space

33rd congress of the Association of Space Explorers was held in Budapest

33rd congress of the Association of Space Explorers in Budapest

Hungary’s government considers space exploration programmes a key priority for economic and technological development, the state secretary for security policy told the opening of the 33rd congress of the Association of Space Explorers in Budapest on Monday.

The Hungarian government has recognised the global significance of focusing on the business opportunities presented by the space industry, Péter Sztáray said.

He noted that the government this year unveiled its space strategy aimed at highlighting the strengths and challenges of the industry and outlining new projects.

These projects, he said, concerned the launch of the first Hungarian commercial satellite, the development of satellite technology, strengthening education on space exploration and taking a more active role in international initiatives concerning space exploration.

Sztáray highlighted human spaceflight as a top priority of Hungary’s space strategy, noting that the government was committed to sending an astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) to conduct scientific experiments and validation experiments in microgravity.

Concerning international partnerships, he said Hungary has quadrupled its space programme spending since joining the European Space Agency in 2015.

Hungary will also cooperate with US companies like Axiom Space on its astronaut programme, he added.

Hungary’s cooperation with the Russian space agency Roscosmos dates back to the Soviet Interkosmos programme, Sztaray noted, adding that Hungary has signed nine bilateral cooperation agreements with other countries including Brazil, Israel, Singapore and Turkey.

Oleg Kotov, head of the association, said

the congress had to be held partially online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Its aim, he said, was to convey experiences with a view to encouraging young people and researchers in Hungary to get involved in space exploration.

The congress was opened by Bertalan Farkas, Hungary’s first man in space, who said the conference’s participants will plant a tree in Budapest’s City Park on the occasion of All Souls’ Day to honour deceased astronauts.

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Read alsoGovernment approves Hungary’s space strategy

Breaking! Hungary could soon send researchers to the International Space Station

In the last three years, Hungary managed to make up for decades of lagging behind in space research and played an increasingly important role in European space programs. Since Orsolya Ferencz was appointed Ministerial Commissioner for Space Research in 2018, Hungary has signed several bilateral agreements with many countries around the world, and our country will soon send researchers to the International Space Station.

Hungary has achieved the most significant development of the last decades in the field of domestic space exploration since the management of the Hungarian space sector had been transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Orsolya Ferencz, Ministerial Commissioner for Space Research, told Magyar Nemzet. For example, as we have reported, Hungary’s leading university established the Centre of Astrophysics and Space Science in June to coordinate research work in the field of space science and astrophysics.

Orsolya Ferencz also emphasised that

Hungary quadrupled its contribution to the European Space Agency (ESA) programmes

(Hungary became ESA’s 22nd Member State on 24 February 2015), and as a result, Hungarian companies and research organisations can apply for four times as many sources and can allocate more money to finance their research and development. It is also important that our country managed to increase the number of budgetary resources available for space research, and after two years of preparatory work and analysis, Hungary’s space strategy has been completed.

Hungary is currently taking part in all the important joint European space agency programmes. Our country has signed more than half a dozen bilateral space cooperation agreements with France, Portugal, Israel, Turkey, Singapore, Brazil, South Africa, and Finland, and we are also negotiating with several other states, Orsolya Ferencz added.

In 2024 or 2025 at the latest, Hungary will send researchers or engineers to the International Space Station together with American company Axiom Space on a 30−60-day research mission.

However, the Hungarian astronaut mission is currently only in the stage where the parties are negotiating the technical details of the necessary contracts.

Our country has also been negotiating with the Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities for a long time about a future spaceflight that will probably take place after 2025. In recent years, Hungary was also able to forge closer ties with the countries belonging to the Visegrád Group − the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia − in the field of space research. This regional cooperation can promote the sector’s recognition at an international level.

Hungarian research breakthrough could increase survival time of lung cancer patients

Hirado emphasised that Hungary can contribute to the development of world space research in many areas. There are already small and medium-sized enterprises that rely in part or completely on the space market. Our country has achieved numerous results in the fields of pharmaceutical and physiological research. For example,

a Hungarian company was able to conduct experiments in its own chemical laboratory at the International Space Station from December 2020 to January 2021. This mission was so successful that this company is now working with NASA.

East-West Intermodális Logisztikai Szolgáltató 5
Read alsoEurope’s first 5G railway terminal is being built in Hungary

Government approves Hungary’s space strategy

space astronaut

The government has approved Hungary’s national space strategy, the foreign ministry said on Thursday.

Like most European countries, Hungary has laid out the cornerstones of its opportunities and directions of development in space research in a space strategy, the ministry told MTI.

The strategy envisions Hungary as a long-term player in the global value chain of the space industry and a regional leader in certain development areas, it said.

Another priority of the strategy is to ensure a constant supply of multidisciplinary specialists with a view to supporting the production of high-innovation and value-added products and services, as well as the development of domestic space competencies, the ministry said.

The strategy also aims to boost Hungary’s level of competitiveness through the space industry, thereby improving the quality of life in Hungarian society.

