Copernical Team
NASA's newest astronaut class begins training in Houston
NASA swore in 10 new astronaut candidates Monday at Johnson Space Center in Houston - six men and four women - who someday may walk on the moon or Mars. The candidates were "sworn in this morning, kicking off their two-year training," NASA said on Twitter, noting it was the 23rd astronaut candidate class since 1959. The 10 candidates will now learn engineering systems of spacecraft such
Arqit to Lead UK-AU Space Bridge Project
Arqit Quantum Inc. has contracted with Australia's SmartsatCRC under an agreement between the UK and Australian Governments to deliver the first phase of work to Australia relating to Arqit's Federated Quantum System Project ("FQS"). Arqit's FQS project for allied governments delivers strategic control to that government customer of a private instance of Arqit's end to end QuantumCloud tec
NASA's new IXPE mission begins science operations
NASA's newest X-ray eyes are open and ready for discovery! Having spent just over a month in space, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) is working and already zeroing in on some of the hottest, most energetic objects in the universe. A joint effort between NASA and the Italian Space Agency, IXPE is the first space observatory dedicated to studying the polarization of X-rays comin
Almost a Million Stars and Counting: Mapping the history of the Milky Way with APOGEE and beyond
On December 6th 2021, scientists from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) released the largest-ever detailed census of stars in our own Milky Way galaxy, with the complete release of data from its Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE). "For the last decade we have been working to map the Milky Way, and measure extremely detailed properties of the stars within it,"
Sol 3350-3352: A Rock Under the Wheel
We are back into our planning routine after the Christmas break. In fact, this was the third plan in the new year, and the third plan that Curiosity executes within the Roraima quadrant my colleague introduced a few days ago. While we are getting used to new sounds of our names, we are marvelling at the landscape in front of us, which is very diverse, both in the rover workspace and in the walls
NASA's InSight enters safe mode during regional Mars dust storm
NASA's InSight lander is stable and sending health data from Mars to Earth after going into safe mode Friday, Jan. 7, following a large, regional dust storm that reduced the sunlight reaching its solar panels. In safe mode, a spacecraft suspends all but its essential functions. The mission's team reestablished contact with InSight Jan. 10, finding that its power was holding steady and, whi
Airbus to develop the Power Management and Distribution System for key Lunar Gateway module
Airbus Crisa, an affiliate company of Airbus, has signed a contract for the development of the Power Management and Distribution (PMAD) system for the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) with Northrop Grumman. Airbus Crisa is a Spanish company founded in 1985 to design and manufacture electronic equipment and software for space applications, and engineering projects for ground stations
NASA prepares SLS for first crewed Artemis missions
by Tracy McMahan for MSFC News As teams continue to prepare NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for its debut flight with the launch of Artemis I, NASA and its partners across the country have made great progress building the rocket for Artemis II, the first crewed Artemis mission. The team is also manufacturing and testing major parts for Artemis missions III, IV and V. "The Space La
Mangata Networks announces funding for satellite edge computing network
Mangata Networks has closed a $33 million Series A round led by US-based venture capital firm Playground Global to continue its mission to transform the way the world interacts with information. This closing manifests the truly global nature of the organization with other major investors including Temasek which is headquartered in Singapore, ktsat from South Korea, Scottish Enterprise in the UK,
Astroscale U.S. and Orbit Fab sign first on-orbit satellite fuel sale agreement
Orbit Fab, the Gas Stations in Space refueling service provider and Astroscale U.S. Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Astroscale Holdings Inc. and market leader in securing long-term orbital sustainability, has announced a commercial agreement to refuel Astroscale's Life Extension In-Orbit (LEXI) Servicer in geostationary orbit (GEO); LEXI is the first satellite designed to be refueled. Under t