Copernical Team
Redwire targets global semiconductor market with in-space manufacturing initiative
Redwire Corporation has announced a strategic maneuver to extend its in-space manufacturing technology. This development involves the launch of the first pathfinder mission for its autonomous semiconductor manufacturing platform, known as MSTIC. The MSTIC platform is scheduled to be sent to the International Space Station (ISS) on Northrop Grumman's upcoming 20th cargo resupply mission (NG-20).
SmallCAT Laser Terminal Demonstrates Effective Space-Earth Communication in LEO
In a significant advancement in space communication technology, AAC Clyde Space, in collaboration with TNO and other partners, have together demonstrated the functionality of a compact laser satellite communications terminal, known as SmallCAT, in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). This accomplishment marks a crucial step in validating laser satellite communication technology under the challenging condition
Iran launches a trio of low Earth orbit satellites
Iran has launched three satellites into space with a rocket that had failed multiple times before, Iranian officials announced Sunday. Western authorities have said the move improves Tehran's ballistic missile capabilities. Iran has claimed the launch is part its peaceful civilian space program, but U.S. officials said in a 2023 worldwide threat assessment said launches like this one an
Japan's Moon lander comes back to life
Japan's Moon lander has come back to life, the space agency said Monday, enabling the craft to proceed with its mission of investigating the lunar surface despite its rocky start. The surprise announcement was a boost to Japan's space programme, nine days after the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) touched down at a wonky angle that left its solar panels facing the wrong way.
Satellite communications for safer and greener aviation
The first commercial flights of a programme that uses Iris satellite technology to help modernise air traffic management and reduce carbon emissions have taken place.
Galileo, now fit for aviation
Galileo, already the world’s most precise satellite navigation system, now meets international standards to guide civil aviation from take-off to landing, complementing Europe’s EGNOS for the most critical operations. Galileo was not designed to comply with these strict safety requirements, so how did engineers at ESA achieve this feat? This is a tale of engineering excellence.
Webb reveals structure in 19 spiral galaxies
A new treasure trove of images from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope showcases near- and mid-infrared portraits of 19 face-on spiral galaxies. This new set of exquisite images show stars, gas, and dust on the smallest scales ever observed beyond our own galaxy.
Teams of researchers are studying these images to uncover the origins of these intricate structures. The research community’s collective analysis will ultimately inform theorists’ simulations, and advance our understanding of star formation and the evolution of spiral galaxies.
BIT advances microbiological research on Chinese Space Station
The Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) reports its latest research project in now onboard the Chinese space station in the Mengtian experimental module. Launched aboard the Tianzhou-7 cargo spacecraft from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province on January 17, this project represents a collaboration between BIT and Jiangsu Normal University. This space microbiology project
Salsa's last dance targets reentry over South Pacific
Launched in 2000, Cluster is a unique constellation of four identical spacecraft investigating the interaction between the Sun and Earth's magnetosphere - our shield against the charged gas, energetic particles and magnetic field coming from our star. Despite a planned lifetime of two years, the Cluster mission has now spent almost 24 years in orbit. Over the past two and a half deca
Study: Stars travel more slowly at Milky Way's edge
By clocking the speed of stars throughout the Milky Way galaxy, MIT physicists have found that stars further out in the galactic disk are traveling more slowly than expected compared to stars that are closer to the galaxy's center. The findings raise a surprising possibility: The Milky Way's gravitational core may be lighter in mass, and contain less dark matter, than previously thought. T