The government set out three pillars of the strategy to accomplish its goals. The first pillar is exploiting the potential of the space sector to foster innovation and sustainable growth in the economy as a whole.

The second pillar is strengthening Hungary’s international role, the broadening of its relations, and the creation of an organizational framework for coordination. The final one is developing the infrastructural background and the social and economic conditions that are essential to the space sector.

It added that the goals of Hungary’s space strategy were in line with the European Space Agency’s Agenda 2025 strategy, the main goals of the European Union’s space programme and the government’s economic development goals.

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Read alsoWOW! Hungary to send astronaut to International Space Station by 2025!

Potential disaster avoided – Chinese rocket crashed west of the Maldives

Space Rocket Satellite Űr

Remnants of China’s biggest rocket landed in the Indian Ocean on Sunday, with most of its components destroyed upon re-entry into the atmosphere, ending days of speculation over where the debris would hit but drawing U.S. criticism over lack of transparency.

The coordinates given by Chinese state media, citing the China Manned Space Engineering Office, put the point of impact in the ocean, west of the Maldives archipelago.

Debris from the Long March 5B has had some people looking warily skyward since it blasted off from China’s Hainan island on April 29, but the China Manned Space Engineering Office said most of the debris was burnt up in the atmosphere.

State media reported parts of the rocket re-entered the atmosphere at 10:24 a.m. Beijing time (0224 GMT) and landed at a location with the coordinates of longitude 72.47 degrees east and latitude 2.65 degrees north.

The U.S. Space command confirmed the re-entry of the rocket over the Arabian Peninsula, but said it was unknown if the debris impacted land or water.

“The exact location of the impact and the span of debris, both of which are unknown at this time, will not be released by U.S. Space Command,” it said in a statement on its website.

The Long March was the second deployment of the 5B variant since its maiden flight in May 2020. Last year, pieces from the first Long March 5B fell on Ivory Coast, damaging several buildings. No injuries were reported.

“Spacefaring nations must minimize the risks to people and property on Earth of re-entries of space objects and maximize transparency regarding those operations,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, a former senator and astronaut who was picked for the role in March, said in a statement after the re-entry.

“It is clear that China is failing to meet responsible standards regarding their space debris.”

ANXIETY OVER POTENTIAL DEBRIS ZONE

With most of the Earth’s surface covered by water, the odds of populated area on land being hit had been low, and the likelihood of injuries even lower, according to experts.

But uncertainty over the rocket’s orbital decay and China’s failure to issue stronger reassurances in the run-up to the re-entry fuelled anxiety.

“It is critical that China and all spacefaring nations and commercial entities act responsibly and transparently in space to ensure the safety, stability, security, and long-term sustainability of outer space activities,” Nelson said.

Harvard-based astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell told Reuters that the potential debris zone could have been as far north as New York, Madrid or Beijing, and as far south as southern Chile and Wellington, New Zealand.

Since large chunks of the NASA space station Skylab fell from orbit in July 1979 and landed in Australia, most countries have sought to avoid such uncontrolled re-entries through their spacecraft design, McDowell said.

“It makes the Chinese rocket designers look lazy that they didn’t address this,” said McDowell.

The Global Times, a Chinese tabloid, dismissed as “Western hype” concerns the rocket was “out of control” and could cause damage.

“It is common practice across the world for upper stages of rockets to burn up while reentering the atmosphere,” Wang Wenbin, a spokesman at China’s foreign ministry, said at a regular media briefing on May 7.

“To my knowledge, the upper stage of this rocket has been deactivated, which means most of its parts will burn up upon re-entry, making the likelihood of damage to aviation or ground facilities and activities extremely low,” Wang said at the time.

The rocket, which put into orbit an unmanned Tianhe module containing what will become living quarters for three crew on a permanent Chinese space station, will be followed by 10 more missions to complete the station by 2022.

Puli Space Technologies Rover Up Close Közeli
Read alsoNASA to support cutting-edge Hungarian development – PHOTOS

Illustration: facebook.com/NASA/

NASA to support cutting-edge Hungarian development – PHOTOS

Puli Space Technologies Rover Up Close Közeli

The Puli is probably one of the most well-known and intelligent Hungarian dog breeds, but it is also the name of a Hungarian space project, the Puli Space Technologies, and they have managed to achieve what only a few could. Since their foundation, the Puli Space Project has performed well in several international competitions and recently achieved first place in NASA’s “Honey, I shrunk the NASA payload” challenge.

According to 24, the challenge of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s “Honey, I shrunk the NASA payload” was to design easily realisable, small-scale, and light-weight lunar measuring and monitoring devices that could be deployed on small robots the size of a shoebox. To take on this challenge, Puli Space Technologies developed a device that could help detect water ice on the Moon.

Puli Space Technologies’ Puli Lunar Water Snooper won first place in the category of Lunar Resource Potential and was awarded $30,000 for their idea and hard work.

