Untangling the ocean biological carbon pump
They may be microscopic, but their ability to sequester carbon is phenomenal. We are talking phytoplankton – and scientists working on a project funded by ESA are assessing different aspects of the role that these tiny plants play in the ocean carbon cycle to better understand climate processes. Our oceans play a fundamental role in Read More
Europe’s biggest test chamber for space antennas takes shape
Antennas and radio frequency systems for space are growing larger and more powerful, so to keep pace ESA’s ground-based test facilities are scaling up too. A construction project underway beside the dunes of the North Sea marks the expansion of the ESTEC technical centre in the Netherlands with the addition of Europe’s largest antenna and Read More
How Juice was made ready for Jupiter
Deciding to go to Jupiter was the easy part: it’s by far the largest planet around the Sun, resembling a Solar System in its own right with its many moons, three of which may well be home to hidden oceans beneath their icy surfaces. Then came the practical question: how do we actually put together a mission to Read More
Juice testing – down to the wire
Preparing the Juice mission to Jupiter has involved testing for all kinds of contingencies, down to the smallest of scales. This microscopic view shows surface damage to a tiny silver interconnector after being exposed to erosive atomic oxygen known to be found surrounding Jupiter’s moon Ganymede. Due to launch on 13 April to begin an Read More
ENAIRE appoints Juan Ángel Treceño, Major General of the Air and Space Force, as Director of Civil-Military Coordination
• General Treceño was a representative of the European Union Military Committee for the implementation of the Single European Sky • He is replacing Major General Manuel Gimeno Araguez, who retired • Over the last three years, Civil-Military Coordination has laid the foundations for the effective application of the flexible use of airspace ENAIRE, Spain's Read More
Juice meets Ariane 5
Over the past few days, Juice has been transferred to the final assembly building and mounted onto the Ariane 5 rocket that will carry it into space. These photos capture the key milestones in this process. Juice placed on an air cushion platform Juice enters ‘clean room on wheels’ Juice exits ‘clean room on wheels’ Read More
Science with Euclid
Discover the top five mysteries ESA’s mission Euclid will help solve. ESA's Euclid mission is designed to explore the composition and evolution of the dark Universe. The space telescope will create a great map of the large-scale structure of the Universe across space and time by observing billions of galaxies out to 10 billion light-years, Read More
NASA Names Astronauts to Next Moon Mission, First Crew Under Artemis
The crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission (left to right): NASA astronauts Christina Hammock Koch, Reid Wiseman (seated), Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Credits: NASA NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) announced the four astronauts who will venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed mission on NASA’s Read More
Do you need to test your new satellite technology in space? ESA and the EU are ready to help with flight ticket opportunities
The European Commission and the European Space Agency are jointly offering flight ticket opportunities for European companies or organisations to co-fund the launch services to test your new satellite technologies in space. This Flight Ticket Initiative is designed to give promising technology and service concepts the in-orbit testing needed to reach commercial maturity. Under this Read More
Safe at last
In brief ESA's Integral space observatory has had a tough few years. But with the commissioning of the spacecraft's new 'safe mode', the future looks as bright as the gamma-ray bursts it keeps an eye out for. In-depth Rescuing Integral – the story so far In 2020, the thrusters on ESA’s Integral spacecraft failed. To keep Read More