Copernical Team
Researchers Discover New Insights into Carbene Formation
A team led by University of Maryland chemists has found a new method to create carbenes, highly reactive molecules essential for many chemical reactions, including those that produce carbohydrates. Carbenes are important precursors to the building blocks of life on Earth and potentially in space.
The researchers created hydroxymethylene (HCOH), a carbene, by breaking down methanol (CH3OH) Orbex partners with MSP for automated component production
Orbex has announced a partnership with MSP to enhance the automation of component production for its orbital launch services from the UK.
MSP will supply technology to automate the production of components for Orbex's orbital launch services, aiding in the company's preparations for its first launch.
Based in North East England, MSP aims to optimize CNC machine productivity by automa Office of Space Commerce Extends TraCSS Project
The Office of Space Commerce (OSC) has announced a one-month extension of the Consolidated Pathfinder project supporting the Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS).
Launched in January 2024, the Consolidated Pathfinder is a short-term project focusing on space situational awareness (SSA) for the low Earth orbit (LEO) regime. The project examines how commercial SSA capabilities can Ariane 6 will launch 3D Printing technology into space
Europe's newest rocket, Ariane 6, is set to launch, carrying multiple space missions. One notable mission is Replicator, a project by Orbital Matter, which will demonstrate new 3D printing technology in space.
The Replicator mission, a collaboration between Warsaw, Poland, and Berlin, Germany-based startup Orbital Matter, aims to show how 3D printing can be used in orbit, potentially enabl Hera tests CubeSat communication for asteroid mission
The Juventas CubeSat, equipped with radar, is partially deployed from its Hera mission mothership inside ESA's Maxwell chamber for electromagnetic compatibility testing.
The foam pyramids around Hera absorb radio signals, while the Maxwell chamber's 9-m high metal walls block external radio interference. This space mimics the void of space, allowing the Hera team to validate the spacecraft Glitch hampers bepicolombo mission to mercury
BepiColombo, the joint ESA/JAXA mission to Mercury, has experienced an issue that is preventing the spacecraft's thrusters from operating at full power.
BepiColombo consists of two scientific probes and the Mercury Transfer Module, designed to separate during the mission's Mercury orbit insertion.
The solar arrays and electric propulsion system on the Mercury Transfer Module generate NASA and ESA Collaborate on ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Rover
NASA and ESA announced they signed an agreement to expand NASA's work on the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover, an ESA-led mission launching in 2028 to search for signs of ancient life on Mars.
With this memorandum of understanding, NASA's Launch Services Program will secure a U.S. commercial launch provider for the Rosalind Franklin rover. NASA will also supply heater units and elements of Lithuania becomes 40th nation to join NASA's Artemis Accords
Lithuania has become the 40th nation to sign NASA's Artemis Accords, a pact that defines the peaceful exploration of space.
Aušrinė Armonaitė, Lithuania's minister of economy and innovation, signed the accords Wednesday at the Radisson Blu Lietuva hotel in the capital Vilnius, with U.S. Ambassador Kara McDonald in attendance.
"Welcome to the Artemis Accords family, Lithuania," 'Danger behind the beauty': More solar storms could be heading our way
Tourists normally have to pay big money and brave cold climates for a chance to see an aurora, but last weekend many people around the world simply had to look up to see these colorful displays dance across the sky.
Usually banished to the poles of Earth, the auroras strayed as far as Mexico, southern Europe and South Africa on the evening of May 10, delighting skygazers and filling social media with images of exuberant pinks, greens and purples.
But for those charged with protecting Earth from powerful solar storms such as the one that caused the auroras, a threat lurks beneath the stunning colors.
"We need to understand that behind this beauty, there is danger," Quentin Verspieren, the European Space Agency's space safety program coordinator, told AFP.
First crewed flight of Boeing Starliner postponed again
The first crewed launch of Boeing's Starliner to the International Space Station has been delayed again due to a technical issue, NASA said Friday.
The launch in Florida was scheduled for Tuesday but NASA said it is now planned for May 25 to allow teams to further assess a helium leak linked to the service module, which sits on top of the rocket.
Earlier this month, a Starliner launch was postponed just hours before lift-off, with the astronauts already strapped in, due to a separate technical issue.
"The additional time allows teams to further assess" the helium leak, NASA said on its website.
The two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, are in the meantime staying in Houston, Texas until the mission is ready.
It is another delay in the highly anticipated mission which has faced years of delays and comes at a challenging time for Boeing, as safety questions surround the century-old aerospace titan's commercial aviation arm.
NASA is banking on Starliner's success for its goal of certifying a second commercial vehicle to carry crews to the International Space Station.
