Copernical Team
Autonomous systems help NASA's Perseverance do more science on Mars
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A computer pilot helps NASA's six-wheeled geologist as it searches for rock samples that could be brought to Earth for deeper investigation.
In about a third of the time it would have taken other NASA Mars rovers, Perseverance recently navigated its way through a field of boulders more than 1,700 feet wide (about a half-kilometer).
NASA's Atmospheric Waves Experiment completes space environment tests
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NASA's Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) has successfully completed critical space environment tests. Planned for launch to the International Space Station in November 2023, AWE will study atmospheric gravity waves in Earth's atmosphere to help us better understand the connections between terrestrial weather and space.
"AWE is a highly sensitive, precise science instrument designed to be fitted on the International Space Station and operate in the harsh space environment," said Burt Lamborn, AWE project manager at Utah State University's Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL), which is building the instrument for NASA. "To ensure that AWE will survive launch turbulence and operate as designed once in space, SDL put the instrument through its paces on the ground.
Researchers ready NASA's SPHEREX space telescope for 2025 launch
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NASA's SPHEREx space telescope has been tucked inside a custom-built chamber on and off for the past two months undergoing tests to prepare it for its two-year mission in space. SPHEREx, which stands for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer, is set to launch into orbit around Earth no later than April 2025.
It will map the entire sky in infrared wavelengths of light, capturing not only images of hundreds of millions of stars and galaxies but spectra for these objects as well. Spectra are created by instruments that break apart light into a rainbow of wavelengths, revealing new details about a cosmic object's composition, distance, and more.
Webb finds carbon source on surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa
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Jupiter’s moon Europa is one of a handful of worlds in our Solar System that could potentially harbour conditions suitable for life. Previous research has shown that beneath its water-ice crust lies a salty ocean of liquid water with a rocky seafloor. However, planetary scientists had not confirmed whether or not that ocean contained the chemicals needed for life, particularly carbon.
NAVISP Industry Days 2023: register now
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Are you part of the positioning, navigation and timing community and want to play a part in shaping the future of this transformative field? Register now for this year’s NAVISP Industry Days!
Millennium Space Systems' VICTUS NOX space vehicle operational in just 37 hours
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Millennium Space Systems has completed checkout and achieved operational readiness of the VICTUS NOX space vehicle just 37 hours after lunch - 11 hours ahead of the 48-hour goal. This phase of a space mission typically takes weeks or months to complete.
"Conducting space vehicle initialization and achieving mission readiness in record time demonstrates a dramatic shift in the way we delive First view of OSIRIS-REx returning with asteroid sample
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Image:
Is it a spacecraft? An asteroid? Well, both. This small central speck is the first image of a spacecraft on its way home, carrying with it a sample from an asteroid hundreds-of-millions, if-not-billions-of-years old. The spacecraft is NASA’s OSIRIS-REx, the asteroid is Bennu.
On Sunday 24 September, the mission will drop its rocky sample off to fall through Earth’s atmosphere and land safely back home, before it continues on to study the once rather scary asteroid Apophis.
Spotted on 16 September by ESA’s Optical Ground Station
ESA Open Days 2023: connecting space enthusiasts across Europe
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More than 15 000 visitors are getting ready to pass through ESA's gateways during ESA Open Days 2023. This Europe-wide series of events promises to connect space enthusiasts, bringing space closer to them than ever before. Unforgettable days of discoveries, inspiration, and scientific divulgation await thousands of European citizens, who are eagerly gearing up for a fantastic journey through the wonders of space.
ESA works with EU on secure connectivity
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Keeping European citizens safe from cyberattacks that can lead to the disruption of essential supplies – such as power, water and the flow of crucial information – is vital in today’s increasingly digital world. ESA and the European Commission have today signed an agreement to use space to help keep information secure.
NASA to live stream asteroid sample's return to Earth this weekend
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NASA has scheduled coverage of its first asteroid sampling mission's return to Earth.
The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security - Regolith Explorer (OSIriS-REx) sample capsule is scheduled to re-enter the atmosphere and return to Earth Sunday, during which it will land in Utah.
"The first asteroid sample collected in space by NASA will arrive on 
