Copernical Team
Virgin Galactic and Land Rover announce global partnership extension as new spaceship is revealed
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Land Rover has announced a three-year extension to its global partnership with Virgin Galactic, the world's first commercial 'spaceline'.
Virgin Galactic's latest spaceship was unveiled Tuesday, supported by a Range Rover Astronaut Edition. Land Rover will remain an integrated part of Virgin Galactic's day-to-day operations as the company completes test flights with 'SpaceShipTwo' and begi SpaceX introduces final members of all-civilian Inspiration4 crew
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SpaceX on Tuesday introduced the final two crew members for its Inspiration4 all-private space mission.
Sian Proctor, an entrepreneur, educator and trained pilot, and Christopher Sembroski, a Lockheed Martin employee and U.S. Air Force veteran, will join the four-person crew that will orbit the Earth for several days aboard a Crew Dragon capsule in September as part of a fundraising cam Deep-sea exploration breakthrough to guide future space exploration missions
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Scientists from Arizona State University, who are a part of the Systematic Underwater Biogeochemical Science and Exploration Analog (SUBSEA) program, have pioneered a new approach to the scientific process of geochemical exploration for our Earth and beyond.
Everett Shock of ASU's School of Earth and Space Exploration and former ASU postdoctoral scholar Vincent Milesi worked with teams onb Gilmour Space to launch Fleet satellites in 2023
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Two of Australia's New Space pioneers - Queensland-based rocket manufacturer Gilmour Space Technologies, and South Australian nanosatellite manufacturer for the Internet of Things (IoT), Fleet Space Technologies - are joining forces to launch small satellites to orbit.
"We have signed a contract to launch six Fleet Space Centauri nanosatellites on our Eris rockets in 2023," said Adam Gilmo Be part of something big
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On 31 March 2021, the European Space Agency is opening the application process for its first astronaut selection in over a decade.
If you meet the minimum requirements and want to join Europe’s journey into space, this is your chance to apply.
Website esa.int/YourWayToSpace provides everything you need to know to prepare your application. All applications must be submitted to ESA’s careers website by 28 May 2021.
Calling all future astronauts!
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Applications are open for ESA’s first astronaut selection in over a decade, and all qualified candidates are encouraged to put themselves forward.
Comet 'most pristine' object from outer space seen in Solar System
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A newly observed interstellar comet is the most pristine visitor from outer space ever seen in our Solar System, according to a pair of studies released Tuesday detailing its unique characteristics.
Pristine, in astronomical terms, describes a comet that has never passed close enough to a star to be transformed by its searing heat.
2I/Borisov was discovered in 2019 by Ukrainian astrophys Virgin Galactic rolls out latest generation of spaceship
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Virgin Galactic rolled out its newest spaceship Tuesday as the company looks to resume test flights in the coming months at its headquarters in the New Mexico desert.
Company officials said it will likely be summer before the ship—designed and manufactured in California—undergoes glide flight testing at Spaceport America in southern New Mexico. That will coincide with the final round of testing for the current generation of spacecraft, which will be the one that takes British billionaire and Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson to the fringes of space later this year.
CEO Michael Colglazier said the addition of the new ship marks the beginning of Virgin Galactic having a fleet that will one day be capable of ferrying paying customers and scientific payloads from spaceports around the globe. The company is still aiming for commercial operations to begin next year following testing and a few months of downtime for maintenance and other upgrades.
Virgin Galactic has reached space twice before—the first time from California in December 2018. The company marked its second successful glide flight over Spaceport America last June.
Two space fans get seats on billionaire's private flight
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A billionaire's private SpaceX flight filled its two remaining seats Tuesday with a scientist-teacher and a data engineer whose college friend actually won a spot but gave him the prize.
The new passengers: Sian Proctor, a community college educator in Tempe, Arizona, and Chris Sembroski, a former Air Force missileman from Everett, Washington. They will join flight sponsor Jared Isaacman and another passenger for three days in orbit this fall.
SpaceX Starship rocket test ends in another failure: Musk
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SpaceX chief Elon Musk confirmed on Twitter Tuesday that the latest prototype of the company's Starship rocket series had crashed, after the video feed of its test flight cut out.
"At least the crater is in the right place!" he joked, in acknowledging the fourth failed test of the prototype.
"Something significant happened shortly after landing burn start. Should know what it was once we can examine the bits later today," he added.
The rocket, SN11, launched from the company's south Texas facility around 1300 GMT and began its ascent to 10 kilometers (six miles), experiencing some video glitches.
It was descending to the surface when the feed was lost once again.
"We lost the clock at T plus five minutes, 49 seconds," said announcer John Insprucker, meaning the amount of time that had passed after lift-off.
"Looks like we've had another exciting test of Starship Number 11," he added, dryly.
SN11 is the 11th prototype of Starship, which SpaceX hopes will one day be able to fly crewed missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
It was the fourth to conduct a test flight attempting to return to the ground for a soft vertical landing.
