Copernical Team
Gateway: The first lunar space station
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An interplay of light and shadows cast the docking ports for Gateway, humanity's first space station around the moon, into sharp relief.
Built by NASA commercial partner Northrup Grumman, HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost), is one of four modules where international teams of astronauts will live, conduct science, and prepare for missions to the lunar South Pole region. The module's main structure is currently undergoing testing in Turin, Italy.
One docking port inside HALO is where a cargo spacecraft and Gateway's Lunar View module, provided by ESA (European Space Agency), will dock. The docking port outside of HALO is where the SpaceX Starship and the Blue Origin Blue Moon Human Landing Systems will dock during the Artemis IV and V missions, respectively.
Gateway will launch to lunar orbit with the Power and Propulsion Element, provided by Maxar Space Systems, and later expand with ESA's Lunar I-Hab and Lunar View modules, the Crew and Science Airlock provided by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center, advanced external robotics provided by CSA (Canadian Space Agency), and critical hardware from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).
Scout Space Joins DARPA's BRIDGES Consortium for Enhancing Space Defense
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Scout Space Inc., a prominent in-space observation service provider specializing in space security and comprehensive Space Domain Awareness (SDA), has announced its selection to participate in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Bringing Classified Innovation to Defense and Government Systems (BRIDGES) Consortium.
Scout was chosen by DARPA based on its proposal focused ICEYE and Ukraine's Ministry of Defense Enhance Space Defense Cooperation
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ICEYE, a global leader in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite operations for Earth Observation, has signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine to bolster their collaboration in remote sensing for national security and defense.
This agreement reinforces ICEYE's ongoing support for Ukraine since 2022. Under the Memorandum, ICEYE will ensure that imagery o Ariane 6 first flight highlights
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Europe’s new rocket Ariane 6 powered into space on 9 July 2024 from a newly built dedicated launch pad in French Guiana. Liftoff occurred at 16:00 local time (20:00 BST, 21:00 CEST).
Europe’s new rocket Ariane 6 powered Europe into space taking with it a varied selection of experiments, satellites, payload deployers and reentry demonstrations that represent thousands across Europe, from students to industry and experienced space actors.
This inaugural flight, designated VA262, is a demonstration flight to show the capabilities and prowess of Ariane 6 in escaping Earth's gravity and operating in space. Nevertheless, it had several passengers
Hubble finds evidence for rare black hole in Omega Centauri
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An international team of astronomers has used more than 500 images from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope spanning two decades to detect seven fast-moving stars in the innermost region of Omega Centauri, the largest and brightest globular cluster in the sky. These stars provide compelling new evidence for the presence of an intermediate-mass black hole.
Europe's Ariane 6 rocket successfully launches for first time
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Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket blasted off for the first time smoothly on Tuesday, carrying with it the continent's hopes of regaining independent access to space.
The much-delayed inaugural flight of the European Space Agency's most powerful rocket yet launched from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 4pm local time (1900 GMT).
Crews on the ground at the launch site, which is surrounded by jungle on the South American coast, applauded as the rocket soared into clear skies.
Ariane 6's first launch, which was originally planned for 2020, is hoped to bring an end to a difficult time for European space efforts.
Since the last flight of its workhorse predecessor, Ariane 5, a year ago, Europe has been unable to launch satellites or other missions into space without relying on rivals such as Elon Musk's US firm SpaceX.
ESA chief Josef Aschbacher said it was a "very important moment for Europe".
UC Riverside Study Offers Insights into Early Life on Earth
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Despite decades of research, much remains unknown about the origins and early evolution of life on Earth. A recent paper from the University of California - Riverside aims to bridge this gap, suggesting future studies that could also inform climate change predictions and the search for extraterrestrial life.
"This paper strives to inform the Earth sciences community where the research need Predicting and Mitigating the Impact of Auroras on Earth's Infrastructure
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Auroras, long a source of wonder and myth, have a newfound significance in our technologically reliant world. The same space weather phenomena that create these stunning light displays can also induce currents that threaten electrical infrastructure, such as pipelines. Recent research published in *Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences* reveals that the angle at which interplanetary shocks s Researchers Uncover New Insights into Neutron Star Matter
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Neutron stars, with their extreme densities and mysterious interiors, remain enigmatic to astrophysicists. Despite having a radius of around twelve kilometers, they can possess over twice the mass of the sun, with matter packed up to five times denser than an atomic nucleus. Alongside black holes, neutron stars are the densest objects in the universe. Under such intense conditions, matter can tr First SKA-Mid Dish Installed in South Africa
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A team from the SKAO, South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), and China's CETC54 successfully mounted the 15-meter-wide main reflector onto the SKA-Mid telescope pedestal in South Africa. This milestone is part of a larger effort involving a consortium from ten countries, led by CETC54, which is also manufacturing the dishes.
Over the past year, construction has accelerated at S 
