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Copernical Team
Rocket Lab launches second batch of TROPICS satellites for NASA
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The soot line: A new way to expand the search for habitable planets
Virgin Galactic resumes spaceflights after two year pause
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![Virgin Galactic's Unity spacecraft during Unity 25 mission, billed as the final test before commercial flights. Virgin Galactic's Unity spacecraft during Unity 25 mission, billed as the final test before commercial flights](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2023/virgin-galactics-unity.jpg)
Virgin Galactic successfully carried out its first spaceflight in nearly two years Thursday, the company said, after an "enhancement period" to make safety upgrades to its fleet.
It was the fifth time the space tourism company brushed the boundary of space, and has been billed as the final test before commercial operations can begin in late June, with members of the Italian Air Force as the first paying customers.
"Touchdown, VSS Unity!" the company tweeted, referring to the name of the company's spaceplane. "Our crew and spaceship are back on Earth after landing smoothly at Spaceport America, New Mexico."
The mission "was a fantastic achievement for everyone at Virgin Galactic," added CEO Michael Colglazier, in a statement.
The Unity 25 mission flew four of the company employees to an altitude of just over 54 miles (87 kilometers) above sea level.
South Korea hails successful launch of homegrown rocket (Update)
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![South Korea launched its homegrown Nuri rocket on Thursday, officials said, a day after it was forced to postpone due to a technical glitch. South Korea launched its homegrown Nuri rocket on Thursday, officials said, a day after it was forced to postpone due to a techn](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2023/south-korea-launched-i.jpg)
South Korea launched its homegrown Nuri rocket on Thursday, officials said, a day after it was forced to postpone due to a technical glitch just hours before lift-off.
It marks the third launch of the Nuri, which successfully put test satellites into orbit last year after a failed 2021 attempt saw the rocket's third-stage engine burn out too early.
Wednesday's launch was called off over a computer communication error which was resolved by Thursday, allowing the launch—a key step forward for the country's burgeoning space program—to go ahead.
The three-stage rocket, more than 47 meters (155 feet) long and weighing 200 tons, soared into the sky from the Naro Space Center in South Korea's southern coastal region, leaving a huge trail of white smoke.
Picking up lightsabres for Mars
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![](https://www.esa.int/var/esa/storage/images/esa_multimedia/videos/2023/05/picking_up_lightsabres_for_mars/24897127-1-eng-GB/Picking_up_lightsabres_for_Mars_card_full.png)
Detect, fetch and collect. A seemingly easy task is being tested to find the best strategy to collect samples on the martian surface, some 290 000 million km away from home.
Testing technologies for Mars exploration is part of the daily job of Laura Bielenberg, an ESA graduate trainee for the Mars Sample Return campaign.
The test takes place at the rock-strewn recreation of the Red Planet at ESA’s ESTEC technical centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. The nickname of this test site is the ‘Mars Yard’ and is part of the Planetary Robotics Laboratory.
The tube is a replica of the sample
South Korea launches homegrown rocket after delay (Update)
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![South Korea launched its homegrown Nuri rocket on Thursday, officials said, a day after it was forced to postpone due to a technical glitch. South Korea launched its homegrown Nuri rocket on Thursday, officials said, a day after it was forced to postpone due to a techn](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2023/south-korea-launched-i.jpg)
South Korea launched its homegrown Nuri rocket on Thursday, officials said, a day after it was forced to postpone due to a technical glitch just hours before lift-off.
It marks the third launch of the Nuri, which successfully put test satellites into orbit last year after a failed 2021 attempt saw the rocket's third-stage engine burn out too early.
Wednesday's launch was called off over a computer communication error which was resolved by Thursday, allowing the launch—a key step forward for the country's burgeoning space program—to go ahead.
The three-stage rocket, more than 47 meters (155 feet) long and weighing 200 tons, soared into the sky from the Naro Space Center in South Korea's southern coastal region, leaving a huge trail of white smoke.
Asymmetry in laws of physics could shed light on our existence
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A deep underground lab could hold key to habitability on Mars
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Ancient northern ocean on Mars evidenced by in situ observations of marine sedimentary rocks
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Kleos enters into broad partnership with General Atomics
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