Copernical Team
SpaceX scrubs Wednesday launch attempt at Kennedy Space Center
SpaceX scrubbed a launch attempt Wednesday night with just over 2 minutes on the countdown clock. The mission was set to send up another batch of Starlink satellites from the Space Coast using a first-stage booster for a record-tying 19th time.
SpaceX did not give a reason for the scrub, or say if it plans to try for its previously announced backup date on Thursday.
If it does, a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 of SpaceX's internet satellites flying from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-A could fly during a four-hour window Thursday that opens at 7:04 p.m.
Space Launch Delta 45's weather squadron forecasts a 95% chance for good conditions with the delay to Thursday.
The first-stage booster could equal the total number of flights by two of SpaceX's other boosters, one of which, though, was destroyed when it toppled over at sea.
This booster's resume includes two human spaceflights, the Inspiration4 orbital mission flown by billionaire Jared Issacman and the first private spaceflight for Axiom Space on its Ax-1 mission to the International Space Station. It has also flown the GPS III Space Vehicle 04, GPS III Space Vehicle 05, Nilesat 301, OneWeb Launch 17, ARABSAT BADR-8 and 11 Starlink missions.
SpaceX mega rocket lost in final phase of test flight
Starship, the world's most powerful rocket, flew further and faster than ever before during its third test flight Thursday, although it was eventually lost as it re-entered the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean, SpaceX said.
Lift-off from the company's Starbase in southeast Texas came around 8:25 am local time (1325 GMT) and was carried live on a webcast that was eventually watched by more than 3.5 million people on social media platform X.
Danish chef to launch gourmet dining to stratosphere
Danish chef Rasmus Munk wants to take high-end cuisine to the edge of space, with plans to serve up a stratospheric dining experience in 2025, his restaurant said Thursday.
"The expedition will take place aboard Space Perspective Spaceship Neptune, the world's first carbon-neutral spaceship," Alchemist, the Copenhagen restaurant that has earned Munk two Michelin stars, said in a statement.
"They will dine as they watch the sunrise over the Earth's curvature" at an altitude of 100,000 feet (30,000 meters) above sea level, it said.
For $495,000 per ticket, six tourists will embark on a six-hour journey in a pressurized space capsule that will rise into the stratosphere in a hydrogen-filled "SpaceBalloon".
The 32-year-old chef and self-confessed space enthusiast will be joining the trip.
Munk promises "dishes inspired by the role of space exploration during the last 60 years of human history, and the impact it has had on our society—both scientifically and philosophically".
His menu will be restricted only by his inability to cook food over an open flame.
Many of the ingredients will be prepared on the ship from which the capsule is launched, according to Alchemist, which is ranked fifth among the world's restaurants in 2023 according to the World's Best 50 Restaurants guide.
Reps. Chu and Bacon Spearhead Bipartisan Effort with Planetary Science Caucus Re-Launch
In a significant stride towards bolstering space science and exploration, Representatives Judy Chu (CA-28) and Don Bacon (NE-02) have unveiled the re-establishment of the Planetary Science Caucus within the U.S. Congress.
This bipartisan initiative underscores the pivotal role of planetary science in fueling economic growth, enhancing national security, and cementing America's stature as a SpaceX's Starship mega rocket launches on third test flight
The world's most powerful rocket Starship successfully blasted on its third test flight Thursday, in a live streamed event watched by two million people.
Lift-off from SpaceX's Starbase in southeast Texas came around 8:25 am local time (1325 GMT).
The mega rocket is vital to NASA's plans for landing astronauts on the Moon later this decade - and Elon Musk's hopes of eventually colon Shoebox-sized Milani CubeSat joining Hera asteroid mission
The shoebox-sized Milani CubeSat, which will perform close-up mineral prospecting of the Dimorphos asteroid, is ready for delivery to ESA’s Hera asteroid mission for planetary defence. The spacecraft will carry Milani and a second CubeSat, the Juventas radar imaging spacecraft for probing into the target asteroid, which together will be ESA’s first CubeSats to operate in deep space.
Taking Earth’s temperature from space
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Climate change exacerbates droughts by making them more frequent, longer, and more severe. This can have a wide range of impacts on the environment, agriculture, ecosystems and communities including water scarcity, crop failure and food shortages.
The upcoming Copernicus Land Surface Temperature Monitoring, LSTM, mission will improve sustainable agricultural productivity in a world of increasing water scarcity and variability.
The mission will carry a high spatial-temporal resolution thermal infrared sensor to provide observations of land-surface temperature.
These data are key to understand and respond to climate variability, manage water resources for agricultural production, predict droughts and also to address land
Arctic Weather Satellite tested for life in orbit
ESA’s Arctic Weather Satellite has passed its environmental test campaign with flying colours – meaning that the satellite has been declared fit for liftoff and its life in the harsh environment of space.
This new satellite, which is slated for launch in June, has been designed to show how it can improve weather forecasts in the Arctic – a region that currently lacks data for accurate short-term forecasts.