Puli Holdi Vízszimatoló Puli Lunar Water Snooper
Logo of the PLWS Source: pulispace.com

This is not everything, however, as in the second instalment of the challenge, creatively named “Honey, I Shrunk the NASA Payload Challenge, the Sequel”,

the relatively small group of Hungarian scientists and engineers received a whopping $225,000 budget and direct support from NASA

by reviewing the team project and providing insight or expertise if needed. NASA ended up increasing the prize pool by and additional $65,000 to support a fourth project.

Only the winners of the first challenge could partake in the second competition and, in the end, ten teams submitted their detailed project plan, including estimated budget costs, milestones, real-life tests, and risk assessment. The four winners have 12 months to execute their project plans, and they must deliver at least three identical and operational working prototypes.

“We have received tremendous recognition from the world’s leading space agency; we are very happy and proud. We have achieved this with incredible collective effort, and after ten years of struggling, we feel we deserve the success,” said Tibor Pacher, CEO and Founder of Puli Space Technologies.

He is happy that they have managed to win over excellent domestic partners and that they have a strong team to take on the task. He believes that by working together, Hungary could join the very narrow group of countries that have reached a celestial body. He also quoted “the Greatest Hungarian”, István Széchenyi: “Egynek minden nehéz, soknak semmi sem lehetetlen” (Everything is difficult for one, nothing is impossible for many).

After the recent success of the Chinese Chang’e-5 lunar expedition, in addition to Indian, Russian, and Japanese expeditions, NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) program will bring landing units developed by private companies onto Earth’s celestial companion. The probes of Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic in 2021 – the latter of which will transport the device of Puli Space Technologies carrying an aluminium “Spacetime plaque” with messages from the supporters of Puli Space Technologies –, Masten Systems in 2022, and Astrobotic again in 2023 will help bring NASA equipment and small instruments and devices to the Moon, among other things.

The task of such expeditions is to map lunar resources and explore their potential for utilisation. This is called ISRU principle, meaning the use of resources available on site. (ISRU stands for In Situ Resource Utilisation). On the Moon, water is the number one candidate for ISRU opportunities, or more precisely, water ice. In the future, Moon settlers could utilise it as a water supply, but it could also serve as rocket fuel, as electrolysis can produce hydrogen and oxygen.

According to the latest research, there is 40,000 km2 worth of potential ice deposits. Exploring them is of paramount importance. Here enters the Puli Lunar Water Snooper (PLWS), the latest Hungarian development that uses CMOS image sensors in a special way to measure cosmic radiation and to count the number of neutrons of different levels of energy coming from the soil of the Moon. This way,

it is able to identify hydrogen (water ice) and measure the amount of it in the soil. Moreover, the PLWS is very compact and can be mounted on the underside of moon rovers of only 2 kg in size,

making it cost-effective to launch. In the near future, we will be able to create detailed water ice maps of the Moon thanks to the sniffing of a dog which will not bark at but BE on the Moon.

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Read alsoHungary poised to become key player in intl space industry

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Read alsoHungary’s contribution to the exploration of space

Featured image: pulispace.com

A brightly glowing meteor lit up the night in Northern Hungary – Video

meteor in hungary

Thanks to a lucky camera position, the following video captures a fireball flashing over Sokorópátka.

According to HVG, an unexpected meteor crossed the sky in Sokorópátka, Győr-Moson-Sopron County this week. One of the users of Időkép, Károly Boráros, sent a video to the portal, as his camera was looking right in the direction of the fireball.

A commenter on YouTube wrote that the meteor could also be seen from eastern Poland. He noticed it at 2 AM as he looked out the window at the landscape, but because of the sudden brightness he didn’t know how to identify the phenomenon.

The meteor flashed a greenish colour, but only for a few seconds.

It is important to know that this is not a meteorite: the latter is a natural object from space that is not destroyed when it hits Earth. Anyways, it offered a unique, beautiful sight ??

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Read alsoTemperature rises to record high for January 22

China’s Chang’e-5 collects moon samples

china_moon_space

China’s Chang’e-5 probe has collected moon samples, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced Wednesday.

The lander-ascender combination of Chang’e-5 has finished the tasks of moon sample drilling and packaging at 4:53 a.m. Wednesday.

It is gathering samples from the surface as planned.

The probe adopts two methods of moon sampling, including using drills to collect samples and gathering samples from the surface with a mechanical arm.

China’s Chang’e-5 spacecraft successfully landed on the near side of the moon late Tuesday and sent back images, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced.

At 11:11 p.m., the spacecraft landed at the preselected landing area near 51.8 degrees west longitude and 43.1 degrees north latitude, said the CNSA.

On Nov. 24, China launched the Chang’e-5 spacecraft, comprising an orbiter, a lander, an ascender and a returner.

At 10:57 p.m. Tuesday, the lander-ascender combination of Chang’e-5, from about 15 km above the lunar surface, started a powered descent with a variable thrust engine ignited. Its relative vertical velocity to the moon was lowered from 1.7 km per second to zero.

The probe was adjusted and approached the lunar surface during the descent.

After automatically detecting and identifying obstacles, the probe selected the site and touched down on the north of the Mons Rumker in Oceanus Procellarum, also known as the Ocean of Storms, on the near side of the moon.

During the landing process, the cameras aboard the lander took images of the landing area, said the CNSA.

