NASA Missions Detect Stunning Meteoroid Impact on Mars
photo Nasa On Dec. 24, 2021, our InSight Mars lander recorded a significant marsquake on the Red Planet. Only later did scientists discover the cause of the shaking: a meteoroid strike estimated to be one of the biggest seen on Mars since NASA began exploring the cosmos. What’s more, the meteoroid’s impact kicked up Read More
United Launch Alliance Atlas V to Launch Advanced Environmental Monitoring Satellite
What: A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket is in final preparations to launch the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS)-2 weather satellite for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA and the Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) for NASA. Where: Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Read More
ENAIRE tests urban air mobility with air taxis, drones and conventional aviation
The ATLAS Centre in Villacarrillo, Jaén, will be home to the tests of the European Uspace4UAM project, with ENAIRE taking part as the air navigation service providerUspace4UAM studies the future of urban air mobility integrated with manned air trafficENAIRE air traffic controllers will activate a virtual geo-fence to protect a landing helicopter from an intruding Read More
Scientists choose first Mars samples worthy of return to Earth
The first samples to be taken from Mars and sent to Earth will be sourced from Jezero Crater, where the Perseverance rover has been exploring the crater floor and nearby ancient delta. The location of an initial cache of samples, called Three Forks, is flat and free of obstacles – an ideal spot for a Read More
SOLARIS Industry Day – update
To support the preparation of the SOLARIS initiative on Space-Based Solar Power, to be proposed at ESA's Ministerial Council next month, the Agency organised the first SOLARIS Industry Day. The event took place at the ESTEC technical centre in the Netherlands and online on 18 October 2022. The Industry Day consisted of: Presentations from ESA outlining the Read More
Ten years: Warsaw at night On November 19, 2012, Poland became the 20th member of the European Space Agency (ESA). The last 10 years have been a time of dynamic development of the Polish space sector. These two pictures show capital city Warsaw as seen by ESA astronauts from the International Space Station, 10 years Read More
ESA – Earth from Space: Svalbard
Extremely high temperatures recorded this summer caused record melting across Svalbard – one of the fastest warming places on the planet. The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission captured this rare, cloud-free acquisition of the Norwegian archipelago in August 2022. Located north of mainland Europe, Svalbard is around midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Read More
ESA – A close encounter with a mysterious moon
In brief In 1877, the American astronomer Asaph Hall discovered two small moons circling the planet Mars, later named Phobos and Deimos after the Greek for ‘fear’ and ‘panic’. But it was excitement, rather than fear and panic, that characterised the close encounter with Phobos made by ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft in the run up Read More
The Incredible Adventures of the Hera mission – Tales of Terrific Technology
Meet Hera, our very own asteroid detective. Together with two CubeSats – Milani the rock decoder and Juventas the radar visionary – Hera is off on an adventure to explore Didymos, a double asteroid system that is typical of the thousands that pose an impact risk to planet Earth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPn2W5CYA1U Suitable for kids and adults Read More
Mini-radar for asteroid CubeSat
This 10-cm box will make history as the smallest radar instrument to be flown in space – and the very first radar to probe the interior of an asteroid. Its target? The Dimorphos asteroid, which on the night of 26 September had its orbit diverted and a vast 10 000 km plume sent out into Read More