#ariane 5 rocket

[dragons-in-spaceee]

Felt I should draw something for such an amazing scientific feat!! I’m sooo excited for what this scope I going to bring to future science!!!

[planetariumhub]

Webb Telescope Rules Out Thick Carbon Dioxide Atmosphere for TRAPPIST-1 c

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has conducted observations of the exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 c and made a significant discovery. Despite being similar in size to Venus and receiving comparable levels of radiation from its star, Webb’s findings indicate that TRAPPIST-1 c does not possess Venus’s thick carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere. If an atmosphere exists on TRAPPIST-1 c, it is likely to be very…

[albonium]

weather permitting tonight should be ariane 6's first flight! the launch time is set to be 21:00 CEST

[itscooltoskate]

Do we still remember this? Because I sure do

[general-hugss]

[briery]

Ariane 5 launch, with on board MSG-1 satellite. (Hi-Res).

[tailschannel]

Sonic's going to space!

The JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) probe will embark on its eight-year journey to Jupiter and its icy moons, and our favorite blue hedgehog will be on board!

During the development of the probe back in 2019, Swedish scientist Dr. Jan-Erik Wahlund asked SEGA whether they may use Sonic as the mascot of the Radio & Plasma Wave Detector (RPWI) instrument, to which SEGA agreed. According to Dr. Wahlund, they chose Sonic due to their fondness for the character and the fact that he starred in many space adventures.

The probe, which will make several fly-bys around a part of our Solar System, will arrive in the Jupiter system in 2031. From there, it will orbit around and study several of Jupiter’s icy moons, particularly Ganymede, and Callisto, and Europa, before settling on orbiting Ganymede’s orbit, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit a natural satellite other than our own Moon.

The spacecraft is scheduled to launch this Friday at 8:14 am ET from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The Ariane 5 rocket will bring the probe to space in its final-ever mission.

(Article written by Spectre for the Tails' Channel newsfeed.)

[spacefrontier]

Launch of an Ariane 5ES, carrying the Georges Lemaître ATV (ATV-5) to orbit. July 29, 2014.

ATV-5 was the fifth and final Automated Transfer Vehicle launched by the European Space Agency. Georges Lemaître carried 6.6 tonnes of experiments, spare parts, clothing, food, fuel, air, oxygen, and water to the International Space Station. With a total mass of 20.3 tonnes, ATV-5 was the heaviest spacecraft ever to be launched by an Ariane rocket.

Georges Lemaître ATV approaching the International Space Station. August 12, 2014.

In addition to transporting cargo, ATV-5 conducted two experiments: LIRIS (Laser InfraRed Imaging Sensors), a new autonomous rendezvous sensor that would allow future spacecraft to dock with uncooperative targets, such as orbital debris or sample capsules. LIRIS was used to dock with the ISS instead of the normal sensors. Break-Up Camera, which recorded the ATV in infrared as it disintegrated during atmospheric reentry. A reinforced black box was used to transmit accelerometer, magnetometer, and temperature readings to an Iridium satellite, but nearly 6,000 images were lost.

NASA 1, 2, 3, 4 ESA

[charlotte-of-wales]

King Philippe and surprise guest Prince Gabriël landed in the French Guiana to visit the ESA center and attend the launch of the Ariane 5 rocket | April 11th, 2023

[saintjimmeh]

[theopossumwitch]

JUICE LAUNCH TAKE 2

[beardedmrbean]

Europe's Ariane 6 rocket blasted off successfully for its maiden flight on Tuesday, a live video feed showed. The success of its three-hour flight is crucial for European countries, who hope to regain independent access to space more than a year after they retired their workhorse Ariane 5 rocket.

Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket launched for the first time on Tuesday, carrying with it the continent's hopes of regaining independent access to space.

The micro-satellites were delivered one hour and six minutes after the rocket blasted off from Kourou, French Guiana. The rocket's success marks a "historic day" for Europe, announced European Space Agency chief Josef Aschbacher.

The much-delayed inaugural flight of the European Space Agency's (ESA) most powerful rocket launched smoothly into clear skies at 4pm local time (1900 GMT) from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, an AFP correspondent observed.

Crews on the ground at the launch site, which is surrounded by jungle on the South American coast, applauded as the rocket soared into clear skies.

Ariane 6's first launch, which was originally planned for 2020, is hoped to bring an end to a difficult time for European space efforts.