Under ground-control, the lander carried out a series of status checks and settings, preparing for around 48 hours of work on the surface of the moon.

Scientific instruments installed on the lander include cameras to survey the landing site and sampling area, an infrared spectrometer to detect the material composition of the sampling area, and equipment to probe subsurface structure.

Chang’e-5 is the world’s first moon-sample mission in more than 40 years,

and Chinese space engineers have made elaborate plans for possible challenges ahead, said Peng Jing, deputy chief designer of the Chang’e-5 probe from the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

“We designed two methods for the spacecraft to collect samples. One is to sample the lunar surface, and the other is to drill underground. The two methods could increase the chance of getting more diverse samples,” said Peng.

According to Peng, Chang’e-5 carry out an unmanned rendezvous and docking in a lunar orbit around 380,000 km away, a first in the history of space exploration.

The orbiter is expected to carry the returner back to Earth.

The returner is scheduled to reenter the atmosphere and land at Siziwang Banner in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Lin Yangting, a researcher with the Institute of Geology and Geophysics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said lunar soil is like a book hiding the secrets about the sun, Earth and the moon. Researching lunar soil could lead to better understanding of the solar system and Earth.

The mission will help promote China’s science and technology development, and lay an important foundation for China’s future manned lunar landing and deep space exploration, said Pei Zhaoyu, deputy director of the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the CNSA.

Puskás Ferenc Football Soccer Hungary
Read alsoHungarian space company would take Puskás and the Golden Team to the Moon

Hungarian space company would take Puskás and the Golden Team to the Moon

Puskás Ferenc Football Soccer Hungary

Puli Space Technologies would like to bring all information about the Hungarian Golden Team sealed in a time capsule to the Moon because that is how their deeds will never vanish.

The Mighty Magyars (Golden Team) refers to the Hungarian national football team of the 1950s which defeated England in London 6 to 3 and recorded 42 victories, seven draws, and just one defeat between 1950 and 1956. Under the Elo rating system,

they achieved the highest rating recorded by a national team

(2,230 points, 30 June 1954), just ahead of 2nd-place Germany (2,223 points, 13 July 2014).

According to hvg, thanks to NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) program, privately-owned shuttles can soon land on the surface of the Moon. Of course, such devices can go not only to achieve scientific purposes but also to accomplish art or cultural projects, like placing a photo or some music on the surface of the Moon in time capsules. Puli Space Technologies, a Hungarian company, would like to take part in that project and would like to bring their so-called Téridő package on the Moon.

Téridő is a collection of microfilms containing thousands of pages, and they would like to

include the story of the Hungarian Golden Team in it in 2,000 characters:

the matches, the trainers, and the players. Of course, the Hungarian Football Federation and the Golden Team Corps also take part in the project.

They would like to put one part of the documents into the Memory of Mankind (MOM) time capsule which is in the oldest salt mine of Europe in Hallstatt, Germany. The other part would be on the Moon taken by the Astrobotic company’s landing unit, Peregrine.

Tibor Pacher, leader of Puli Space, said that scientists not only research but listen to music, read books, watch films, and go to exhibitions. That is why they work, besides their scientific projects, on the technology of the Téridő package. He added that, if they succeed,

Hungary can join the countries capable of reaching the Moon and can take part in the utilisation of the resources there, which is vital in an economy built on innovation.

You can help with the success of the project HERE.

New Hungarian satellite presented at Rome research institute

A new Hungarian satellite developed by the Budapest University of Technology and Economics with financing from the Foreign Ministry has been completed and presented at an Italian Space Agency (ASI) research institute in Rome, Hungarian ambassador to Rome Ádám Zoltán Kovács said on Friday.

The Hungarian satellite named SMOG-1 will be loaded into the Italian-developed Unisat-7 satellite’s launch facility, Kovács said.

The main mission of the new satellite is to measure electromagnetic smog and it will also gauge the electronic effects of particles originating from the sun.

It is planned to be put into orbit in November, together with a CAS500-1 South Korean satellite, with the help of a Soyuz-2 carrier rocket from Baikonur, and it will be positioned 500 km from Earth, he added.

The SMOG-1 was presented at the Rome-based G.A.U.S.S. research institute, a co-institute of ASI and the La Sapienza University of Rome, Kovács said.

The Budapest university has already developed several similar satellites, and once SMOG-1 is orbiting Earth, there will be three Hungarian satellites operating in space, he added.

Hungary space satellite
Read alsoWOW! Hungary to conquer space with their satellite?

Hungarian high-altitude balloon conquered the stratosphere − PHOTOS

Űrbatyu II-high-altitude balloon-Hungary-Lake Balaton

Last year, the Astronomical Society of Bakony commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing by releasing a high-altitude balloon in Ajka. The successful and adventurous project continued this year with more professional equipment and several supporters. The “Űrbatyu II.” (“Space Bundle”) started its 3-hour journey from the park of the Thury castle in Várpalota on August 20. The balloon reached the height of 30 640 metres and landed in Tolna County on the outskirts of the village of Dúzs.

