Copernical Team
Monday, 05 July 2021 10:43
A small satellite with a solar sail could catch up with an interstellar object
When 'Oumuamua, the first interstellar object ever observed passing through the solar system, was discovered in 2017, it exhibited some unexpected properties that left astronomers scratching their heads. Its elongated shape, lack of a coma, and the fact that it changed its trajectory were all surprising, leading to several competing theories about its origin: was it a hydrogen iceberg exhibiting outgassing, or maybe an extraterrestrial solar sail (sorry folks, not likely) on a deep-space journey? We may never know the answer, because 'Oumuamua was moving too fast, and was observed too late, to get a good look.
It may be too late for 'Oumuamua, but we could be ready for the next strange interstellar visitor if we wanted to. A spacecraft could be designed and built to catch such an object at a moment's notice. The idea of an interstellar interceptor like this has been floated by various experts, and funding to study such a concept has even been granted through NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. But how exactly would such an interceptor work?
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Monday, 05 July 2021 10:19
Suspected secret satellite launched from ISS was just Japanese CubeSat
Washington DC (Sputnik) Jul 05, 2021
The US Space Command has clarified recent reports of a "secret satellite" launched from the International Space Station which actually was a Japanese CubeSat mistakenly registered by the space tracking service as an American object, USSPACECOM Director of Public Affairs, Lieutenant Colonel Erin Dick told Sputnik on Friday.
Sputnik reported on 1 July that the United States had secretly laun
The US Space Command has clarified recent reports of a "secret satellite" launched from the International Space Station which actually was a Japanese CubeSat mistakenly registered by the space tracking service as an American object, USSPACECOM Director of Public Affairs, Lieutenant Colonel Erin Dick told Sputnik on Friday.
Sputnik reported on 1 July that the United States had secretly laun
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Monday, 05 July 2021 10:19
Department of Space's commercial arm NewSpace India can also lease ISRO assets
Chennai (IANS) Jul 05, 2021
The NewSpace India Ltd, the commercial arm of Department of Space (DOS) apart from buying satellites from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) can also lease assets from the latter, said K. Sivan, Secretary, DOS.
Sivan, also the Chairman of ISRO told IANS: "NSIL will acquire three communication satellites- GSAT 20, GSAT 22 and GSAT 24- made by ISRO. The company will be the owner and o
The NewSpace India Ltd, the commercial arm of Department of Space (DOS) apart from buying satellites from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) can also lease assets from the latter, said K. Sivan, Secretary, DOS.
Sivan, also the Chairman of ISRO told IANS: "NSIL will acquire three communication satellites- GSAT 20, GSAT 22 and GSAT 24- made by ISRO. The company will be the owner and o
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Monday, 05 July 2021 10:19
AFRL holds high power electromagnetic wargaming event
Kirtland AFB NM (SPX) Jul 02, 2021
The Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate held its second in a series of wargaming, modeling, and simulation events June 21 - 25 at Kirtland AFB.
The latest Directed Energy Utility Concept Experiment, or DEUCE, focused on the use of high power electromagnetic (HPEM) weapons as part of an integrated air defense system, whereas the DEUCE held in January concentrated on th
The Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate held its second in a series of wargaming, modeling, and simulation events June 21 - 25 at Kirtland AFB.
The latest Directed Energy Utility Concept Experiment, or DEUCE, focused on the use of high power electromagnetic (HPEM) weapons as part of an integrated air defense system, whereas the DEUCE held in January concentrated on th
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Monday, 05 July 2021 10:19
Northrop Grumman Delivers ESPAStar bus to L3Harris for Air Force NTS-3 Mission
Dulles VA (SPX) Jul 02, 2021
Northrop Grumman has reported the successful delivery of an ESPAStar-D spacecraft bus from Gilbert, Ariz., to L3Harris in Melbourne, Fla. The platform supports the Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3) mission for the Air Force Research Laboratory set to launch from Cape Canaveral in 2022.
