Bern, Switzerland (SPX) Sep 12, 2022
After a thousand days in orbit, the CHEOPS space telescope shows almost no signs of wear. Under these conditions, it could continue to reveal details of some of the most fascinating exoplanets for quite some time. CHEOPS is a joint mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Switzerland, under the aegis of the University of Bern in collaboration with the University of Geneva. Since its

Paris, France (SPX) Sep 12, 2022
Kythera Space Solutions (Kythera), the leading provider of dynamic management systems for next-generation payloads and SATCOM networks, has entered into a 10-year partnership with Thales Alenia Space, a Joint Venture between Thales (67 %) and Leonardo (33 %), to develop the Ground Mission Segment System (GMSS) for Thales Alenia Space's software-defined satellite (SDS) product line, Space Inspire

Newington CT (SPX) Sep 12, 2022
PCX Aerosystems ("PCX"), a market-leading producer of advanced mechanical systems for the aerospace industry, announced the September 2, 2022 acquisition of NuSpace, Inc. ("NuSpace") from Cornerstone Capital Holdings and members of the NuSpace leadership team. With engineering and manufacturing roots going back to 1907, NuSpace has evolved from a diversified mechanical systems manufacturer into

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ESA’s Solar Orbiter has solved the mystery of a magnetic phenomenon in the solar wind. It has taken the first ever image of a ‘switchback’ in the solar corona, confirming its predicted ‘S’ shape. A switchback is defined by rapid flips in magnetic field direction. The observed switchback is linked to an active region associated with sunspots and magnetic activity where there is an interaction between open and closed magnetic field lines. The interaction releases energy and sends the S-shaped disturbance into space. The new data suggest that switchbacks could originate near the solar surface, and may

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ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst and NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson are getting world-class geology training this week during the fifth edition of ESA’s Pangaea course.

A balanced mix of theory and field trips, the course will take the pair all over Europe to hone their geology skills. The training began last week in the Italian Dolomites with lessons on fundamental geology knowledge and skills, martian geology and asteroids at Bletterbach Canyon.

The rock samples from the canyon Alexander is holding in this image are a combination of gypsum (white hue) in siltstone-sandstone (reddish hue), and are analogous to rocks found on Mars.

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It has been an exciting and busy summer for the European Space Agency, with development and testing of its new Ariane 6 launcher. At Europe’s spaceport in, French Guiana, a test model of the launcher’s central core was assembled for the first time. Ariane 6 is the first Ariane rocket to be assembled horizontally, which is simpler and less costly than more traditional vertical assembly. Then, the rocket was moved to its launchpad and placed upright in the massive mobile gantry for combined tests, to validate the compatibility between all components of the complete launch system. Soon

With data from its closest pass of the Sun yet, the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft has found compelling clues as to the origin of magnetic switchbacks, and points towards how their physical formation mechanism might help accelerate the solar wind.

Vienna, Austria (SPX) Sep 12, 2022
How animals are able to interpret natural light sources to adjust their physiology and behaviour is poorly understood. The labs of Kristin Tessmar-Raible (Max Perutz Labs Vienna, Alfred Wegener Institut, University of Oldenburg) and Eva Wolf (Johannes Gutenberg University and Institute of Molecular Biology Mainz) have now revealed that a molecule called L-cryptochrome (L-Cry) has the biochemical

Beijing (XNA) Sep 07, 2022
China has applied its Gaofen series satellites to help with relief work following a 6.8-magnitude earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan Province, according to the website of state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV). More than 10 satellites were deployed to capture images of the quake-hit areas 10 minutes after the earthquake jolted Sichuan's Luding County at 12:52 p.m. Monday, i

Riverside CA (SPX) Sep 12, 2022
Of all known planets, Earth is as friendly to life as any planet could possibly be - or is it? If Jupiter's orbit changes, a new study shows Earth could be more hospitable than it is today. When a planet has a perfectly circular orbit around its star, the distance between the star and the planet never changes. Most planets, however, have "eccentric" orbits around their stars, meaning the o