The series of experiments conducted by the Astronomical Society of Bakony has grown into an event of national significance, and the hundreds of people visited Várpalota to witness the release of the high-altitude balloon. The event was also broadcasted live on social media, sharing the success of “Űrbatyu II.” with tens of thousands of people, Origo reported.

In 2020, the Astronomical Society of Bakony chose August 20 as the date for launching their second balloon to commemorate the founding of the state of Hungary.

Sztratosz Feri, the smallest astronaut

The main goal of the “Űrbatyu II.” project was to optimise the equipment and to achieve a new altitude record (the first balloon reached the height of 26 532 metres). The team used a lighter payload box to decrease the overall (last year the payload box weighed 2.3 kg). The special high-altitude balloon, on the other hand, was larger than last year. The “technological package” included two GoPro Hero7, an Ozmo and an Insta360 ONE R camera, providing a 360-degree panoramic viewing angle, and other tools that measured altitude and temperature.

The mission also had a “space traveller”, Sztratosz Feri, the Lego figure (the name is a Hungarian pun on the word stratosphere), who turned the release of the balloon into a kind of “human mission”.

Stepping into the hallway of outer space

How high can “Űrbatyu II.” “fly up”? According to the prognostic data, a high-altitude balloon is able to cross the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere, the troposphere up to an altitude of 12-18 kilometres and it also can enter the layer of meteorological balloons, which means a height of 50 kilometres in the stratosphere. The actual boundary of outer space is already in the so-called thermosphere, directly above the mesosphere. Broadly, most experts agree that space starts at the point where orbital dynamic forces become more important than aerodynamic forces, or where the atmosphere alone is not enough to support a flying vessel at suborbital speeds. Still, it is rather difficult to connect it to a precise altitude.

In the 1900s, Hungarian physicist Theodore von Kármán attempted to determine the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space. He argued that it is approximately at the height of 50 miles or roughly 80 kilometres above sea level.

Theodore von Kármán-Hungarian-American mathematician-aerospace engineer-physicist
Theodore von Kármán, a Hungarian-American mathematician, aerospace engineer, physicist and co-founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Pasadena. He was active primarily in the fields of aeronautics and astronautics.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons by NACA

Today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defines the Kármán Line “an imaginary boundary 100 kilometres (62 miles) above mean sea level”. Although the balloon could not reach this height, it managed to “scratch” the boundary of outer space.

The teamwork behind the project

The constructors and organisers of the “Űrbatyu II.” project already started the preparations early in the morning under the leadership of Ferenc Ivanics, head of the Astronomical Society of Bakony, and his wife, Klaudia Ivanics-Rieger. Meanwhile, more and more people gathered at the park of the Thury castle, and by 09:00 a.m., the crowd had swelled to nearly 400 people. The castle provided a special historical atmosphere for the events that followed each other in a seriously choreographed order.

Űrbatyu II-high-altitude balloon-Hungary-Várpalota
Photo: www.facebook.com/bakonyicsillagaszatiegyesulet

After the balloon started its journey into the stratosphere, the search expedition began to monitor the location of the balloon with the help of a software that examined all possible parameters.

The “Űrbatyu II.” managed to surpass the achievement of its predecessor and reached the height of 30 640 metres, where the Earth’s thin atmosphere becomes visible, along with the darkness of space behind.

Here are some breath-taking aerial photos taken by the balloon’s cameras:

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Photo: www.facebook.com/bakonyicsillagaszatiegyesulet
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEY3na4Jl4F/
Űrbatyu II-high-altitude balloon-Hungary
Photo: www.facebook.com/bakonyicsillagaszatiegyesulet
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Photo: www.facebook.com/bakonyicsillagaszatiegyesulet
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Photo: www.facebook.com/bakonyicsillagaszatiegyesulet
Hungary space satellite
Read alsoWOW! Hungary to conquer space with their satellite?

Featured image: www.facebook.com/bakonyicsillagaszatiegyesulet

WOW! Hungary to conquer space with their satellite?

Hungary space satellite

The first Hungarian commercial satellite will launch in 2024 and will be able to broadcast, to spread Internet and phone service, and to transmit data and help scientific research.

According to szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu, the CarpathiaSat Hungarian Space Telecommunications Corporation will operate the satellite which was founded by 4iG, a company that had been winning public procurements in the Hungarian information technology sector one after the other since 2018 when it became part of the Mészáros-empire. 

The 4iG has 51 pc in the CarpathiaSat Hungarian Space Telecommunications Corporation, and it also obtained the right to control it. Further shareholders are Antenna Hungária Ltd with 44 pc and New Space Industries Ltd with 5 pc. The new company is going to have the right to operate the satellite’s geostationary orbit for 20 years after 2024. 

The strategic goal of the 4iG is to become the leading telecommunications and IT company in the East-Central-European region

by establishing strong positions in the sector. They highlighted that the satellite will be able to broadcast, to spread Internet and phone service, and to transmit data and help scientific research. Moreover, operating it fits well into the long-term development strategy of the 4iG. CEO Gellért Jászai said in a statement that 4iG is 25-year-old this year and launching a satellite means a new, ice-breaking cornerstone in their history providing further business possibilities. 

