Copernical Team
ESA and EU Strengthen Information Security Agreement
The European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Union (EU) have updated their security of information agreement, reinforcing their partnership. ESA and the EU have collaborated to ensure European citizens benefit from space programs. ESA has developed key components of the EU's space initiatives, such as the Galileo navigation system and the Copernicus Earth observation satellites. These
Sunspot Formation Explained by Solar Physicists
A team of solar scientists has identified the origins of the mechanism driving the sun's activity and sunspots. The discovery may solve one of the oldest unsolved problems in physics. The "solar dynamo" might start in the sun's outer layers rather than its interior, said Benjamin Brown, a solar physicist at CU Boulder. "Galileo first observed the sunspots 400 years ago...But he couldn't fi
NASA selects instrument for solar study on ESA mission
NASA has selected a new instrument to study the Sun and its massive solar eruptions. The Joint EUV coronal Diagnostic Investigation (JEDI) will capture images of the Sun in extreme ultraviolet light, revealing the mechanisms of the Sun's activity. JEDI's two telescopes will be integrated into the ESA's (European Space Agency's) Vigil space weather mission. They will focus on the middle lay
Astronomers measure the spin of a supermassive black hole for the first time
Astronomers at MIT, NASA, and elsewhere have a new way to measure how fast a black hole spins, by using the wobbly aftermath from its stellar feasting. The method takes advantage of a black hole tidal disruption event - a blazingly bright moment when a black hole exerts tides on a passing star and rips it to shreds. As the star is disrupted by the black hole's immense tidal forces, half of
Preligens secures AI analytics contract with new APAC customer
Preligens, a leader in Geospatial Artificial Intelligence for Aerospace, Defense, and Government, has secured a contract to provide AI analytics software for high volumes of government satellite imagery. This award by a new Asia Pacific customer highlights Preligens' AI analytics capabilities and supports the expansion of its international customer base. "Since its incorporation 8 years ag
SpaceX launches U.S. spy satellites from California
The National Reconnaissance Office on Wednesday launched a group of U.S. spy satellites early Wednesday morning. A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched the NROL-146 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 4 a.m. EDT. The mission marked the first launch of NRO's proliferated systems featuring responsive collection and rapid data delivery, it said. "Our nation's evolvi
Exploring the potential for life on Europa through iron snow
Scientists have long been intrigued by the possibility of life in the subsurface oceans of icy worlds like Europa and Enceladus. Recent research led by Dr. Nita Sahai, a professor at The University of Akron, provides important insights into this question. In a groundbreaking study published in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024), Dr. Sahai and her
Space Officials Outline Key Investments Needed to Ensure U.S. Maintains Edge
In testimony before a Senate Armed Services subcommittee, John D. Hill, deputy assistant secretary of defense for space and missile defense, outlined key investments in DOD's budget request for fiscal year 2025 needed to keep pace with challengers to the U.S. in the space-warfare domain. "We are clearly in a time of rapid change in the space strategic environment," Hill told the Strategic
NASA's Compact Infrared Cameras Enable New Science
A new, higher-resolution infrared camera outfitted with a variety of lightweight filters could probe sunlight reflected off Earth's upper atmosphere and surface, improve forest fire warnings, and reveal the molecular composition of other planets. The cameras use sensitive, high-resolution strained-layer superlattice sensors, initially developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Gree
Boeing Starliner crewed test flight delayed indefinitely
Boeing's Starliner manned Crew Flight test has been indefinitely delayed after a string of issues, NASA officials said. The launch has been scheduled for no earlier than Saturday, and no new date has been announced. "The team has been in meetings for two consecutive days, assessing flight rationale, system performance and redundancy. There is still forward work in these areas, an