Copernical Team
Watch Sentinel-2C launch live on the final Vega rocket
The Copernicus Sentinel-2C satellite is ready for liftoff! Tune in to ESA WebTV on 4 September from 03:30 CEST to watch the satellite soar into space on the last Vega rocket to be launched from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Sentinel-2C is scheduled to liftoff at 03:50 CEST.
Fourth Mercury flyby begins BepiColombo’s new trajectory
Teams from across ESA and industry have worked continuously over the past four months to overcome a glitch that prevented BepiColombo’s thrusters from operating at full power. The ESA/JAXA mission is still on track, with a new trajectory that will take it just 165 km from Mercury’s surface on Wednesday.
Taking BepiColombo closer to Mercury than it’s ever been before, this flyby will reduce the spacecraft’s speed and change its direction. It also gives us the opportunity to snap images and fine-tune science instrument operations at Mercury before the main mission begins. Closest approach is scheduled for 23:48 CEST
Advanced Control Strategy Enables Effective Surrounding of Noncooperative Targets by Spacecraft Formations
Researchers at the Beijing Institute of Technology have developed a sophisticated control strategy for spacecraft formations, enabling them to surround noncooperative targets effectively within a finite time. This development could play a key role in future space missions where precise formation flying and target interaction are crucial. The research team introduced a comprehensive model o
NASA JPL Developing Underwater Robots to Venture Deep Below Polar Ice
On a remote patch of the windy, frozen Beaufort Sea north of Alaska, engineers from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California huddled together, peering down a narrow hole in a thick layer of sea ice. Below them, a cylindrical robot gathered test science data in the frigid ocean, connected by a tether to the tripod that had lowered it through the borehole. This test gave engin
NASA's Europa Clipper Equipped with Massive Solar Arrays for Jupiter Mission
NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft, the largest ever built for planetary exploration, has been fitted with a set of gigantic solar arrays at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. These arrays, each measuring approximately 46.5 feet (14.2 meters) in length and 13.5 feet (4.1 meters) in height, are the largest ever developed by NASA for a planetary mission. Their size is crucial to harness the maximu
Greenland's Accelerated Warming Linked to Clear-Sky Radiation and Atmospheric Dynamics
Global warming, fueled by human activities, has led to rising average temperatures across the globe. However, Greenland is experiencing warming at a rate faster than the global average, causing its ice sheets to melt more rapidly. This phenomenon, known as Arctic Amplification, could significantly raise sea levels, threatening coastal regions and ecosystems worldwide. Understanding the factors d
Satellite Data Enhances Understanding of Solar Power Generation in Asia Pacific
Amid the ongoing energy crisis and the growing threat of climate change, the need to harness renewable energy sources has become increasingly urgent. Solar energy, in particular, is emerging as a leading candidate, with experts predicting it could become the primary energy source by the end of the century. However, solar energy generation is not without challenges. Like wind power, solar i
Bubbling, frothing and sloshing: Long-hypothesized plasma instabilities finally observed
Whether between galaxies or within doughnut-shaped fusion devices known as tokamaks, the electrically charged fourth state of matter known as plasma regularly encounters powerful magnetic fields, changing shape and sloshing in space. Now, a new measurement technique using protons, subatomic particles that form the nuclei of atoms, has captured details of this sloshing for the first time, potenti
NASA Discovers a Long-Sought Global Electric Field on Earth
Using observations from a NASA suborbital rocket, an international team of scientists has, for the first time, successfully measured a planet-wide electric field thought to be as fundamental to Earth as its gravity and magnetic fields. Known as the ambipolar electric field, scientists first hypothesized over 60 years ago that it drove how our planet's atmosphere can escape above Earth's North an
Global space industry to exceed $6.1 trillion by 2064
The space industry is expected to experience significant growth, with a market valuation projected to reach $6.1 trillion by 2064, according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The report, titled "Future of Space Industry," provides an in-depth analysis of the factors driving this anticipated expansion and highlights the key areas of opportunity within the sector. The study outlines the