Copernical Team
Unveiling the space-weathered features of asteroid Ryugu
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New insights into the magnetic and physical environment of interplanetary space have been revealed through the analysis of asteroid Ryugu samples, retrieved by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft of the Japanese Space Agency. The research led by Professor Yuki Kimura of Hokkaido University, along with colleagues from 13 other Japanese institutions, is detailed in the journal Nature Communications.
Th Einstein Probe commences wide-angle X-ray sky surveillance
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Revealed at the 7th workshop of the Einstein Probe consortium in Beijing, the first images from the mission showcase the operational readiness of its innovative optics inspired by lobster eyes, designed to observe the X-ray spectrum. These initial captures highlight celestial bodies, indicating the satellite's comprehensive observational capabilities.
Launched on January 9, 2024, the Einst European satellite giant SES to buy US rival Intelsat
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European telecommunications satellite operator SES said Tuesday it would acquire US rival Intelsat for $3.1 billion as competition for space-based internet service gathers pace.
The merger follows year-long talks for a deal and comes as tech billionaire Elon Musk already has his own constellation of internet satellites and Amazon's Jeff Bezos has launched test satellites.
"In a fast-movi EarthCARE mission card with tagline
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EarthCARE: cloud and aerosol mission
SpaceX lines up pair of Space Coast launches for the weekend
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SpaceX has launches set for Saturday and Sunday from the Space Coast.
First up from is a Falcon 9 on the Galileo L12 mission carrying global navigation satellites for the European Commission from Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39-A targeting 8:34 p.m. Saturday with a backup Sunday at 8:30 p.m.
The first-stage booster is flying for a record-tying 20th time, but will be expended getting the payload to medium-Earth orbit.
Space Launch Delta 45's weather squadron forecasts a 75% chance for good conditions Saturday, which improves to 80% on Sunday.
The second launch this weekend is planned for Sunday when a Falcon 9 carrying 23 Starlink satellites aims to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40 targeting the opening of a four-hour window from 5:50-9:50 p.m. with a backup Monday during a four-hour window that opens at 5:25 p.m.
The first-stage booster is flying for the 13th time and will attempt a recovery landing downrange on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic.
These mark the 31st and 32nd launches of 2024 from the Space Coast, all but two of which have been by SpaceX.
America's 'big glass' dominance hangs on the fate of two powerful new telescopes
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More than 100 years ago, astronomer George Ellery Hale brought two Pasadena institutions together to build what was then the largest optical telescope in the world. The Mount Wilson Observatory changed the conception of humankind's place in the universe and revealed the mysteries of the heavens to generations of citizens and scientists alike. Ever since then, the United States has been at the forefront of "big glass."
In fact, the institutions, Carnegie Science and Caltech, still help run some of the largest telescopes for visible-light astronomy ever built.
But that legacy is being threatened as the National Science Foundation, the federal agency that supports basic research in the U.S., considers whether to fund two giant telescope projects. What's at stake is falling behind in astronomy and cosmology, potentially for half a century, and surrendering the scientific and technological agenda to Europe and China.
In 2021, the National Academy of Sciences released Astro2020. This report, a road map of national priorities, recommended funding the $2.5 billion Giant Magellan Telescope at the peak of Cerro Las Campanas in Chile and the $3.9 billion Thirty Meter Telescope at Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
NASA's Hubble pauses science due to gyro issue
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NASA is working to resume science operations of the agency's Hubble Space Telescope after it entered safe mode April 23 due to an ongoing gyroscope (gyro) issue. Hubble's instruments are stable, and the telescope is in good health.
The telescope automatically entered safe mode when one of its three gyroscopes gave faulty readings. The gyros measure the telescope's turn rates and are part of the system that determines which direction the telescope is pointed. While in safe mode, science operations are suspended, and the telescope waits for new directions from the ground.
This particular gyro caused Hubble to enter safe mode in November after returning similar faulty readings.
Q&A: How to catch a glimpse of a new star about to appear in the night sky
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If you peer up at the constellation Corona Borealis—the Northern Crown—over the next several months, you may catch a glimpse: Astronomers predict that sometime this year, a new star will appear in the night sky, growing as bright as the North Star, then vanishing in a matter of days.
The source of that pinprick of light is a stellar system roughly 3,000 light-years from Earth called T Coronae Borealis, or T CrB. There, two stars circle each other, interacting in ways that—like clockwork—produce a powerful eruption of energy about once every 80 years—an event called a recurrent nova.
Webb captures iconic Horsehead Nebula in unprecedented detail
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Image:
The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has captured the sharpest infrared images to date of one of the most distinctive objects in our skies, the Horsehead Nebula. The observations show a part of the iconic nebula in a whole new light, capturing its complexity with unprecedented spatial resolution.
The nebula formed from a collapsing interstellar cloud of material, and glows because it is illuminated by a nearby hot star. The gas clouds surrounding the Horsehead have already dissipated, but the jutting pillar is made of thick clumps of material that is harder to erode. Astronomers estimate that the Horsehead has
Two new satellites join the Galileo constellation
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The European Galileo navigation system has two more satellites in orbit following their launch in the early morning of Sunday, 28 April, at 01:34 BST/02:34 CEST. With 30 satellites now in orbit, Galileo is expanding its constellation, increasing the reliability, robustness and, ultimately, the precision, benefiting billions of users worldwide.
