket Factory Augsburg’s RFA One and PLD Space’s Miura.
Space is open for business – space transportation gets you there!
With its Boost! programme, ESA is boosting commercial initiatives that offer transportation services to space, in
Swarm helps discover Steve's long-lost twin
Ever since aurora chasers discovered Steve, a mysterious ribbon of purple light in the night sky, scientists have wondered whether it might have a secret twin. Now, thanks to a photographer’s keen eye, and data from ESA’s Swarm satellites, we may have found it.