Copernical Team
SSC and Firefly Aerospace plan joint satellite launches from Esrange
Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) and U.S. space transportation company Firefly Aerospace have entered into a collaborative agreement to launch satellites using Firefly's Alpha rocket from Esrange Space Center in Sweden, starting in 2026. This partnership aims to establish a new orbital launch service in Europe, utilizing a flight-proven launch vehicle to support commercial, civil, and defense sec
Proba-3 tests formation flying systems on Earth
The two Proba-3 satellites were positioned facing each other in a cleanroom, with cameras, LEDs, a laser, and shadow sensors activated sequentially to test the systems that will allow the pair to sense their precise positions relative to each other. This precision alignment is critical for their mission, aiming to achieve an alignment accuracy down to a single millimeter. When two satellit
The science behind splashdown
For about 15 minutes on July 21, 1961, American astronaut Gus Grissom felt at the top of the world - and indeed he was. Grissom crewed the Liberty Bell 7 mission, a ballistic test flight that launched him through the atmosphere from a rocket. During the test, he sat inside a small capsule and reached a peak of over 100 miles up before splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean. A Navy ship
Space Systems Accelerated by Northrop Grumman
The speed of getting to space relies on more than just the thrust of a rocket. Before any countdown begins, satellite systems must be designed, manufactured, and tested to ensure they meet the unique needs of each mission. These customizable solutions, from well-crafted payloads to configurable high-volume constellations, deliver critical capabilities to keep the nation safe. The rapid pac
Chang'e 6 mission raises potential for China-US space cooperation
China's remarkable achievement of retrieving the first-ever samples from the far side of the moon has sparked discussions about the United States' strategy of excluding China from space projects. Experts are urging the US to consider inclusion over exclusion. The Chang'e 6 probe returned to Earth on Tuesday with rock and soil samples from the lunar far side, a region that constantly faces
NASA astronauts will stay at the space station longer for more troubleshooting of Boeing capsule
Two NASA astronauts will stay longer at the International Space Station as engineers troubleshoot problems on Boeing's new space capsule that cropped up on the trip there.
NASA on Friday did not set a return date until testing on the ground was complete and said the astronauts were safe.
"We're not in any rush to come home," said NASA's commercial crew program manager Steve Stich.
Veteran NASA test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams blasted off aboard Boeing's Starliner capsule for the orbiting laboratory on June 5.
Advanced Tech for Crisis Response Unveiled by AHEAD Project
In a live demonstration on 25 June 2024, the AHEAD (Autonomous Humanitarian Emergency Aid Devices) project showcased advanced technologies designed for humanitarian aid and disaster management. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) collaborates with partners to develop remote-controlled transportation technologies to support disaster relief, aiming for driverless vehicles to reach areas inaccessible
NRL CCOR begins mission on NOAA's GOES-U satellite to track space weather
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's (NRL) Compact Coronagraph (CCOR) launched on June 25 aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-U (GOES-U) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The CCOR aims to detect and analyze coronal mass ejections (CMEs). NOAA sponsored the NRL to develop CCOR, a small space telescope that cre
Video game designers battle to depict climate impacts
Game designer Sam Alfred is keenly aware of the challenge he faces in trying to build a video game with climate change at its heart. Lists of best-selling games are filled with titles pushing destruction and violence rather than constructive engagement with the environment. Yet "Terra Nil", a strategy game designed by Alfred and released in March last year, puts players in charge of rebu
NASA-IBM team up for large language models for advanced research
Collaborations with private, non-federal partners through Space Act Agreements are a key component in the work done by NASA's Interagency Implementation and Advanced Concepts Team (IMPACT). A collaboration with International Business Machines (IBM) has produced INDUS, a comprehensive suite of large language models (LLMs) tailored for the domains of Earth science, biological and physical sciences