Copernical Team
Juice's Historic Lunar-Earth Flyby: Key Details
Juice is set to achieve a remarkable milestone with its unprecedented lunar-Earth flyby, the first of its kind. This double gravity assist maneuver is critical for adjusting the spacecraft's trajectory, but it is a complex and high-risk operation.
Since Juice's launch in April 2023, this flyby marks the beginning of its intricate journey towards Jupiter. Earth's gravity will redirect Juice Innovative Stochastic Model Revolutionizes Interplanetary Supply Chain Planning
The Beijing Institute of Technology has unveiled a groundbreaking study that seeks to reshape how we plan and manage supply chains between Earth and Mars. Using a Multi-Stage Stochastic Programming (MSP) model, the researchers have addressed the complex uncertainties inherent in interplanetary logistics, providing fresh insights into the infrastructure and operational requirements for supporting China's All-Electric Communication Satellite APSTAR 6E Now Operational
China's first fully electric communication satellite, APSTAR 6E, officially commenced operation on Monday, announced China Great Wall Industry, the project's contractor.
Launched by a Long March 2C rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province in January 2023, APSTAR 6E took 514 days to transition from a low-Earth orbit, where it was deployed, to its designated geosyn Next-Gen Weather Satellite Completes Critical Environmental Tests
As climate change drives more frequent and severe weather events, the importance of precise and timely forecasting has grown immensely. The upcoming Meteosat Third Generation weather satellite has successfully completed its environmental testing, marking a significant milestone on its path to launch.
This new series of satellites aims to revolutionize weather forecasting, particularly acro Existence of Lunar Lava Tube Confirmed by International Scientists
A team of international scientists, led by the University of Trento, Italy, has made a major discovery about the Moon. For the first time, they have confirmed the existence of a tunnel in the lunar subsurface, likely an empty lava tube. This significant research, published in Nature Astronomy, is the result of an international collaboration.
"These caves have been theorized for over 50 yea XMM-Newton shows million-degree gas in Abell 2390
Image:
XMM-Newton and Euclid image of galaxy cluster Abell 2390 Introducing Ramses, ESA’s mission to asteroid Apophis
30 years ago, on 16 July 1994, astronomers watched in awe as the first of many pieces of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet slammed into Jupiter with incredible force. The event sparked intense interest in the field of planetary defence as people asked: “Could we do anything to prevent this happening to Earth?”
Juice's lunar-Earth flyby: All you need to know
ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) will return to Earth on 19–20 August, with flight controllers guiding the spacecraft first past the moon and then past Earth itself. This "braking" maneuver will take Juice on a shortcut to Jupiter via Venus.
What is happening?
It's a double world first. The first-ever lunar-Earth flyby, and the first-ever double gravity assist maneuver. It will change Juice's speed and direction to alter its course through space, but it's a daring feat; the slightest mistake could take Juice off course and spell the end of the mission.
Following Juice's launch in April 2023, this lunar-Earth flyby is the first step in the spacecraft's waltz through the solar system on its journey to Jupiter.
During the flyby, Earth will bend Juice's trajectory through space, "braking" it and redirecting it on course for a flyby of Venus in August 2025.
Weather satellite passes bake and shake tests with flying colors
As climate change drives more frequent and severe weather events, the need for accurate and timely forecasting has never been more critical. And now, the next Meteosat Third Generation weather satellite has passed its environmental test campaign with flying colors, taking it a significant step closer to launch.
This new generation of satellites is set to transform weather forecasting, particularly in Europe.
Following the spectacular launch of the first MTG-Imager satellite in 2022, which marked the debut of this advanced family of six satellites, all eyes are now on the first MTG-Sounder (MTG-S1) satellite.
A hopping robot could explore Europa using locally harvested water
Various forms of hopping robots have crept into development for use in different space exploration missions. We've reported on their use on asteroids and even our own moon. But a study funded by NASA's Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) in 2018 planned a mission to a type of world where hopping may not be as noticeable an advantage—Europa.
The mission, developed by engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Purdue University, and Honeybee Robotics, is known as the Steam Propelled Autonomous Retrieval Robot for Ocean Worlds, or SPARROW. It's about the size and shape of a soccer ball, with the logic, power, and control systems inside a spherical outer hollow shell.
SPARROW wouldn't be able to operate on its own, however. It would require a lander to deposit it onto the surface and serve as a refueling and sample collection storage base.
