Copernical Team
Press conference with ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt
Watch the replay of the press conference with ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt taking place at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne (Germany) as he prepares for his first mission to the International Space Station.
He was joined by another ESA astronaut, Matthias Maurer. Marcus’s mission, called Muninn, is supported by ESA and the Swedish National Space Agency (SNSA).
The mission will last up to 14 days, in which Marcus will take part in microgravity research and educational outreach activities. Marcus will be a mission specialist on Ax-3 and his launch is scheduled on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft no earlier
Italy's Mount Etna spews lava
Cosmic currents: Preserving water quality for astronauts during space exploration
On Nov. 9, the SpaceX Falcon rocket streaked skyward from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The rocket is on a commercial resupply mission dubbed CRS-2 SpX-29. In addition to providing vital provisions for astronauts, SpX-29 carries a special biological sciences payload - a collaborative experiment developed by researchers at Arizona State Universi
Momentus testing new spacecraft engine and solar array design
Momentus Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTS), a U.S. commercial space company that offers satellite buses, transportation, and other in-space infrastructure services, continues to advance in-space testing of its Microwave Electrothermal Thruster (MET) and recently completed initial in-space testing of its Tape Spring Solar Array (TASSA). The MET is the Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle's (OSV) primary prop
AI-Powered Space Situational Awareness Boosted by Neuraspace-Deimos Collaboration
Neuraspace, a leader in smarter space traffic management, has announced a strategic partnership with Elecnor Deimos, a renowned name in Space Surveillance and Awareness solutions. This collaboration is set to revolutionize the way space debris is tracked, significantly enhancing the safety and security of space operations. Utilizing critical data from Elecnor Deimos, Neuraspace aims to bol
Spire Global launches innovative constellation management platform
In a significant advancement for the satellite services industry, Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR), a frontrunner in space-based data, analytics, and space services, has unveiled its latest innovation at Space Tech Expo Europe. The newly introduced Constellation Management Platform, a web-based application, is set to streamline satellite constellation operations through its intuitive interface. T
Study finds strongest evidence yet for local sources of cosmic ray electrons
A new study using data from the CALorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) instrument on the International Space Station has found evidence for nearby, young sources of cosmic ray electrons, contributing to a greater understanding of how the galaxy functions as a whole. The study included more than seven million data points representing particles arriving at CALET's detector since 2015, and C
Blast from the past: Gamma-ray burst strikes Earth from distant exploding star
An enormous burst of gamma rays, detected by ESA's Integral space telescope, has struck Earth. The blast caused a significant disturbance in our planet's ionosphere. Such disturbances are usually associated with energetic particle events on the Sun but this one was the result of an exploding star almost two billion light-years away. Analysing the effects of the blast could provide information ab
The Long Wait
There was a long delay between Flight 52 and Flight 53, and a deviation from the published Flight 53 plan. I will address both in this blog post. First, the Flight 53 delay was the direct result of a decision by the team to fly Ingenuity out of telecom communications range with the rover. One may question the wisdom of this, but there are good reasons to do so. When plotting a traversal pa
US embarks on ambitious quantum technology endeavor
In a landmark initiative, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), along with other strategic partners, has announced the inaugural participants in the Quantum and Space Collaboration. This pioneering effort, which includes the DOE, Department of Defense (DOD), NASA, Infleqtion, Nebula Space Enterprises, and Accenture Federal Services, seeks to harness quantum technologies for major advancements in