Copernical Team
China gears up for Shenzhou XVIII manned space mission
The China Manned Space Agency has announced that the Shenzhou XVIII mission is poised for launch in the upcoming days, aiming to deliver three astronauts to the Tiangong space station. On Wednesday, the Shenzhou XVIII crew spacecraft, along with its Long March 2F rocket, was transferred to the service tower at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center located in the Gobi Desert of northwestern C
How to Tell Space Rocks from Space Junk
Upcoming surveys will find dozens of near-Earth objects each night, but some of those objects will be space junk rather than asteroids. How will we tell the difference? b>Masquerading as Asteroids br> /b> When humankind sent its first rocket toward the Moon 65 years ago, it marked the beginning of a long era of lunar exploration. Now, the cast-off rocket parts from decades of lunar missi
GDFAU joins NASA for university nanosatellite project
Florida Atlantic University's College of Engineering and Computer Science has been chosen as one of eight U.S. university teams to collaborate with NASA and the U.S. military. This partnership aims to boost innovation and expertise in the small satellite sector through the 2024 Mission Concept Program. The program, a part of NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI), involves cooperation wit
China launches space collaboration forum with Latin America and the Caribbean
Next week, Wuhan, Hubei province, will be the site of the first-ever China-Latin America and the Caribbean Space Cooperation Forum, as announced by the China National Space Administration (CNSA). This inaugural two-day event, a collaborative effort among the CNSA, the Foreign Ministry, and the government of Hubei province, is scheduled to begin on April 24, which is celebrated as China's S
ICEYE secures substantial growth investment to bolster its SAR satellite fleet
ICEYE, a leader in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology for Earth Observation, has successfully closed an oversubscribed $93M funding round aimed at expanding its SAR satellite operations. This recent financial boost will support the enhancement of the largest SAR satellite constellation globally and the development of new data and subscription services. This round is a continuation of the
Why Figuring Out How Potassium Is Destroyed in Stars Is Important to Understanding the Universe
If you want to know where elements come from, look to the stars. Almost every element heavier than helium is formed through nuclear reactions in stars. But which stellar processes are responsible for these elements? Can we find patterns in how much of each element we observe in different astrophysical environments, like stars, galaxies or globular clusters? Recently, our team of NC State r
Winchcombe meteorite's tumultuous space odyssey uncovered by nano-analysis
Detailed nano-analysis has revealed the Winchcombe meteorite underwent significant transformations involving water interaction and repeated fragmentations during its journey through space, finally resting in an English pasture in 2021. The collaborative research effort included scientists from the UK, Europe, Australia, and the USA, employing a suite of advanced analytical methods typicall
Astronauts slated for repair mission on space station's NICER telescope
NASA has scheduled a spacewalk to repair the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), an X-ray telescope aboard the International Space Station, later this year. This marks the fourth instance of astronauts servicing a science observatory in orbit. In May 2023, the NICER team identified a significant issue-a light leak allowing sunlight to penetrate and affect the telescope's se
Knot theory aids in mapping efficient space routes
Scientists at the University of Surrey have devised a method to chart the most efficient routes for spacecraft, mirroring the way drivers use sat-nav to navigate on Earth. This new technique harnesses mathematics to outline potential paths from one orbit to another, sidestepping the need for extensive computational resources or trial-and-error approaches. Danny Owen, from the Surrey Space
NASA's Solar Sail Set for Space Voyage: Testing New Propulsion Method
NASA is poised to launch its Advanced Composite Solar Sail System next week, utilizing a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula. Scheduled for Tuesday, April 23, the mission seeks to explore solar propulsion by deploying a CubeSat into orbit approximately 600 miles above Earth, a significant ascent from the orbit of the International Space Station.