Copernical Team
Demonstrating connectivity’s latest technologies
A satellite has been launched that will demonstrate the latest technologies for connectivity and for Earth observation. The ALISIO-1 satellite was developed under an ESA Pioneer Partnership Project with satellite manufacturer and operator Open Cosmos, based at Harwell in the UK.
Geminids meteor shower peaks this week under dark skies
Clean water for space and Earth
Access to clean water is essential for humans. ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen is helping to understand how to do it efficiently and at larger scales by testing water filtration membranes on the International Space Station as part of his Huginn mission.
Webb identifies tiniest free-floating brown dwarf
Discovery helps answer the question: How small can you go when forming stars?
Brown dwarfs are sometimes called failed stars, since they form like stars through gravitational collapse, but never gain enough mass to ignite nuclear fusion. The smallest brown dwarfs can overlap in mass with giant planets. In a quest to find the smallest brown dwarf, astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have found the new record-holder: an object weighing just three to four times the mass of Jupiter.
HyImpulse hybrid rocket motor test
Testing the 75kN hybrid rocket motor made by HyImpulse at German Aerospace Center, DLR’s Lampoldshausen facility in Germany, based on a low-cost hybrid propulsion technology. The rocket motor uses "space-grade candle wax" and liquid oxygen as propellants.
HyImpulse Technologies, based in Neuenstadt am Kocher in Southern Germany is developing a three-stage small launcher. Their three-stage launch vehicle, called SL1, will also be powered by green hybrid propulsion technology, using liquid oxygen and paraffin as propellants. The lightweight rocket is designed to launch small satellites up to 500 kg out to low-Earth orbit.
HyImpulse technologies was one of the first
Particle physicists put forward research priorities for coming decade
A panel of the nation's top particle physicists, chaired by University of California, Berkeley, theoretician Hitoshi Murayama, has issued its final report recommending how the U.S. government should commit its high-energy physics research funds for the next decade and beyond, focusing on neutrinos, dark matter and the cosmic microwave background. The report by the Particle Physics Project
NASA Sensor Produces First Global Maps of Surface Minerals in Arid Regions
NASA's EMIT mission has created the first comprehensive maps of the world's mineral dust-source regions, providing precise locations of 10 key minerals based on how they reflect and absorb light. When winds loft these substances into the air, they either cool or warm the atmosphere and Earth's surface, depending on their composition. Understanding their abundance around the globe will help resea
New project will take a step towards answering whether gravity is quantum
Scientists are developing an experiment to test whether gravity is quantum - one of the deepest questions about our universe. General relativity and quantum mechanics are the two most fundamental descriptions of nature we have. General relativity explains gravity on large scales while quantum mechanics explains the behaviour of atoms and molecules. Arguably the most important unsolve
Iota Technology Partners with AAC Clyde Space for Earth Magnetic Field Mission
AAC Clyde Space, a leader in small satellite technology, has recently been awarded a significant contract by Iota Technology to spearhead a pioneering satellite mission. This project, a key component of the MagQuest competition, aims to enhance our understanding of the Earth's magnetic field. The total value of the order is approximately GBP 1.94 million, translating to around SEK 25.5 million.
Launch of secret Space Force orbital platform targets Wednesday evening
SpaceX has announced further revisions to the schedule for the Falcon Heavy's launch of the USSF-52 mission. The launch, initially set for December 10 and then the 11th and 12th, is now targeted for no earlier than Wednesday, December 13 at 8:14 p.m. ET. This latest delay stems from a 'ground side issue', marking a deviation from the earlier weather-related postponement. SpaceX has also prepared a backup launch opportunity for Wednesday, December 14, should it be necessary.