Copernical Team
Two Environmental Protection Satellites Begin Operations in China
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China has officially commenced the operation of two advanced environmental protection satellites, as announced by the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
During a handover ceremony at CNSA's headquarters in Beijing, control of the Atmospheric Environmental Surveyor and the Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Inventory Satellite was transferred to their designated users. These users includ Scientists Recreate Stellar Reactions in Laboratory
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In space, some stars engage in a process where they draw energy and material from neighboring stars. By studying these interactions, researchers can gain insights into the formation of cosmic elements that are fundamental to planets, particles, and life on Earth.
Researchers at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Michigan State University (MSU) have su Planet Labs Extends Data Provision Contract with Taylor Geospatial Institute to 2026
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Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL), a leading provider of daily Earth data and insights, has announced an extension of its contract with the Taylor Geospatial Institute (TGI) through 2026. This collaboration represents Planet's most extensive direct engagement with a university consortium. The multi-year agreement enables TGI to utilize various industry-leading products from Planet, including PlanetScop US Army Awards SES Space and Defense Pilot Contract for Managed SATCOM Services
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SES Space and Defense, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SES, has been selected to provide the U.S. Army with Satellite Communications (SATCOM) as a Managed Service (SaaMS) in a pilot program under a blanket purchase agreement (BPA) valued at $3.6 million. This contract aims to offer flexible and tailored commercially leased SATCOM network services to meet evolving mission requirements. The contract NASA Mission Enhances Understanding of Arctic Sea Ice Melt
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NASA has launched a new mission aimed at improving climate data modeling and understanding the rapid changes in Earth's climate, particularly in the Arctic region. Known as the Arctic Radiation Cloud Aerosol Surface Interaction Experiment (ARCSIX), this mission underscores the global impact of Arctic ice, ocean, and atmospheric changes, acting as Earth's air conditioner.
The Arctic's cooli NASA Mars rover captures rock that could hold fossilized microbes
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NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has made what could be its most astonishing discovery to date: possible signs of ancient life on the Red Planet.
The six-wheeled robotic explorer came across an intriguing, arrow-shaped rock dubbed "Cheyava Falls" that may harbor fossilized microbes from billions of years ago, when Mars was a watery world.
Perseverance drilled into the enigmatic rock to col Akima Wins $480 Million Contract to Enhance U.S. Space Force Satellite Operations
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Akima, a leading provider of products and services to the federal government, has announced that its subsidiary, Five Rivers Analytics, has been awarded the Satellite Control Network Tracking Station Operations, Remote Site and Mission Partner Support (STORMS) contract to assist the U.S. Space Force. This indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract spans ten years and is valued at $ Sun's Impact on Earth's Deep Interior Uncovered by Researchers
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Scientists have long held that deep Earth processes such as volcanic eruptions and tectonic plate movements primarily shape surface conditions, driving events like the mass extinction 66 million years ago and climate transitions. However, a new study in Nature Communications reveals that solar radiation also penetrates deep into the Earth's interior.
The research shows that solar radiation A cave discovered on the moon opens up new opportunities for settlement by humans
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Almost 55 years after the launch of Apollo 11—the first mission to land humans on the moon—scientists have found evidence of a large cave system near the landing site of those astronauts.
Using radar images taken by Nasa's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft in 2010, researchers have been able to determine that huge pits, found in images of the moon, may in fact be "skylights" to large caves and tunnels that sit beneath the lunar surface.
These could be incredibly valuable to future astronauts hoping to settle on the moon, acting as a convenient shelter for a lunar base.
The cave is accessible through a pit in the well-studied Mare Tranquillitatis (Sea of Tranquility). This is a large basin made mostly of basalt. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down in this region on July 20 1969.
While Mare Tranquillitatis isn't likely to be the first place humans try to settle on the moon, the existence of one cave makes the existence of others very likely, so scientists now expect there to be others in locations more suitable for human settlement.
Spacecraft to swing by Earth, moon on path to Jupiter
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A spacecraft launched last year will slingshot back around Earth and the moon next month in a high-stakes, world-first maneuver as it pinballs its way through the solar system to Jupiter.
The European Space Agency's Juice probe blasted off in April 2023 on a mission to discover whether Jupiter's icy moons Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa are capable of hosting extra-terrestrial life in their vast, hidden oceans.
The uncrewed six-tonne spacecraft is currently 10 million kilometers (six million miles) from Earth.
But it will fly back past the moon and then Earth on August 19-20, using their gravity boosts to save fuel on its winding, eight-year odyssey to Jupiter.
Staff at the ESA's space operations center in Darmstadt, Germany began preparing for the complicated maneuver this week.