The company was founded in 1990 by Hungarian software developers who aimed to create Hungarian competencies on such open-source technologies like Java, Ingres etc. They entered the Hungarian stock market in 2004. Since then,

they have carried out many successful acquisitions

widening their portfolio and activity. Today, among others, they do software development, bank informatics, they implement management schemes, build IT infrastructure and integrate IT applications.

Interestingly, Hungary – as a member of the International Telecommunication Union – had the right to launch their satellite to provide service for the country’s telecommunications needs. However, in 2004, the government leased that orbit to a foreign private company, but the agreement expires in 2024 – napi.hu reported.

The New Space Industries Ltd has been working on the development of the new satellite for two years and it is also part of the current project as an investor.  

SpaceX Crew Dragon makes historic splashdown off Florida

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The SpaceX Crew Dragon “Endeavour” spacecraft carrying two NASA astronauts parachuted to a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida on Sunday, completing a two-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

The spacecraft splashed down off the coast of Pensacola, Florida at 2:48 p.m. EDT (1848 GMT) Sunday.

The weather conditions appeared “great” for the parachute splashdown, tweeted NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.

The SpaceX recovery vessel GO Navigator was waiting at the landing zone. The recovery teams have reached the SpaceX Dragon capsule and gathered the parachutes in the water.

The recovery teams are preparing to open the hatch to retrieve NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, according to NASA live broadcast.

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Read alsoSpaceX launches NASA astronauts into orbit on historic mission

The astronauts are expected to get out of the capsule within an hour after the splashdown.

The return began at 7:35 p.m. EDT Saturday, when the Crew Dragon spacecraft autonomously undocked from the ISS Harmony module.

After an approximately 19-hour return journey, the spacecraft began deorbit burn at 1:56 p.m. EDT Sunday, and deployed four main parachutes.

The return of the test flight with the two astronauts from the ISS marks the first splashdown of an American crew spacecraft in 45 years, said NASA.

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Read alsoHungary poised to become key player in intl space industry

It also wrapped up the test flight for the first commercially owned and operated crewed spacecraft under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

How would Budapest react to huge meteorite infall?

meteorite, Earth

Holes as big as a house, broken windows, injured people and severe damages. These are the leftovers of a meteorite infall as it turns out from a latest published university thesis written by Tamás Danszky-Igaz from the University of Public Service, Budapest. The Hungarian student wrote his MSc thesis about what would the capital do if an actual meteorite infall happened in the city. 

meteorite, Earth
Read alsoHow would Budapest react to huge meteorite infall?

According to csillagaszat.hu, recent studies revealed that smaller and bigger meteorites hit the surface of the Earth in many locations more and more often. Most of these objects perish while it passes the planet’s atmosphere but in every year meteorites bigger than one meter are registered at some places and the damage those cause. 

Tamás Danszky-Igaz’s thesis work envisages that a six-meter wide massive meteorite hits Budapest. Its speed and structure (rock and metal) cause severe damages in the city. What can the capital do?

The impact crater is approximately 160 meters deep; all the houses suffer damages with broken windows and walls, and the dust and rock covering the area make the work of the rescue teams harder. There is no water, electricity and telecommunication in the whole area and many residents are left without a home. It is the Hungarian Disaster Management’s task to handle the destruction, which shows that their duties not only cover putting out a fire and saving stuck cars and people after heavy storms. 

It is currently difficult to determine the infall of such a colossal object from outer space, and avoiding it is merely impossible. How can the city prepare for a possible incident like this and educate the residents?

Dankszky reflected on the problem that there is no connection between the Hungarian authorities and the Hungarian Astrological Centre, and there is no plan for an incident like this. Even if it is an imaginary incident, there is no scientific proof that an infall of a massive meteorite in any cities on Earth is impossible. Dankszky closed down his thesis work by concluding that the solving of a problem like this would not be unthinkable if the Hungarian Disaster Management would make any efforts to study precautions and techniques. 

Hungary aims to send an astronaut to International Space Station

Hungary continues to work to send an astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS), Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Friday, at a videoconference of ministers in charge of space affairs. The meeting was organised by the Council of the European Union and focused on the role of space research and space-based services in offsetting the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

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NASA launches Mars rover to look for signs of former life

nasa mars

NASA launched its Mars rover Perseverance Thursday morning in a bid to search for signs of ancient life on the Red Planet.

The rover lifted off at 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 GMT) on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in the U.S. state of Florida.

NASA confirmed the separation of the rover from the rocket about one hour following the launch.

“The @NASAPersevere rover just sent its first signal back to us on Earth. The spacecraft is in good health and on its way to Mars,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted.

Following a seven-month journey, the rover is expected to land at Jezero Crater on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021.

Read alsoHungarian team ranked ahead NASA’s contestants in an international robotics competition

Perseverance is the fifth Mars rover sent by NASA to Mars, after Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity.

