Copernical Team
Superconducting qubit foundry accelerates progress in quantum research
In the past three decades, quantum computing has grown from a theoretical fantasy to a worldwide industry, pushing closer to a technology that could one day solve problems too complex for even the most powerful supercomputers. MIT Lincoln Laboratory is not only at the forefront of research, but is making quantum research accessible to a broader community through its Superconducting Qubits at Lin Highly oxidizing magma of the early Earth
Elucidating the atmosphere and surface environment of the early Earth, especially before the origin of life, is a key to understanding the habitability of the Earth. The atmosphere of terrestrial planets has been thought to be formed by degassing volatiles from the interior and its composition is mainly controlled by the oxidation state of the mantle. To understand the mantle oxidation state, th Satellogic and OHB to collaborate on environmental earth observation applications
Satellogic Inc. announced this week that it will collaborate with OHB SE, a German-based aerospace and technology group on the development of advanced Earth Observation data-based services focused on environmental sustainability.
The organizations will explore applications where EO data and products can further support decision-making in agriculture, forestry, energy, critical infrastructu Earth formed from dry, rocky building blocks
Billions of years ago, in the giant disk of dust, gas, and rocky material that orbited our young sun, larger and larger bodies coalesced to eventually give rise to the planets, moons, and asteroids we see today. Scientists are still trying to understand the processes by which planets, including our home planet, were formed. One way researchers can study how Earth formed is to examine the magmas China Achieves Milestone in Satellite-to-ground Laser Communications
The Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in partnership with the Changguang Satellite Technology, successfully conducted a satellite-to-ground laser communication experiment at a speed of 10 gigabyte per second (GB/s) using self-developed 500-millimeter-diameter ground system and Jilin-1 satellite.
The experiment obtained good-quality SYRACUSE 4B Satellite Launched: Boost for French Military Communications
European aerospace company Airbus, in partnership with Thales Alenia Space, successfully launched SYRACUSE 4B, a secure military communications satellite, from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. This launch marked the last mission of Ariane 5, the European heavy launcher.
SYRACUSE 4B joins SYRACUSE 4A in orbit, with both satellites forming the space component of SYRACUSE IV, Chocolate heaven
ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen will bring a different kind of chocolate to the International Space Station on his Huginn mission, created by the Danish chef Thorsten Schmidt.
Week in images: 03-07 July 2023
Week in images: 03-07 July 2023
Discover our week through the lens
Scientists work to prevent interplanetary pollution that could pose a threat to life on Earth
Formulating policies for planetary protection issues and keeping them up-to-date is the responsibility of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) panel on planetary protection. In an article in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, an international group of experts affiliated with COSPAR reviewed the panel's role, and its Planetary Protection Policy, including recent considerations regarding the Policy for the Moon, Venus, Mars and small planetary bodies.
Now writing on the Frontiers news site, the panel's leadership consisting of chair Dr. Athena Coustenis and vice chairs Niklas Hedman and Prof Peter Doran explain why this endeavor is so important for future deep-space explorers.
Imagine robotic rovers taking soil samples on the surface of Mars, looking for evidence of past life and instead finding bacteria that had traveled all the way from Earth: the impact on subsequent research would be incalculable. Or picture a probe digging through the crust of an icy moon such as Europa or Enceladus, and injecting organic contamination from Earth into the subsurface ocean, thus compromising any further search for life in that body.
At the same time, if extant or extinct life were to exist on such bodies, returning samples to our planet without proper measures to prevent hazards to our biosphere could lead to important risks for humanity.
Earth from Space: Cyclone Mocha
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The Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission captured this image of the powerful Cyclone Mocha on 13 May 2023 as it made its way across the Bay of Bengal heading northeast towards Bangladesh and Myanmar.