Copernical Team
Redwire to Develop Solar Arrays for Thales Alenia Space's New GEO Satellites
Redwire Corporation (NYSE: RDW) announced it will develop and deliver Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA) wings for Thales Alenia Space's Space Inspire satellites, the newest product line of geostationary (GEO) telecommunications satellites. A joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space is a prime manufacturer providing space solutions for telecommunications, Earth o
DOE Unveils Decadal Strategy for Fusion Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) marked the two-year anniversary of the Biden-Harris Administration's launch of the U.S. Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy by releasing the DOE Fusion Energy Strategy 2024 at an event co-hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. At the initial event, the DOE started a Department-wide initiative to develop a strategy
Ten make the cut for China's fourth batch of astronauts
Ten candidates, including eight space pilots and two payload specialists, have been selected for China's fourth batch of astronauts, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Tuesday. Of the two payload specialists, one is from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the other is from the Macao Special Administrative Region, said the CMSA. It added this is the first time it
First Plato camera
NASA watches Mars light up during epic solar storm
In addition to producing auroras, a recent extreme storm provided more detail on how much radiation future astronauts could encounter on the Red Planet.
Mars scientists have been anticipating epic solar storms ever since the sun entered a period of peak activity earlier this year called solar maximum. Over the past month, NASA's Mars rovers and orbiters have provided researchers with front-row seats to a series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections that have reached Mars—in some cases, even causing Martian auroras.
This science bonanza has offered an unprecedented opportunity to study how such events unfold in deep space, as well as how much radiation exposure the first astronauts on Mars could encounter.
The biggest event occurred on May 20 with a solar flare later estimated to be an X12—X-class solar flares are the strongest of several types—based on data from the Solar Orbiter spacecraft, a joint mission between ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA.
The flare sent out X-rays and gamma rays toward the Red Planet, while a subsequent coronal mass ejection launched charged particles.
Many nearby young star clusters formed in three massive regions
An international team of astronomers led by the University of Vienna has deciphered the formation history of young star clusters. The team, led by Cameren Swiggum and Joao Alves from the University of Vienna and Robert Benjamin from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, reports that most nearby young star clusters belong to only three families, originating from very massive star-forming region
NASA's Webb Reveals Supernovae in the Early Universe
Peering deeply into the cosmos, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is giving scientists their first detailed glimpse of supernovae from a time when our universe was just a small fraction of its current age. A team using Webb data has identified 10 times more supernovae in the early universe than were previously known. A few of the newfound exploding stars are the most distant examples of their ty
GMU Leads $19.5 Million Landolt Space Mission to Study Dark Energy
George Mason University will be the home of the $19.5 million recently approved Landolt NASA Space Mission that will put an artificial "star" in orbit around the Earth. This artificial star will allow scientists to calibrate telescopes and more accurately measure the brightness of stars ranging from those nearby to the distant explosions of supernovae in far-off galaxies. By establishing absolut
Webb Telescope Reveals Asteroid Collision In Neighboring Star System
Astronomers have captured what appears to be a snapshot of a massive collision of giant asteroids in Beta Pictoris, a neighboring star system known for its early age and tumultuous planet-forming activity. The observations spotlight the volatile processes that shape star systems like our own, offering a unique glimpse into the primordial stages of planetary formation. "Beta Pictoris
Small, cool and sulfurous exoplanet may help write recipe for planetary formation
A surprising yellow haze of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere of a gas "dwarf" exoplanet about 96 light years away from our own solar system makes the planet a prime target for scientists trying to understand how worlds are formed. Astronomers discovered the planet, GJ 3470 b, in 2012 when the planet's shadow crossed the star it orbits. GJ 3470 b is located in the constellation Cancer and i