Copernical Team
Thursday, 19 February 2026 11:07
Airbus taps Synspective SAR radar network for expanded Earth imaging
Paris, France (SPX) Feb 17, 2026
Airbus Defence and Space has signed a new radar satellite data framework agreement with Japanese Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) specialist Synspective Inc. to broaden its space-based radar coverage for Earth observation customers worldwide.
Under the agreement, Airbus gains access to Synspective's growing constellation of SAR satellites, which will operate alongside Airbus's existing radar
Airbus Defence and Space has signed a new radar satellite data framework agreement with Japanese Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) specialist Synspective Inc. to broaden its space-based radar coverage for Earth observation customers worldwide.
Under the agreement, Airbus gains access to Synspective's growing constellation of SAR satellites, which will operate alongside Airbus's existing radar
Published in
News
Tagged under
Thursday, 19 February 2026 11:07
Slow mantle flow built Antarctica gravity low over tens of millions of years
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 18, 2026
Gravity feels stable in everyday life, but its strength varies across the surface of the planet, and it is weakest beneath Antarctica after accounting for Earth rotation. These subtle variations arise from differences in rock density deep inside the planet, and around Antarctica they create a pronounced gravity low that also affects regional sea level by allowing the nearby ocean surface to sit
Gravity feels stable in everyday life, but its strength varies across the surface of the planet, and it is weakest beneath Antarctica after accounting for Earth rotation. These subtle variations arise from differences in rock density deep inside the planet, and around Antarctica they create a pronounced gravity low that also affects regional sea level by allowing the nearby ocean surface to sit
Published in
News
Tagged under
Thursday, 19 February 2026 11:07
ST Engineering iDirect and G&S SatCom align network and service management on Intuition
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Feb 18, 2026
ST Engineering iDirect has formed a strategic technology partnership with G and S SatCom to create a unified approach to satellite network and service management for operators and service providers. The agreement centers on integrating the widely deployed G and S SatConnect module into ST Engineering iDirect's next generation ground system, Intuition, to extend service orchestration and operatio
ST Engineering iDirect has formed a strategic technology partnership with G and S SatCom to create a unified approach to satellite network and service management for operators and service providers. The agreement centers on integrating the widely deployed G and S SatConnect module into ST Engineering iDirect's next generation ground system, Intuition, to extend service orchestration and operatio
Published in
News
Tagged under
Thursday, 19 February 2026 11:07
Pale Blue opens Tsukuba site to scale satellite propulsion production
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 18, 2026
Pale Blue has begun operating its new Tsukuba Production Engineering Base to support mass production of satellite propulsion systems and shorten delivery lead times.
The Tsukuba Production Engineering Base in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, centralizes the full product lifecycle from technical development for mass production through manufacturing, final inspection, and global shipping. By bri
Pale Blue has begun operating its new Tsukuba Production Engineering Base to support mass production of satellite propulsion systems and shorten delivery lead times.
The Tsukuba Production Engineering Base in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, centralizes the full product lifecycle from technical development for mass production through manufacturing, final inspection, and global shipping. By bri
Published in
News
Tagged under
Thursday, 19 February 2026 11:07
KSAT prepares Hyperion in orbit relay test for satellite data
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Feb 18, 2026
Hyperion will move KSATs HYPER concept from design into on orbit demonstration, using relay satellites to act as ground stations in space and shorten the time it takes operators to receive satellite data when speed is critical.
Announced at the SmallSat Symposium in Silicon Valley, the Hyperion mission will extend KSATs global ground network into low Earth orbit and test how an in orbit re
Hyperion will move KSATs HYPER concept from design into on orbit demonstration, using relay satellites to act as ground stations in space and shorten the time it takes operators to receive satellite data when speed is critical.
Announced at the SmallSat Symposium in Silicon Valley, the Hyperion mission will extend KSATs global ground network into low Earth orbit and test how an in orbit re
Published in
News
Tagged under
Thursday, 19 February 2026 11:07
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4798-4803: Back for More Science
Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 17, 2026
The results from our first visit to the "Nevado Sajama" drill location were intriguing enough to motivate our return to do a deeper dive into the minerals and compounds locked in this rock with SAM (the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite).
As explained in the last blog, that deeper dive involves using the second of two vials of a chemical reagent, tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH)
The results from our first visit to the "Nevado Sajama" drill location were intriguing enough to motivate our return to do a deeper dive into the minerals and compounds locked in this rock with SAM (the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite).
As explained in the last blog, that deeper dive involves using the second of two vials of a chemical reagent, tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH)
Published in
News
Tagged under
Thursday, 19 February 2026 11:07
Russian era ends at abandoned launchpad in South American jungle
Kourou (AFP) Feb 18, 2026
"Stop. Danger of death. Work in progress."
This sign, written in Russian, is still hanging inside an office at the site where Russia once launched its Soyuz rockets from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
However the jungle has been slowly reclaiming the launchpad on South America's northeastern coast ever since Russia hastily left in the aftermath of invading Ukraine in Februa
"Stop. Danger of death. Work in progress."
This sign, written in Russian, is still hanging inside an office at the site where Russia once launched its Soyuz rockets from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
However the jungle has been slowly reclaiming the launchpad on South America's northeastern coast ever since Russia hastily left in the aftermath of invading Ukraine in Februa
Published in
News
Tagged under
Thursday, 19 February 2026 11:07
NASA teams set for second Artemis II wet dress rehearsal
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Feb 17, 2026
NASA is preparing for the second wet dress rehearsal of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft ahead of the Artemis II test flight, targeting Thursday, Feb. 19, as the day to load propellants into the vehicle at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Teams spent the weekend replacing a filter in ground support equipment that was suspected of restricting liquid hydrogen flow during a
NASA is preparing for the second wet dress rehearsal of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft ahead of the Artemis II test flight, targeting Thursday, Feb. 19, as the day to load propellants into the vehicle at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Teams spent the weekend replacing a filter in ground support equipment that was suspected of restricting liquid hydrogen flow during a
Published in
News
Tagged under
Thursday, 19 February 2026 11:07
Hypersonica completes milestone hypersonic missile flight test in Norway
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 17, 2026
Hypersonica has completed its first hypersonic test flight at Andoya Space in Norway, marking what the company describes as a major step toward a European sovereign hypersonic strike capability by 2029.
The Anglo-German defense and aerospace company reported that its missile prototype accelerated to speeds above Mach 6 and flew more than 300 kilometers during the mission. All systems perfo
Hypersonica has completed its first hypersonic test flight at Andoya Space in Norway, marking what the company describes as a major step toward a European sovereign hypersonic strike capability by 2029.
The Anglo-German defense and aerospace company reported that its missile prototype accelerated to speeds above Mach 6 and flew more than 300 kilometers during the mission. All systems perfo
Published in
News
Tagged under
Thursday, 19 February 2026 11:07
Study revisits chances of detecting alien technosignatures
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Feb 19, 2026
For more than sixty years, astronomers have searched the sky for signs of advanced extraterrestrial technology, scanning the Milky Way for artificial radio transmissions, optical flashes and excess infrared heat.
Despite these efforts, no technosignature has been confirmed so far, a silence often attributed to the fact that only a tiny fraction of the cosmic search space has been explored.
For more than sixty years, astronomers have searched the sky for signs of advanced extraterrestrial technology, scanning the Milky Way for artificial radio transmissions, optical flashes and excess infrared heat.
Despite these efforts, no technosignature has been confirmed so far, a silence often attributed to the fact that only a tiny fraction of the cosmic search space has been explored.
Published in
News
Tagged under
