Copernical Team
Sparkwing solar panels selected to power Aerospacelab's first Very High Resolution satellite
By selecting Sparkwing for their first Very High Resolution (VHR) mission, the Belgian space company Aerospacelab is the launching customer for the novel off-the-shelf solar panels. The satellite is a first step towards Aerospacelab's VHR constellation and will be equipped with two standardised and readily available Sparkwing solar arrays to perform its Earth Observation task in space. Spa
Florida rocket company rebrands, plans bigger rocket
A Florida rocket company, Rocket Crafters, has rebranded as Vaya Space and plans a new, larger rocket than it had been pursuing, now named Dauntless, according to company president Rob Fabian. Rocket Crafters - now called Vaya - is one of many new companies pursuing new rockets considered small or medium, and far less powerful than SpaceX's Falcon 9. The plan for Dauntless is to lift
Nevada company plans space station with inflatable pods
Nevada-based Sierra Nevada Corp. plans to launch a commercial space station with inflatable human habitats within seven years, the company announced in a press conference Wednesday. Sierra Nevada already has seven NASA contracts to launch its Dream Chaser spaceplane, which is being developed to fly cargo to the International Space Station starting in 2022. Now, the firm said it aims
Venus plots a comeback
In terms of space exploration, Mars is all the rage these days. This has left our closest neighbor, Venus—previously the most attractive planet to study because of its proximity and similar atmosphere to Earth—in the lurch. A new article in Chemical & Engineering News, the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, highlights how scientists and space agencies are turning their eyes back toward Venus to learn more about its atmosphere and geology.
US, China consulted on safety as their crafts headed to Mars
As their respective spacecrafts headed to Mars, China and the U.S.
NASA tests mixed reality, scientific know-how and mission operations for exploration
Child unknowingly tweets from US nuclear command's account
Some jokingly said the cryptic tweet, ";l;;gmlxzssaw," was a US nuclear launch code. Others, that the Pentagon had been hacked. And some even thought it was a signal to political conspiracists. Now the US Strategic Command, which runs the country's powerful nuclear weapons force, says the enigmatic posting on its Twitter account in fact came from the hands of a precocious kid. Headqu
NASA tests mixed reality for mission operations for exploration
Mixed reality technologies, like virtual reality headsets or augmented reality apps, aren't just for entertainment - they can also help make discoveries on other worlds like the Moon and Mars. By traveling on Earth to extreme environments - from Mars-like lava fields in Hawaii to underwater hydrothermal vents - similar to destinations on other worlds, NASA scientists have tested out technologies
Webb Telescope General Observer Scientific Programs Selected
Mission officials for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have announced the selection of the General Observer programs for the telescope's first year of science, known as Cycle 1. These specific programs will provide the worldwide astronomical community with one of the first extensive opportunities to investigate scientific targets with Webb. The 286 selected proposals address a wide variet
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover takes selfie with Mont Mercou
At the start of March, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover began approaching an impressive rock formation that scientists dubbed "Mont Mercou," a nickname taken from a mountain in France. Standing about 20 feet (6 meters) tall, the outcrop is captured in all its majesty in a new selfie, as well as in a pair of panoramas that offer a 3D view. The selfie shows Curiosity in front of Mont Mercou with a new