Copernical Team
Above Space signs Umbrella Space Act Agreement With NASA
Above Space Development Corporation, a key player in the space technology sector, has recently inked an Umbrella Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA, a development set to have significant implications for both parties. This five-year SAA outlines the scope for collaborative work on various technologies designed for commercial, civil, and government clientele, marking an important step in the pro Virgin Galactic Unveils Plans for its Second Commercial Spaceflight, Galactic 02
Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) has released details about the forthcoming flight window for its second commercial space mission, christened 'Galactic 02.' The new announcement positions Virgin Galactic firmly within an expanding commercial space industry and highlights its regular rhythm of spaceflights.
The company's pioneering approach has led to a remarkable seventh spacefl Artemis instruments to study volcanic terrain on the Moon
As part of NASA's regular cadence of robotic lunar missions through Artemis, the agency has selected a new scientific payload to establish the age and composition of hilly terrain created by volcanic activity on the near side of the Moon.
The DIMPLE instrument suite, short for Dating an Irregular Mare Patch with a Lunar Explorer, will investigate the Ina Irregular Mare Patch, discovered in NASA advances Orion modules for upcoming artemis missions
It was an impressive sight inside the high bay of the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On June 22, 2023, a trio of Orion spacecraft destined for NASA's Artemis II, Artemis III, and Artemis IV missions stood adjacent to each other, each at a distinct stage of production. Engineers and technicians are diligently preparing these spacecraft t Plato's structural test campaign
From May to August 2023 a structural model of ESA's next exoplanet mission, Plato, is undergoing a test campaign at ESA's ESTEC Test Centre, at Noordwijk in the Netherlands. Plato is planned to launch on an Ariane 6 in 2026. During lift-off Plato will have to withstand intense vibrations and immense blasts of noise. To make sure the satellite can survive the start of its journey to space, engine UK targets laser satellite communications with NorthumbriaU research grant
Northumbria University in the UK is set to revolutionize the satellite communication systems, thanks to a generous funding award of 5 million pounds from the UK Space Agency. This investment will enable the university's researchers to pioneer the creation of a laser-based system that will significantly overhaul the current satellite communication methodologies.
Currently, satellites depend Powerful NASA-ISRO Earth-observing satellite coming together in India
Built on opposite sides of the planet, the NISAR satellite will deepen our understanding of climate change, deforestation, glacier melt, volcanoes, earthquakes, and more.
Two major components of the NISAR satellite have been combined to create a single spacecraft in Bengaluru, India.
Examining our options for a lunar solar power satellite
The concept of gathering some of the unlimited sunlight available in space, then transmitting it down to users, was first developed to serve the clean energy needs of planet Earth. But Space-Based Solar Power can also work for the moon.
As part of ESA's Open Space Innovation Platform Campaign on 'Clean Energy—New Ideas for Solar Power from Space', a study undertaken by Switzerland's Astrostrom company designed a Greater Earth Lunar Power Station, or GE⊕-LPS for short.
The study envisages a solar powersatellite constructed mainly from lunar resources (including moon-manufactured solar cells) that could deliver megawatts of microwave power down to receivers on the lunar surface, serving the needs of surface activities, including future crewed bases.
Taking inspiration from a butterfly, GE⊕-LPS feature V-shaped solar panels with integrated antennas, deployed in a helix configuration extending more than a square kilometer end to end. The design would yield continuous 23 megawatts of energy for lunar surface operations. The solar panels themselves are based on iron pyrite monograin-layer solar cells produced on the moon.
Located at an Earth-moon Lagrange point around 61 350 km from the lunar surface, the station itself would also be inhabited.
Crowds cheer as India launches a lander and rover to explore the moon's south pole
![Crowds cheer as India launches a lander and rover to explore the moon’s south pole](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2023/crowds-cheer-as-india.jpg "Indian spacecraft Chandrayaan-3, the word for "moon craft" in Sanskrit, blasts off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India, Friday, July 14, 2023. The Indian spacecraft blazed its way to the far side of the moon Friday in a follow-up mission to its failed effort nearly four years ago to land a rover softly on the lunar surface, the country's space agency said. A successful landing would make India the fourth country, after the United States, the Soviet Union, and China, to achieve the feat. Credit: AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi")
Week in images: 10-14 July 2023
Week in images: 10-14 July 2023
Discover our week through the lens
