Copernical Team
US still interested in possibility of having astronauts fly on board Soyuz: Roscosmos
The United States may purchase a seat on the Russian Soyuz in the spring of next year, as a precaution, in case of any issues with commercial US spacecraft, Roscosmos Deputy Director General for International Cooperation Sergey Saveliev told Sputnik.
"The Americans are leaving this opportunity [acquiring a Soyuz seat in the spring of 2022] as an option, counting on help and assistance from Solar System's fastest-orbiting asteroid discovered
The Sun has a new neighbor that was hiding in plain twilight. An asteroid that orbits the Sun in just 113 days-the shortest known orbital period for an asteroid and second shortest for any object in our Solar System after Mercury-was discovered by Carnegie's Scott S. Sheppard in evening twilight images taken by Brown University's Ian Dell'Antonio and Shenming Fu.
The newfound asteroid, cal Martian snow is dusty, could potentially melt, new study shows
Over the last two decades, scientists have found ice in many locations on Mars. Most Martian ice has been observed from orbital satellites like NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. But determining the grain size and dust content of the ice from that far above the surface is challenging. And those aspects of the ice are crucial in helping scientists determine how old the ice is and how it was depo Gilmour Space signs first European partnership agreement with Exolaunch
Gilmour Space Technologies, a premier Australian rocket company pioneering new and innovative hybrid propulsion technologies for launching small satellites, and Exolaunch, a Berlin-based leader in rideshare launch and deployment services for small satellites, has announced a series of agreements for small satellite launch, deployment and in-space transportation services.
Under the agreemen Interstellar comets like Borisov may not be all that rare
In 2019, astronomers spotted something incredible in our backyard: a rogue comet from another star system. Named Borisov, the icy snowball traveled 110,000 miles per hour and marked the first and only interstellar comet ever detected by humans.
But what if these interstellar visitors-comets, meteors, asteroids and other debris from beyond our solar system-are more common than we think? UCF experimental space dirt used by NASA, private companies to advance space exploration
An ingenious idea born out of a research lab at the University of Central Florida has led to a growing operation that is having a direct impact on space exploration.
Chances are that some of the equipment landing on the moon and the methods that will be used to grow food or build shelter, will have been tested first on experimental soil developed right at UCF.
UCF's Exolith Lab has p NASA faces new criticism, possible congressional hearing over spacesuit delays
NASA is facing new criticism over a recent agency watchdog report that disclosed spacesuit development is so far behind schedule that a return to the moon would be delayed beyond a 2024 target.
Coupled with the high cost, estimated to hit $1 billion eventually, the development issues are serious enough to prompt a congressional hearing, U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., told UPI.
"I almost Planet Aqua: Solutions from Space for Clean Water
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Water is life, on Earth and in space. Dutch ESA astronaut André Kuipers recounts his experience living in space for 204 days, and his time looking back on the blue face of ‘Planet Aqua’, comparing notes with divers about what is going on beneath the waves. He goes on to explore how space technology is being used for water management, from orbital tracking of water quality and pollution to spacecraft-grade recycling systems deployed down on the ground, as well as ambitious efforts to identify marine plastic litter using satellites. Produced for SIWI World Water Week with the
Astronaut's undisclosed minor medical issue delays spacewalk
NASA is delaying a spacewalk at the International Space Station this week because of an undisclosed medical issue involving one of its astronauts.
We're launching Australia's first scratch-built satellite, and it's a giant leap toward the moon
On August 28, a SpaceX rocket will blast off from Cape Canaveral in Florida, carrying supplies bound for the International Space Station. But also on board will be a small satellite that represents a giant leap into space for our research program here in Western Australia.
Our satellite, called Binar-1 after the Noongar word for "fireball," was designed and built from scratch by our team at Curtin University's Space Science and Technology Center.
We chose this name for two reasons: to acknowledge the Wadjuk people of the Noongar Nation, and to recognize the relationship between our satellite program and Curtin's Desert Fireball Network, which has successfully searched for meteorites in the Australian desert.
Binar-1 is a CubeSat—a type of small satellite made from 10-centimeter cube-shaped modules. Binar-1 consists of just one such module, meaning it's technically a 1U CubeSat.
Its main objective is to prove the technology works in space, thereby taking a first step towards future missions in which we hope ultimately to send CubeSats to the moon.