SCIence and TECHnology for Solar System exploration



  • Lightcurve tool!

    Lightcurve tool!

    Juan Luis Rizos offers the Solar System community a simulator for modeling the light curves of small bodies. This software is designed to analyze the brightness variations of rotating celestial objects, supporting both simple and complex rotation modes. Whether the object is spherical, ellipsoidal, or defined by custom shape files, the simulator provides a high…


  • Tracking the Activity of Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke in 2021

    Tracking the Activity of Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke in 2021

    Our colleagues, I. Mariblanca-Escalona and collaborators from the SciTechSS group have been carrying out a study on the activity of the Jupiter-family comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke during its 2021 apparition. Our team analysed visible imaging and long-slit spectrophotometry from the Calar Alto Observatory (Spain) to model the comet’s dust and gas emissions. We completed our dataset with…


  • Let’s learn about the Jupiter system with JANUS

    Let’s learn about the Jupiter system with JANUS

    The JANUS Team meets in Granada, at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, from the 25th to the 27th of February to hold its 7th Full Team Meeting. Scientists and engineers will discuss the technical performance of the instrument after its launch on April 14, 2023, as well as the images acquired during the JUICE…


  • That’s weird!

    That’s weird!

    Our colleague J.L. Ortiz, from IAA, has been leading a recent and very interesting work on one of the five official dwarf planets: Eris. This dwarf planet, orbited by its satellite Dysnomia, seems to have comparatively large albedo and density. Its presumably homogeneous surface prevented to determine its spin period for long until very recently,…


  • Good news for everyone!

    Good news for everyone!

    We want to share that Luisa M. Lara, PI of Scitechss, has been appointed as member of the Comité de Apoyo de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Agencia Espacial Española (AEE). Luisa’s appointment reflects her commitment and passion for space exploration, and we are confident that her knowledge, and experience will greatly benefit the committee’s…


  • That’s fast!

    That’s fast!

    A team of astronomers, with the participation of Scitechss members, has detected very powerful winds and significant temperature variations in the atmosphere of the giant exoplanet WASP-127b located over 500 light-years from Earth. The discovery was made using the CRIRES+ instrument mounted on one of the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) in…


  • How hot is 67P?

    How hot is 67P?

    Our colleague O. Groussin, from the Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille in France, has led a comprehensive analysis of the thermal environment of comet 67P by using high resolution shape models of its nucleus. This study, carried out as part of our ISSI team efforts, has just been accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics, and…


  • Season’s Greetings

    Season’s Greetings

    to our Visitors and Team. As we close a remarkable year, we celebrate with you the rewarding achievements in space science and technology that have expanded our understanding of the solar system. Thanks to the dedication of our team, we have pushed boundaries, reached new heights together and pursued new challenges for the years to…


  • Success through collaboration

    Success through collaboration

    We are pleased to announce a significant milestone in the collaborative efforts between SCITECHSS, SENER Aerospace, N7 Space, and Huld. Together, we have successfully integrated the Boot Software (BSW) and Application Software (ASW) components into the hardware Engineering Qualification Model (EQM) of the ENVISS instrument (for the Comet Interceptor mission). This achievement represents a key…


  • A slightly different post

    A slightly different post

    In the realms of engineering and science, our achievements are greatly enhanced by the unwavering support, dedication, effort, commitment, and expertise of Fernando, Jaime and Nacho. Nacho, Jaime and Fernando are three Scitechss talented engineers. They began their journey with us a few years ago, and it brings us immense satisfaction to share that they…