Copernical Team
Jacobs and NASA begin processing of SLS Core Stage at Cape
Jacobs and NASA have begun processing the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage after receiving it at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on April 28, marking delivery of the final piece of Artemis I flight hardware to the team in Florida, a critical step in preparation for launch. The SLS rocket will send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on a test flight around the moon and back to Earth later this yea
Top Things to Know about Space Station Crew Handovers
The International Space Station is our home in low-Earth orbit. Humans have been living and working continuously on the station for more than 20 years. Astronauts and cosmonauts visiting the space station have arrived on the space shuttle, the Russian Soyuz, and now, the SpaceX Crew Dragon, with Boeing's CST-100 Starliner to be added to the mix. With these new flights on U.S. commercial spacecra
China plans four Tiangong Space Station launches in 2021
China plans to launch two cargo spaceships and two manned spacecraft for building its own orbit station within this year, Hao Chun, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) director, said on Thursday. Earlier in the day, the country successfully sent off the core module of China's new space station Tiangong, which means "heavenly palace," by launching a rocket from Wenchang spaceport, locate
China wants news space station to be more internatioal
China successfully launched the core module of its space station on Thursday, opening a new foothold for humanity in space. China's space station, guided by the idea of building a community with a shared future for humanity, will become a common home transcending Earthly bonds and an outpost for countries worldwide to explore the universe through cooperation. Tianhe, the name of the
FAA Authorizes SpaceX Starship SN15, SN16 and SN17
The FAA has authorized the next three launches of the SpaceX Starship prototype. The agency approved multiple launches because SpaceX is making few changes to the launch vehicle and relied on the FAA's approved methodology to calculate the risk to the public. The FAA authorized the launches on Wednesday, April 28. Prior to the launch of SN15, the FAA will verify that SpaceX implemented cor
Space tourism - 20 years in the making - is finally ready for launch
For most people, getting to the stars is nothing more than a dream. On April 28, 2001, Dennis Tito achieved that lifelong goal - but he wasn't a typical astronaut. Tito, a wealthy businessman, paid US$20 million for a seat on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to be the first tourist to visit the International Space Station. Only seven people have followed suit in the 20 years since, but that number is
How Zhurong will attempt to touch down on the red planet
For the first few months of 2021, the Martian atmosphere was buzzing with new visitors from Earth. First, it was the UAE Space Agency's Hope probe, followed by the Chinese Tianwen-1 entering orbit. More recently Nasa landed the biggest-ever rover on Mars and its companion, an ingenious helicopter, both of which have been setting new milestones since. The next visitor to the planet wi
With goals met, NASA to push envelope with Ingenuity Mars helicopter
The red planet rotorcraft will extend its range, speed, and flight duration on Flight Four.
Now that NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has accomplished the goal of achieving powered, controlled flight of an aircraft on the red planet, and with data from its most recent flight test, on April 25, the technology demonstration project has met or surpassed all of its technical objectives. The Ingenuity team now will push its performance envelope on Mars.
The fourth Ingenuity flight from "Wright Brothers Field," the name for the Martian airfield on which the flight took place, is scheduled to take off Thursday, April 29, at 10:12 a.m.
Lofted by NASA balloons, new experiments will study sun-Earth system
A suite of scientific balloons is about to lift off from NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility's field site in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, carrying instruments that will help scientists understand the connection between the Sun and Earth.
The Sun sizzles at the center of our solar system 93 million miles away, but its influence doesn't end there. It exhales the solar wind, a continuous stream of charged particles that whisks past Earth and continues for more than 4 billion miles. Sudden bursts in the solar wind can trigger beautiful auroras on Earth, but can also disrupt radio and GPS signals, threaten our satellites, and pose a risk to electrical power grids at the surface.
The Chinese Mars lander: How Zhurong will attempt to touch down on the red planet
For the first few months of 2021, the Martian atmosphere was buzzing with new visitors from Earth. First, it was the UAE Space Agency's Hope probe, followed by the Chinese Tianwen-1 entering orbit.
More recently Nasa landed the biggest-ever rover on Mars and its companion, an ingenious helicopter, both of which have been setting new milestones since.
The next visitor to the planet will be Tianwen-1 mission's lander, which will attempt to reach the surface of the Mars in mid-May. To enter the Martian atmosphere, it will use a slightly different technique to previous missions.
Landing on Mars is notoriously dangerous—more missions have failed than succeeded. A successful Mars landing requires entering the atmosphere at very high speeds, then slowing the spacecraft down just the right way as it approaches its landing location.
This phase of the mission, known as entry-descent-landing, is the most critical.