Copernical Team
Airbus to Provide Over 200 Sparkwing Solar Arrays for MDA AURORA Satellites
Airbus has been selected by MDA Space Ltd. (TSX:MDA), a global leader in advanced space technology and services, to supply solar arrays for its MDA AURORA TM software-defined satellite product line. This satellite system aims to expand communication networks across the world by enabling satellite constellations for improved global connectivity. Under the agreement, Airbus will deliver over
AST SpaceMobile launches first 5 BlueBird satellites into orbit
AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTS) reports the the successful launch of its first five commercial satellites, called BlueBirds. The groundbreaking launch started at 4:52 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The event was witnessed by partners and retail shareholders from around the globe who had gathered to be a part of this historic milestone. These large arrays of antennas are
Apex Unveils Nova Satellite Bus Platform
Apex, a Los Angeles-based company specializing in spacecraft bus platforms, has introduced Nova, a new ESPA-Grande class satellite bus platform designed to accommodate payloads between 200 and 500 kg. Set for delivery starting in Q3 2025, Nova will cater to the demands of proliferated Low Earth Orbit (LEO) missions, including projects for the U.S. Space Force's Space Development Agency (SD
Astropolitics 3.0: A Reality Check
With the release of his 10th book, Astropolitics 3.0: Reality Check, Frank, delivers another sharp and insightful analysis in the acclaimed "Reality Check" series, which includes successful releases: A.I. 2.0, Earth Polycrisis, Hydrogen 3.0, and Net Zero. Space is no longer the exclusive domain of scientific discovery. In Astropolitics 3.0: Reality Check, the author takes a hard look at th
Shamir study supports century-old tired light theory, challenging big bang
A recent study led by a Kansas State University engineer has provided evidence that supports the "Tired Light" theory, a century-old concept that challenges the widely accepted Big Bang theory. Lior Shamir, an associate professor of computer science, conducted an observational study using imaging from three telescopes and over 30,000 galaxies to measure the redshift of galaxies based on th
NASA's Artemis II crew uses Iceland terrain for lunar training
Black and gray sediment stretches as far as the eye can see. Boulders sit on top of ground devoid of vegetation. Humans appear almost miniature in scale against a swath of shadowy mountains. At first glance, it seems a perfect scene from an excursion on the moon's surface … except the people are in hiking gear, not spacesuits.
Iceland has served as a lunar stand-in for training NASA astronauts since the days of the Apollo missions, and this summer the Artemis II crew took its place in that long history. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, along with their backups, NASA astronaut Andre Douglas and CSA astronaut Jenni Gibbons, joined geology experts for field training on the Nordic island.
New video shows how tiny spacecraft will 'swarm' Proxima Centauri
Earlier this year, NASA selected a rather interesting proposal for Phase I development as part of their NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. It's known as Swarming Proxima Centauri, a collaborative effort between Space Initiatives Inc. and the Initiative for Interstellar Studies (i4is) led by Space Initiative's chief scientist, Marshall Eubanks.
The concept was recently selected for Phase I development as part of this year's NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program.
Similar to other proposals involving gram-scale spacecraft and lightsails, the "swarming" concept involves accelerating tiny spacecraft with a laser array to up to 20% the speed of light. This past week, on the last day of the 2024 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Symposium, Eubanks and his colleagues presented an animation illustrating what this mission will look like.
The video and their presentation provide tantalizing clues as to what scientists expect to find in the closest star system to our own.
The skies are about to get a new star as a result of a cosmic cataclysm
Any night now, the astrophysicists tell us, a new star will appear in the night sky—about as bright as the North Star—the result of a cosmic explosion in a distant constellation millennia ago.
NASA scientist Rebekah Hounsell has called it "a once-in-a-lifetime event that will create a lot of new astronomers out there."
Once you see it, however, don't get too attached to it. The so-called recurring nova star, T. Coronae Borealis, which periodically mutates into an earth-size hydrogen bomb, will flame out in less than a week. But if you're around, you'll get another shot at seeing it at the beginning of the 22nd century.
Precisely when the nova, affectionately known as T CrB in the astronomical community, will be visible is unclear, astronomers say, and nailing the timing is a bit more complicated than predicting what time the sun will rise.
It could be sometime this month, maybe even this week, or maybe not until winter. But the evidence is unmistakable that it will appear soon.
When will the star explosion happen?
It already has, about 3,000 years ago, around the time of King David (he who felled Goliath in one of the great upsets in human history); Zoroaster; the Iron Age; and the golden age of the Villanovan people, who overran northern Italy.
Polaris Dawn brings new areas of research, medical care
The launch of Polaris Dawn from Kennedy Space Center includes the first civilian commercial spacewalk and other factors that will be firsts for space medicine research. And that's why Emmanuel Urquieta, an internationally recognized space medicine expert who recently joined UCF's College of Medicine, is especially excited about this latest mission.
The spacecraft is flying up to 870 miles above Earth—the highest orbit flown in the last half century. And at that altitude, the astronauts will be exposed to higher radiation than most astronauts who stay in low Earth orbit, such as those onboard the International Space Station.
After achieving the high orbit, Polaris Dawn will come down to a lower altitude for the spacewalk.