Built to provide affordable, rapid access to space, ESPAStar-D can accommodate combinations of ho
Northrop Grumman has reported the successful delivery of an ESPAStar-D spacecraft bus from Gilbert, Ariz., to L3Harris in Melbourne, Fla. The platform supports the Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3) mission for the Air Force Research Laboratory set to launch from Cape Canaveral in 2022.
Built to provide affordable, rapid access to space, ESPAStar-D can accommodate combinations of ho
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Monday, 05 July 2021 10:19
Exolaunch Delivers One Ton of Small Satellites into Orbit on SpaceX's Transporter-2 Rideshare Mission
Cape Canaveral FL (SPX) Jul 02, 2021
Exolaunch, the launch, deployment and integration services provider for the New Space industry, announced a successful launch of 29 satellites totaling one metric ton for its customers from the United States, South America and Europe on a dedicated rideshare mission of SpaceX's SmallSat Rideshare Program.
The mission, named 'Fingerspitzengefuhl', lifted off on June 30 at 19:31 UTC on Falco
Exolaunch, the launch, deployment and integration services provider for the New Space industry, announced a successful launch of 29 satellites totaling one metric ton for its customers from the United States, South America and Europe on a dedicated rideshare mission of SpaceX's SmallSat Rideshare Program.
The mission, named 'Fingerspitzengefuhl', lifted off on June 30 at 19:31 UTC on Falco
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Monday, 05 July 2021 10:19
Proximity to Sun's magnetic field influenced Mercury's hefty iron core
College Park, MD (SPX) Jul 05, 2021
For decades, many scientists argued that hit-and-run collisions with other bodies during the formation of our solar system blew away much of Mercury's rocky mantle and left the big, dense, metal core inside. But new research reveals that collisions don't explain the planet's composition-the sun's magnetism does.
William McDonough, a professor of geology at the University of Maryland, and T
For decades, many scientists argued that hit-and-run collisions with other bodies during the formation of our solar system blew away much of Mercury's rocky mantle and left the big, dense, metal core inside. But new research reveals that collisions don't explain the planet's composition-the sun's magnetism does.
William McDonough, a professor of geology at the University of Maryland, and T
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Monday, 05 July 2021 10:19
Observation, simulation, and AI join forces to reveal a clear universe
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jul 05, 2021
Japanese astronomers have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) technique to remove noise in astronomical data due to random variations in galaxy shapes. After extensive training and testing on large mock data created by supercomputer simulations, they then applied this new tool to actual data from Japan's Subaru Telescope and found that the mass distribution derived from using this metho
Japanese astronomers have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) technique to remove noise in astronomical data due to random variations in galaxy shapes. After extensive training and testing on large mock data created by supercomputer simulations, they then applied this new tool to actual data from Japan's Subaru Telescope and found that the mass distribution derived from using this metho
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Monday, 05 July 2021 10:19
China launches five new satellites
Taiyuan (XNA) Jul 05, 2021
China sent five satellites into planned orbits from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province on Saturday.
The satellite Jilin-1 01B, Xingshidai-10 and three Jilin-1 Gaofen 03D satellites were launched by a Long March-2D rocket at 10:51 a.m. (Beijing Time).
This was the 376th flight mission of the Long March rocket series, the launch center said.
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China sent five satellites into planned orbits from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province on Saturday.
The satellite Jilin-1 01B, Xingshidai-10 and three Jilin-1 Gaofen 03D satellites were launched by a Long March-2D rocket at 10:51 a.m. (Beijing Time).
This was the 376th flight mission of the Long March rocket series, the launch center said.
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Monday, 05 July 2021 10:19
Equipment for shooting 1st movie in space delivered to ISS by Russia
Moscow (Sputnik) Jul 05, 2021
Russia's Progress MS-17 cargo spacecraft has delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) the equipment for shooting the first feature film in space known by the working title "Challenge," according to documents by Russian state space agency Roscosmos.
The space freighter was launched by the Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday and docked
Russia's Progress MS-17 cargo spacecraft has delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) the equipment for shooting the first feature film in space known by the working title "Challenge," according to documents by Russian state space agency Roscosmos.
The space freighter was launched by the Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday and docked
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