In the early days of the Universe, approximately 12 billion years ago, the cosmic environment was significantly different from what we observe today. The primordial gas clouds from which stars formed were metal-poor – meaning they were depleted in heavy elements, often referred to as “metals” by astronomers. These metals are typically formed within the […]

Ariane 6 is the newest addition to Europe’s prestigious rocket family, a series that has been propelling the continent towards the stars for five decades. Building upon an impressive foundation of knowledge, expertise, and cutting-edge technology developed over the years, Ariane 6 promises to be a versatile, modular, and quintessentially European endeavor. Designed to guarantee […]

Ariane 6’s inaugural flight will be divided into three distinct phases, each designed to showcase the launcher’s capabilities. The first phase, spanning events 1 through 5, will propel the rocket from the ground into orbit. The powerful thrust of the Vulcain engine and the two P120C boosters will work in tandem to lift Ariane 6 […]

ESA’s newly approved Lunar Meteoroid Impact Observer, Lumio, is an exciting mission that will orbit an Earth-Moon Lagrange point to detect meteoroid flashes on the night-time lunar farside. This briefcase-sized 12-unit ‘CubeSat’ – a low-cost small spacecraft built up from standardized 10 cm boxes – will be placed in orbit around the Earth-Moon Lagrange Point […]

Over the past few weeks, China’s spaceflight program has witnessed both triumphs and setbacks. On the positive side, the Chang’e 6 mission successfully retrieved lunar samples from the far side of the Moon, marking a historic achievement. A total of 1,935.3 grams of lunar regolith was returned to Earth, surpassing the amount collected by the […]

The captivating image presents an optical illusion that challenges our perceptions of celestial distances. At first glance, the vibrant red nebula appears to reside far beyond the dark, winding dust lanes that snake through the Milky Way. However, this celestial trickery is nothing more than a matter of perspective. The crimson glow emanates from the […]

Moving into the second half of 2024, the first week of July has already begun with the third launch of the Japanese H3 rocket in the early hours of Monday morning UTC. The week ahead continues with two Starlink missions from SpaceX, pushing the number of Starlink satellites launched to over 6,700. Two more launches […]

Here is a detailed text for the “Φsat-2 Mission Overview” section, formatted for embedding in a WordPress post using HTML tags: ESA’s Φsat-2 mission, launching in the coming weeks, will push the boundaries of AI for Earth observation – demonstrating the transformative potential of AI for space technology. Measuring just 22 x 10 x 33 […]

Messier 4 (NGC 6121) is a standout globular cluster, shining at a remarkable magnitude of +5.8 and spanning an impressive 26 arcminutes across the sky. This makes it one of the largest globular clusters visible in the Messier catalogue. Despite its grand appearance, Messier 4 is relatively close, situated at a distance of approximately 7,200 […]

The countdown to liftoff began with rolling back the 90-meter tall Ariane 6 mobile gantry building, standing 120 meters away from the launch pad. This momentous occasion marked the first time the complete rocket stood freely, a sight that sent waves of excitement through the air. The journey leading up to this pivotal moment was […]