The rover will search for signs of ancient microbial life, characterize the planet’s geology and climate, and collect carefully selected and documented rock and sediment samples for a possible return to Earth, according to NASA.

It will also test new technologies to benefit the future robotic and human exploration of Mars, paving the way for human exploration beyond the Moon, said NASA.

Perseverance ferries a 1.8-kg helicopter to the surface of Mars, and the helicopter would be the first aircraft to fly in a controlled way on another planet.

SpaceX NASA
Read alsoSpaceX launches NASA astronauts into orbit on historic mission

The twin-rotor, solar-powered helicopter, Ingenuity, is intended to demonstrate technologies needed for flying in the Martian atmosphere. If successful, these technologies could enable other advanced robotic flying vehicles that might be included in future robotic and human missions to Mars, said NASA.

Every 26 months, Mars reaches the closest point to Earth in its orbit, and this summer is the latest launch window to the Red Planet, when launching a spacecraft will use the least amount of fuel.

The liftoff of Perseverance is the third Mars exploration of the international community this year following China’s first Mars mission, Tianwen-1, and the first Mars orbiter of the United Arab Emirates earlier this month.

Two spectacular meteor showers to look for this week

sky-hungary-night

If you missed Comet Neowise in the past few months, here are two new celestial events to look for in the last days of July: Alpha Capricornids and Delta Aquariids.

In the past few months, all telescopes and cameras were turned to catch Neowise, an extraordinarily bright comet which was even visible to the naked eye. The comet was discovered in March this year, and a few days ago, it was “only” 43 million km away from the Sun.

These are the last days to see Neowise in the night sky, and in the meantime, it is worth turning your attention (and telescope) to two upcoming celestial phenomena: Alpha Capricornids and Delta Aquariids.

Alpha Capricornids are a meteor shower that typically occurs between mid-July and mid-August, and has a peak around 28 July this year. It is visible from both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere.

Hungarian astronomer Miklós Konkoly-Thege discovered the meteor shower in 1871,

— one more reason for us to look up at the night sky in the coming days.

The period between mid-July and mid-August is also the season for the Delta Aquariids; this year, they will peak around 29–30 July. This meteor shower is of uncertain origin but most likely come from Comet 96P Machholz. The Delta Aquariids are best viewed in the Southern Hemisphere and southern latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.

As Szeretlek Magyarország writes, while the number of meteors may not be that high, these showers are still very spectacular for their slow motion and large number of fireballs. The best time to see the showers are in the early morning hours.

And if you are lucky enough, you can already see the first meteors of the Perseids, the year’s most popular celestial event. The most beautiful meteor showers will only come in a couple of weeks, so you have plenty of time to prepare for the event — why not plan a visit to one of these great Hungarian observatories?

China successfully launches first Mars mission

china spaceship mars

China launched a Mars probe on Thursday, designed to complete orbiting, landing and roving in one mission, taking the first step in its planetary exploration of the solar system.

A Long March-5 rocket, China’s largest launch vehicle, carrying the spacecraft with a mass of about 5 tonnes, soared into the sky from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on the coast of southern China’s island province of Hainan at 12:41 p.m. (Beijing Time).

About 36 minutes later, the spacecraft, including an orbiter and a rover, was sent into the Earth-Mars transfer orbit, embarking on an almost seven-month journey to the red planet, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

SpaceX NASA
Read alsoSpaceX launches NASA astronauts into orbit on historic mission

China’s first Mars mission is named Tianwen-1, which means Questions to Heaven and comes from a poem written by Qu Yuan (about 340-278 BC), one of the greatest poets of ancient China. The name signifies the Chinese nation’s perseverance in pursuing truth and science and exploring nature and the universe, said the CNSA.

JOURNEY OF ADVENTURE

The successful launch of the Tianwen-1 probe is a key step for China going deeper into space, said Liu Tongjie, spokesman of China’s first Mars exploration mission from the CNSA.

“The launch is only the first step of China’s Mars mission, and we hope each of the many key steps of the long journey is completed successfully,” said Geng Yan, an official at the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the CNSA.

The key steps include slowing down when close to Mars, orbiting, separating the landing platform and the rover from the orbiter, landing softly and roving.

The spacecraft is expected to enter the orbit of Mars around February 2021. Afterwards, it will spend two to three months surveying potential landing sites using a high-resolution camera to prepare for the landing in May.

CNES
Read alsoHungary poised to become key player in intl space industry

The most challenging part of the mission will be the soft landing, an autonomous process of the probe lasting seven to eight minutes. The probe will use its aerodynamic shape, parachute and retrorocket to decelerate and buffer legs to touch down, said Geng

After the landing, the rover will be released to conduct scientific exploration with an expected lifespan of at least 90 Martian days (about three months on Earth), and the orbiter, with a design life of one Martian year (about 687 days on Earth), will relay communications for the rover while conducting its own scientific detection.

SEARCHING FOR WATER-ICE

Chinese space engineers and scientists have chosen a relatively flat region in the southern part of the Utopia Planitia, a large plain, as the potential landing zone.

