Paris, France (SPX) Dec 04, 2023
The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) is taking a significant leap in space education by partnering with the Erasmus+ program, aiming to captivate the young minds of primary and secondary students through the fascinating world of asteroids, meteors, and planetary defense. The initiative, named StudenTs As plaNetary Defenders (StAnD), is a novel approach by COSPAR's Panel on Education, dedicat

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Dec 04, 2023
German-based space technology firm Vyoma has achieved a notable milestone, securing two significant awards at the 2023 SmallSatellite Conference in Berlin. These awards, presented by the German Space Agency at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), highlight Vyoma's contributions to the small satellite sector and its alignment with Europe's strategic space interests. Vyoma's double win compris

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 04, 2023
NASA's Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) has recently achieved a significant milestone by successfully completing Key Decision Point D (KDP-D). This vital step permits the transition of the IMAP mission from its development and design phase to the crucial stages of assembly, testing, and integration. The progress marks a pivotal moment for this ambitious project, aligning it on

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 04, 2023
Pentoses are essential carbohydrates in the metabolism of modern lifeforms, but their availability during early Earth is unclear since these molecules are unstable. A new study led by the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) at Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan, reveals a chemical pathway compatible with early Earth conditions and by which C6 aldonates could have acted as a source of pentoses

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Dec 04, 2023
Astronomers from the Netherlands have provided compelling evidence linking a repeating Fast Radio Burst (FRB) source to a potential 'hypernebula.' Utilizing the European VLBI Network (EVN), the team has made significant strides in understanding these mysterious cosmic phenomena. This research marks a notable advancement in the study of FRBs and their origins. Fast Radio Bursts are fleeting

Austin TX (SPX) Dec 04, 2023
It first appeared as a glowing blob from ground-based telescopes and then vanished completely in images from the Hubble Space Telescope. Now, the ghostly object has reappeared as a faint, yet distinct galaxy in an image from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Astronomers with the COSMOS-Web collaboration have identified the object AzTECC71 as a dusty star-forming galaxy. Or, in other w

Bonn, Germany (SPX) Dec 04, 2023
The universe is expanding. How fast it does so is described by the so-called Hubble-Lemaitre constant. But there is a dispute about how big this constant actually is: Different measurement methods provide contradictory values. This so-called "Hubble tension" poses a puzzle for cosmologists. Researchers from the Universities of Bonn and St. Andrews are now proposing a new solution: Using an alter

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 04, 2023
Reinvented as NASA's OSIRIS-APEX, the spacecraft formerly known as OSIRIS-REx is about to face the first major test of its mission to asteroid Apophis: it will fly closer to the Sun than ever before, exposing its components to higher temperatures than they were designed to endure. At its closest approach (known as its perihelion) on Jan. 2, 2024, OSIRIS-APEX will be about 46.5 million mile

Six years of hard work and dedication paid off in spectacular fashion today, as the Educational Irish Research Satellite, EIRSAT-1, successfully blasted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. Hitching a ride on a Space-X Falcon-9 launcher, the tiny satellite – measuring just 10.7cm x 10.7cm x 22.7cm – has now made history as Ireland’s first satellite!

Video: 00:04:04

On 1 December 2023, at 19:19 CET (18:18 GMT), Ireland's first satellite EIRSAT-1 launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA. 

Built by students at University College Dublin under guidance of ESA’s Education Office, EIRSAT-1 is a 2-unit CubeSat carrying three experiments, including a novel gamma ray detector that will study some of the most luminous explosions in the universe.    

The mission has been in development since the team was accepted to the ESA Academy Fly Your Satellite! programme in 2017. Over the past six years, the students have worked with ESA experts and acquired the professional competences needed