Copernical Team
Video: Eclipse-making double-satellite Proba-3
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Proba-3 is ESA's—and the world's—first precision formation flying mission. A pair of satellites will fly together relative to the sun so that one casts a precisely-controlled shadow onto the other, to create a prolonged solar eclipse in orbit.
In the process, the mission will open up the sun's faint surrounding coronal atmosphere for sustained study. Normally, this corona is rendered invisible by the brilliant face of the sun, like a firefly next to a bonfire.
Due for launch together this autumn, the two Proba-3 satellites will fly 144-m apart for up to six hours at a time to create these eclipses. Beside its scientific interest, this experiment will be a perfect method to demonstrate the precise positioning of the two platforms. It will be enabled using a novel combination of guidance technologies. In this video, the Proba-3 team details the mission concept.
Provided by European Space Agency
A mission to find 10 million near-Earth asteroids every year
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So far, scientists have found around 34,000 near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) that could serve as humanity's stepping stone to the stars. These balls of rock and ice hold valuable resources as we expand throughout the solar system, making them valuable real estate in any future space economy. But the 34,000 we know of only make up a small percentage of the total number of asteroids in our vicinity—some estimates theorize that up to 1 billion asteroids larger than a modern car exist near Earth.
A project from the Trans Astronautics Corp (TransAstra), an asteroid-hunting start-up based in California, hopes to find the missing billion: the Sutter Ultra project. Before we get into what Sutter Ultra is, it's best to understand why we have such a hard time finding the hundreds of millions of small asteroids in our vicinity.
To put it bluntly, the problem is two-fold—brightness and speed.
Parabolic flight with exoskeleton: Researchers test fine motor skills in weightlessness
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Fine motor tasks under space conditions are particularly challenging and must first be trained on Earth. Scientists from the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) and the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) are investigating whether a robotic exoskeleton that can simulate weightlessness is suitable for astronautical training.
The team had the opportunity to participate in the 42nd DLR Parabolic Flight Campaign in Bordeaux, France, to compare the effects of simulated weightlessness with those of real weightlessness.
During space missions, astronauts are often faced with fine motor tasks, such as performing repairs or experiments, that are made more difficult by the weightlessness of space. Targeted training of these skills is particularly important, not only to increase the efficiency of the missions, but also to ensure the safety of the astronauts. Until now, such missions could only be practiced on Earth during parabolic flights or in spacesuits underwater.
Innovative space training with exoskeleton
Scientists at the DFKI Robotics Innovation Center Bremen and the Department of Medical Engineering Systems at the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) are working on an alternative and more cost-effective training method.
Green light for Galileo second-generation satellite design
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Production of Galileo Second Generation satellites advances at full speed after two independent Satellite Critical Design Review boards have confirmed that the satellite designs of the respective industries meet all mission and performance requirements. This achievement is another crucial milestone hit on time in the ambitious schedule to develop the first 12 satellites of the Galileo Second Generation fleet.
The European Galileo navigation system, the most precise worldwide, is gearing up for the Second Generation (G2). G2 will bring unprecedented positioning, navigation and timing capabilities to support a wide array of user needs and services.
Space Team Europe for Ariane 6: launch pad operations are GO
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Video:
00:09:44
With the transfer and standing up of Ariane 6’s central core and the integration of its two solid-fuel boosters, all stages of the first Ariane 6 rocket have been transferred to the launch pad in French Guiana – marking the beginning of operations.
While the qualification of the launcher and launch system has been underway here, on the European continent, the final tests have been carried out on the upper stage at the German Aerospace Centre’s (DLR) test facility in Lampoldshausen, Germany.
And, many of the elements that will make up the second, third, fourth, up to sixth flights
Ariane 6 launches RAMI: the interplanetary deployer
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Europe’s newest rocket soon launches, taking with it many space missions each with a unique objective, destination and team at home, cheering them on. Whether launching new satellites to look back and study Earth, peer out to deep space or test important new technologies in orbit, Ariane 6’s first flight will showcase the versatility and flexibility of this impressive, heavy-lift launcher. Read on for all about the RAMI deployer, then see who else is flying first.
Space Team Europe: Ariane 6 launch pad operations are GO
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Video:
00:09:44
With the transfer and standing up of Ariane 6’s central core and the integration of its two solid-fuel boosters, all stages of the first Ariane 6 rocket have been transferred to the launch pad in French Guiana – marking the beginning of operations.
While the qualification of the launcher and launch system has been underway here, on the European continent, the final tests have been carried out on the upper stage at the German Aerospace Centre’s (DLR) test facility in Lampoldshausen, Germany.
And, many of the elements that will make up the second, third, fourth, up to sixth flights
New turbulence transition discovered in fusion plasmas
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Fusion energy is that released when two light nuclei combine to form a single heavier one (nuclear fusion reaction). Fusion energy-based power generation (fusion power plant) uses the energy generated when deuterium and tritium combine to form helium. A nuclear fusion reaction does not produce carbon dioxide. In addition, since it is possible to extract deuterium and tritium from the sea water, Planet Labs Teams Up with NVIDIA for Enhanced Satellite Insights
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Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL), a provider of daily data and insights about Earth, announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to enhance onboard processing capabilities for its Pelican-2 satellite. Planet will use the NVIDIA Jetson edge AI platform for its next-generation high-resolution mission and will fly the technology on its Pelican-2 satellite, launching later this year.
NVIDIA GPU accelerate Diagnosing damaged infrastructure from space
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As infrastructure ages, it becomes more susceptible to failure, which can cause safety and mobility concerns for drivers and pedestrians, and economic woes for taxpayers. A recent study published in "Transportation Research Record shows that high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite data can detect infrastructure issues early on, which can help prevent further damage to roads in t