“The reason we selected this place is that it has both the conditions for a safe landing and scientific research value. The place has not been investigated by other countries, so the scientific data can be shared with other countries to enrich the world’s understanding of Mars,” Geng said.

Earlier research showed the potential landing site might be the edge of an ancient ocean or lake in the early history of Mars. Chinese scientists are looking forward to finding more evidence of water-ice.

The scientific goals include mapping the morphology and geological structure, investigating surface soil characteristics and water-ice distribution, analyzing the surface material composition, measuring the ionosphere and the characteristics of the Martian climate and environment at the surface, and perceiving the physical fields and internal structure of Mars.

The orbiter is equipped with seven kinds of scientific instruments: two remote-sensing cameras, Mars-Orbiting Subsurface Exploration Radar, Mars Mineralogy Spectrometer, Mars Magnetometer, Mars Ion and Neutral Particle Analyzer, and Mars Energetic Particle Analyzer.

The six-wheel solar-powered rover, looking like a blue butterfly with a mass of 240 kg, carries the Terrain Camera, Multispectral Camera, Mars-Rover Subsurface Exploration Radar, Mars Surface Composition Detector, Mars Magnetic Field Detector and Mars Meteorology Monitor.

Hungary poised to become key player in intl space industry

CNES

Hungary has gained enough experience in the space industry over the past years to be in a position to become a key player in the sector, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign affairs and trade minister, said on Tuesday.

Speaking to MTI after a visit to France’s space agency in Toulouse, the minister said there were several Hungarian companies taking part in major international development and technological projects.

France is a leading country in space development, Szijjártó said, noting that the country’s National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) was the world’s second largest national space agency after NASA. France also accounts for 40 percent of Europe’s space industry, he added.

Szijjártó said

Hungary had signed a cooperation agreement with the French space agency that will see the two countries carry out joint satellite technology, space science and space research projects.

As part of the deal, young Hungarian experts will be given a chance to participate in the projects carried out at the CNES and expand their knowledge, he said.

The minister called it a “huge success” for Hungary that France’s major satellite developer firms have involved two Hungarian companies in designing the interior equipment and supplying the insulation materials for their satellites.

“This is a huge recognition and it demonstrates that it was not by chance that we’ve made the space industry one of the priority sectors when it comes to ensuring Hungary’s future economic competitiveness,”

Szijjártó said.

The minister noted that Hungary wants to send an astronaut to the International Space Station by 2025. Hungary is cooperating with Russia on achieving this goal but has also offered to make the future Hungarian astronaut’s research capacities available to Europe’s aerospace association, he added.

Read alsoWow! The world’s first electrosmog map uses the measurements of a Hungarian satellite

Our plan is to have a Hungarian research astronaut in the Russian team, says FM Szijjártó in Moscow

hungarian-fm-in-moscow

A trade agreement has been signed for Hungary to purchase a total of 4.2 billion cubic metres of gas from Russia’s Gazprom between October this year and next year, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Tuesday.

Szijjártó said from Moscow that he was also starting talks on the period after next autumn.

“Our goal is to sign a long-term agreement for three times five years which can be cancelled at the end of any five-year period,” he added.

“This would secure long-term supplies for us and it would also enable us to renegotiate or possibly quit the agreement in case better opportunities arise and the international energy market changes,” he said.

Szijjártó said Hungary was buying 2 billion cubic metres of gas to fill storage facilities this summer and transports had already started.

Progress has also been made in expanding transport routes and from next October, Hungary can also purchase gas from the south thanks to the completion of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, he added.

“All decisions have been made in Hungary to connect the Serbian-Hungarian border and the Hungarian national grid with a 15 km pipeline, the planning of which has already started,” he said.

“This will enable the arrival of 6 billion cubic metres of gas in Hungary from the south after October next year,” he added.

He also said that political support has been clearly expressed by both sides for developing cooperation in space research.

“We would like to involve three large research projects in Russian-Hungarian cooperation that already involve high-value technological contributions by Hungarian companies, industrial firms and scientists,” he said.

“Over the next four or five years, these technological developments will reach the level where the instruments can be taken to the International Space Station for research purposes,” he added.

“Clearly our plan is to have a Hungarian research astronaut in the team that transports the instruments to the International Space Station.”

Szijjártó said there were further opportunities for bilateral cooperation in research for a novel coronavirus vaccine and therapy, with both countries having made successful protection efforts against the pandemic. He added that the two countries had already maintained highly-developed links in health care and especially in the pharmaceuticals industry, with over one-fifth of Hungarian exports comprising pharmaceuticals.

Richter, which has a 100 million euro production base in Russia, has been able to keep its market share during the crisis and plans additional investment of 15 million euros, he said.

A Hungarian medical instruments manufacturer is also active in the Russian market, he said.

During his talks in Moscow on Tuesday, Szijjártó met Roscosmos managing director Dmitry Rogozin, Health Minister and new Russian co-chair of the Hungarian-Russian intergovernmental committee Mikhail Murashko, Minister of Trade and Industry Denis Manturov, Minister of Energy Alexander Novak and Transmashholding managing director Kirill Lipa and company leader Andrei Bokarev.