Copernical Team
JunoCam identifies new volcanic feature on Io
NASA's Juno mission has detected a new volcanic feature on Jupiter's moon Io, known for being the most geologically active body in the Solar System. Close-up images captured by JunoCam, marking the first such views of Io in over 25 years, show a fresh volcano with extensive lava flows and volcanic deposits across a 180-kilometre by 180-kilometre region. These findings were presented at the Europ NASA recreates Mars' Spider formations in lab for the first time
NASA scientists have successfully recreated the mysterious spider-shaped formations found on Mars, providing new insights into how these unique geologic features form. The laboratory experiments were conducted under simulated Martian conditions, helping to confirm a theory that these "spiders" are carved by processes involving carbon dioxide ice.
First discovered in 2003 through orbiter im Rosetta's influence: How has it inspired you?
It's been ten years since the European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta mission reached Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. In the past decade, the mission's scientific achievements have significantly contributed to unraveling the mysteries of comets and deepened our understanding of the Solar System's origins. However, the mission has also impacted people beyond the realm of science.
To mark thi What next for Boeing Starliner sans astronauts
Boeing's crew transport space capsule, the Starliner, returned to Earth without its two-person crew right after midnight Eastern time on Sept. 7, 2024. Its remotely piloted return marked the end of a fraught test flight to the International Space Station which left two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams, on the station for months longer than intended after thruster failures led Australia advances hypersonic flight testing with Southern Launch and Hypersonix collaboration
South Australia is set to enhance its position as a global aerospace hub following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Southern Launch, a prominent spaceport provider, and Hypersonix Launch Systems, a Queensland-based developer of hypersonic vehicles and scramjet technology. The MoU outlines a collaboration to develop a hypersonic test bed service that will utilize Southern Launch's spac Iran says new research satellite launched into orbit
Iran on Saturday blasted a new research satellite into orbit, state media said, in the latest such development for an aerospace programme that has long faced Western criticism.
"The Chamran-1 research satellite was successfully launched and put into orbit by the Ghaem-100 carrier," state television said.
The satellite, which weighs around 60 kilograms (132 pounds), is designed to test h Historic private astronaut mission prepares for splashdown
The SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission, which made history when its crew conducted the first ever spacewalk by non-government astronauts, is returning to Earth on Sunday.
Splashdown is scheduled to take place at approximately 3:36 am Eastern Time (0736 GMT) off the coast of Dry Tortugas, Florida.
A live webcast will be carried by SpaceX starting around an hour beforehand.
The four-member Stuck-in-space astronauts reflect on being left behind and adjusting to life in orbit
Stuck-in-space astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams said Friday it was hard to watch their Boeing capsule return to Earth without them.
It was their first public comments since last week's return of the Boeing Starliner capsule that took them to the International Space Station in June. They remained behind after NASA determined the problem-plagued capsule posed too much risk for them to ride back in.
"That's how it goes in this business," said Williams, adding that "you have to turn the page and look at the next opportunity.
Boeing 'ran out of time' on Starliner: astronaut stuck on ISS
A US astronaut stuck on the International Space Station said Friday he believed Boeing's Starliner could have carried him home, if more time had been available to work through the beleaguered spacecraft's issues.
Last week, Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams watched the Boeing Starliner they rode to the ISS three months prior head back to Earth without them.
"We could have gotten to the point, I believe, where we could have returned on Starliner, but we just simply ran out of time," Wilmore said Friday in a video press conference.
On June 5, Wilmore and Williams took off aboard the Starliner as part of the vessel's first crewed mission, in what was originally meant to be eight days in orbit.
Printed engines propel the next industrial revolution
In the fall of 2023, NASA hot fire tested an aluminum 3D printed rocket engine nozzle. Aluminum is not typically used for 3D printing because the process causes it to crack, and its low melting point makes it a challenging material for rocket engines. Yet the test was a success.
Printing aluminum engine parts could save significant time, money, and weight for future spacecraft. Elementum 3D Inc., a partner on the project, is now making those benefits available to the commercial space industry and beyond.