Copernical Team
Curtin research shines a light on Moon's oldest geologic imprints
New Curtin research has found the Moon may have been subjected to much greater impacts from asteroids and other bodies than previously thought, building on our understanding of the Moon's earliest geologic evolution. Published in Nature Communications, the research provides a greater insight of how the oldest impact events on the Moon may have left near-invisible cratering imprints, offeri
MDA awarded contract for Japan's Martian Moons Exploration Mission
MDA Ltd. been awarded the full contract from Mitsubishi Electric in Japan to provide a Laser Rangefinder (LRF) altimeter for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) mission. MDA will be providing two redundant flight units (laser range finder - LRF) altimeters and one engineering development unit (EDU) LRF altimeter. Scheduled to launch in Japane
Visionary tech concepts could pioneer the future in Space
NASA missions make it seem like the future is now - rovers exploring Mars with cutting-edge gadgets, a spacecraft venturing home with an asteroid sample, and a complex space telescope peering at the early universe. So, what's the next big thing? What might space missions in 2050 and beyond set out to discover? One small NASA program aims to see what could be possible. The NASA Innovative A
SpaceX's Inspiration4 civilian crew hopes mission will inspire world
When the first all-private orbital space mission is launched this week, it will be powered by philanthropist and ambitious businessman Jared Isaacman's vision of making the world a better place. Isaacman, also a pilot and the mission commander, told UPI when he began assembling his civilian crew in February that he has a long history of tying flights and adventures to fundraising effort
SpaceX's first tourists all set for 'camper van' trip to space
The weather seems cooperative and the passengers are raring to go: SpaceX's first space tourists were a picture of calm Tuesday as they prepared to blast off on a three-day mission to orbit the Earth. "No jitters, excited to get going!" American billionaire Jared Isaacman told reporters when asked his state of mind at a press conference. Behind him towered the giant Falcon 9 rocket, whic
First deep drilling success for ExoMars
ESA’s Rosalind Franklin twin rover on Earth has drilled down and extracted samples 1.7 metres into the ground – much deeper than any other martian rover has ever attempted.
Spectratime Rubidium Atomic Frequency Standard (RAFS)
Spectratime RAFS is designed with the latest technologies, providing advanced features, such as long lifetime, high reliability, lightweight and ultra low phase noise, for next-generation space applications.
Applications:
- GNSS/GPS navigational systems
- SAR systems
- FGU systems
- MRO systems
Key Features:
- Output 10 MHz and 10 MHz auxiliary
- Accuracy < 2E-10 after launch & commissioning < 1E-10 under vacuum at delivery
- Temp -5 to 10C
- Aging < 1E-10/yr
- Size (WxHxL) 217x124x117mm | 8.54x4.88x4.6"
- Weight 3.4 Kg | 7.49 lbs
- Lifetime/MTBF > 15 yrs / < 2000 fit span>
- Power (operating) < 35W
- Voltage 28V
- Warmup <60W
Russian Soyuz rocket launches 34 new UK satellites
A Russian Soyuz rocket has blasted into space carrying 34 new satellites from British operator Oneweb, which aims to provide broadband internet everywhere in the world.
The rocket, operated by Europe's Arianespace, took off at 1807 GMT Tuesday from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, broadcast live by the Russian Roscosmos space agency.
"The launch went to plan," Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said on Telegram.
It was the sixth launch of OneWeb satellites this year, the last one having been on August 22.
OneWeb is working to complete the construction of a constellation of low-earth orbit satellites providing enhanced broadband and other services to countries worldwide.
The company is competing against billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos in the race to provide fast internet for the world's remote areas via satellites.
The UK company plans for its global commercial internet service to be operational by next year, supported by some 650 satellites.
Arianespace, which has worked with Russia for close to two decades, is under contract to make 16 Soyuz launches between December 2020 and the end of 2022.
Image: Energy Department mission launched from Wallops
A two-stage suborbital sounding rocket launched at 6:07 p.m. EDT for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration from NASA's launch range at Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
The Terrier-Improved Malemute rocket flew the payload to an altitude of 99 miles. The payload descended by parachute and landed in the Atlantic Ocean, 59 miles from Wallops Island. The payload was recovered and preliminary indications are that good data was received.
The flight is part of the HOTShot program, short for High Operational Tempo, which collects scientific data that benefits aerospace research and informs future weapon designs for the U.S. nuclear enterprise. Its non-nuclear scientific experiments evaluate prototypes and help develop high-fidelity computer models and mechanical flight simulators.
The next rocket launch from Wallops is targeted for no earlier than October 2021.
Explore further
Virtual ESA Open Day registration now open
Registration for this year's virtual ESA Open Day is now open. This tenth annual ESA Open Day will take place on Sunday 3 October.