Weekly - Japan’s Epsilon rocket engine explodes during test and more
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Scientists capture first-ever closeup of star outside our galaxy
Recently, scientists working at the European Southern Observatory captured the first-ever closeup of a star outside the Milky Way. Some of the main reasons nobody has been able to do this until now is because of the extreme distances and limited capabilities of individual telescopes. This was overcome by using multiple telescopes owned by the ESO and combining their images to create 1 high-resolution image. The star they observed also seemed to be bulging, indicating that it was just on the verge of exploding into a supernova at the end of its life.
SpaceX fails to recreate its ‘rocket catch’
Recently, SpaceX conducted another test flight of its Starship rocket that made history in October when it was caught in midair by the arms of the launch tower. However, this time an error with the catch tower aborted the catch and the rocket was forced to redirect itself to splash down in the sea. Despite this, a lot of milestones were achieved in the test. The rocket's second stage demonstrated in space propulsion, unlike last time when it just splashed down to earth after separation. SpaceX also tested the rocket’s capabilities to the maximum by making it dive nose-down while reentering to test its ability to regain control. The protective shield of the rocket was also removed.
Japan’s Epsilon rocket engine explodes during test
Last week, during a test of one of the engines for Japan’s upcoming Epsilon rocket, the engine exploded 49 seconds into the test. This is the second time the engine has exploded during a test. It is important to note that this was not a flight test, just an individual test of the engine to be used in the rocket’s second stage.
Indian astronauts complete initial training for ISS mission
ISRO recently announced that its 2 Indian astronauts (Gaganyatris) had completed their initial training for their upcoming mission to the ISS next year. The 2 astronauts were familiarised with the layout of the Dragon capsule, Communication protocols, and training for various emergencies in space like fire and medical emergencies.
