Copernical Team
Axiom launch: Why commercial space travel could be another giant leap for air pollution
The Axiom-1 mission to send four private astronauts to the International Space Station is the first of many missions planned by NASA to expand the ISS for commercial use as part of what's being called the low-Earth orbit economy.
The commander of the Axiom-1 mission has emphatically stated that this is not an example of space tourism, as the crew have undergone training and the mission includes plans to conduct biomedical research.
Crew members—all men aged 52 to 71—reportedly paid a whopping US$55 million (£42.3 million) per ticket, an amount that would no doubt fund a formidable biomedical research program here on Earth. But beyond the ludicrous ticket price, I'm concerned about the potential environmental impacts of such space jaunts.
Webb’s instruments: meet MIRI
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The James Webb Space Telescope will explore the infrared Universe.
It will use four cutting-edge instruments, including the Mid-InfraRed Instrument. MIRI is one of Europe's contributions to the James Webb Space Telescope.
MIRI supports all of Webb’s science goals. It will image the Universe, study planets around our own and other stars and investigate stars and galaxies across cosmic history.
The instsrument will be kept extra cold by its very own ‘cryocooler’. This stops heat from Webb disrupting MIRI’s detectors, so the sensitive instrument can see mid-infrared light.
Webb is an international partnership between NASA, ESA and CSA
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Dwindling water levels of Lake Powell seen from space
After decades of drought, water levels in Lake Powell, the second-largest humanmade reservoir in the United States, have shrunk to its lowest level since it was created more than 50 years ago, threatening millions of people who rely on its water supply. Satellite images allow us to take a closer look at the dwindling water levels of the lake amidst the climate crisis.
The hunt for the gravitational wave background
Coalescing supermassive black holes in the centers of merging galaxies fill the universe with low-frequency gravitational waves. Astronomers have been searching for these waves by using large radio telescopes to look for the subtle effect these spacetime ripples have on radio waves emitted by pulsars within our Galaxy.
Now, an international team of scientists has shown that the high-energy CACI completes review for planned 2023 satellite launch
CACI International Inc (NYSE: CACI) has completed the Critical Design Review (CDR) for its demonstration small satellite program (DemoSat) launch scheduled for early 2023, which is slated to deliver two mission payloads to low earth orbit. CACI and its partner, York Space Systems - a specialized manufacturer of spacecraft and space collection solutions - will demonstrate alternative positioning, Astronomers detect galactic space laser
A powerful radio-wave laser, called a 'megamaser', has been observed by the MeerKAT telescope in South Africa.
The record-breaking find is the most distant megamaser of its kind ever detected, at about five billion light years from Earth.
The light from the megamaser has travelled 58 thousand billion billion (58 followed by 21 zeros) kilometres to Earth.
The discovery was made Raymond praises Space Force achievements and purpose while noting ongoing threats, challenges
Using language that was both stark and an urgent call to action, Chief of Space Operations, Gen. John W. "Jay" Raymond, said April 5 that the cornerstone to U.S. security and prosperity is keeping space "accessible, stable, and secure."
And while achieving that goal was once a foregone conclusion, it no longer is. That is why the U.S., its allies and most of all, the United States Space Fo Kendall highlights space's importance, need to 'transform' operations and thinking for the domain
Presenting a robust case for operating in - and defending - space, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said April 5 that "transforming" without delay priorities, practices and spending for the domain is necessary to adequately adapt to a theater that is more volatile yet also increasingly essential to the nation's security and everyday life.
"Space is a warfighting domain now," Kendall blunt First all-private mission docks with ISS
The crew from the first all-private mission to the International Space Station docked with the orbital outpost Saturday morning, a historic moment marked by a ceremonial welcome from astronauts on board.
SpaceX's Crew Dragon Endeavor docked at the ISS at 8:29 a.m. EDT and astronauts entered the orbital outpost at 10:13 a.m.
The docking process was held up for about 45 minutes aft First private mission reaches International Space Station
The first fully private mission reached the International Space Station early Saturday with a four-member crew from startup company Axiom Space.
NASA has hailed the three-way partnership with Axiom and SpaceX as a key step towards commercializing the region of space known as "Low Earth Orbit," leaving the agency to focus on more ambitious voyages deeper into the cosmos.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon capsule Endeavor docked at 1229 GMT Saturday and the crew entered the space station nearly two hours later, after launching from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday.