Since the last flight of its workhorse predecessor, Ariane 5, a year ago, Europe has been unable to launch satellites or other missions into space without relying on rivals such as Elon Musk's US firm SpaceX.

ESA chief Josef Aschbacher said it was a "very important moment for Europe".

"We are re-establishing independent access to space for Europe," he said just before the launch. 

Earlier Tuesday, the giant metal structure housing the rocket called the "mobile gantry" was rolled away, unsheathing the 56-metre (183 feet) behemoth in light rain, an AFP journalist observed.

A 10am forecast said that "Weather is GO for fuelling", the ESA said on X.

This gave the green light for filling the rocket's tanks with the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen that will propel it into space.

From that point, any physical intervention would force the tanks to be emptied, requiring a 48-hour launch postponement, the ESA's launch base project manager Michel Rizzi said.

Rocket crisis 

Many will be nervously watching the launch, hoping it can bring an end to a difficult era for European space efforts.

Since the last flight of the rocket's workhorse predecessor, Ariane 5, a year ago, Europe has been unable to launch satellites or other missions into space without relying on rivals such as Elon Musk's US firm SpaceX.

Historically, nearly half of the first launches of new rockets have ended in failure.

That includes Ariane 5, which exploded moments after liftoff in 1996 – but out of its 117 launches over nearly 20 years, only one other flight would fail.

Everyone at the Kourou launch site, which is surrounded by jungle on the South American coast, is hoping history does not repeat for Ariane 6.

Tony dos Santos, the ESA's Kourou technical manager, said that teams on the ground would only be able to "breathe our first sigh of relief when the first satellites have been released" an hour and six minutes after liftoff.

The mission will be considered a success after the rocket's reusable upper stage splashes down into the Pacific Ocean.

Franck Saingou, Ariane 6 launch system architect, said there had been so many rehearsals that it all feels "routine – except this time it's the real thing".

Concealed in a nearby bunker, more than 200 experts in the launch centre will scrutinise the rocket until liftoff, ready to interrupt the countdown to solve any problems, he added.

They will be in constant contact with the Jupiter control room, the hub of communication between the teams – and data sent from the rocket.

A large number of armed forces will also watch over the launch, including three fighter jets deployed to deter any curious aircraft nearby.

Europe's 'return' to space

A successful flight would mark Europe's "return" to the space scene, said ESA space transportation director Toni Tolker-Nielsen.

Russia pulled its Soyuz rockets, long used for European launches at Kourou, after Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Later year, Europe's Vega-C light launcher was grounded due to a launch failure. Delays to Ariane 6's first flight – originally scheduled for 2020 – further compounded the crisis.

Ariane 6 is scheduled for one more launch this year, six in 2025, then eight in 2026.

The launch of Ariane 6 is the first step towards "changing the future of the European space transportation ecosystem", ESA chief Josef Aschbacher said on X.

Gareth Dorrian, a space science researcher at the UK's University of Birmingham, told AFP that "the first launch of any new rocket is always fraught".

But Ariane 5 started with explosive failure and "went on to become one of the most successful launchers in history", he added.

[planetariumhub]

James Webb Telescope Unveils Cosmic Seahorse and Gravitational Lensing

Webb Gravitational Lensing

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured a mesmerizing image that reveals a cosmic phenomenon known as gravitational lensing. In this captivating image, distant galaxies are magnified, distorted, and brightened due to the gravitational pull of a foreground galaxy cluster. Among the intriguing features highlighted in the image is a galaxy nicknamed the “Cosmic Seahorse,” presenting a long,…

[amisonist]

Ya know as something of a rocket nerd this makes me wonder what orbital launch vehicle would make the best dildo.

Personally I think it’d be a two way tie between the Saturn 1 (specifically the variant used for SA-5 with the black fairing), and the Ariane 40 as both of them have a lot of diameter changes and specifically the Ariane 40 (despite looking absolutely hideous imho) has that large bluntish fairing and I feel like that could be pretty fun if you stuck a vibration motor in it or something

[royalchildreneurope]

King Philippe of Belgium and Prince Gabriel of Belgium arrive at the Felix Eboue Airport to visit the ESA centre and attend the launch of the Ariane 5 rocket, in Cayenne, French Guiana -April 11th 2023.

[class42warship]

stream starts in 45 minutes!