Imagine sending a spacecraft the size of an airline cabin bag to the Moon – what would you have it do? ESA issued that challenge to European teams last year, and two winners have now been chosen.
Category: Space
Elementary, my dear machine intelligence
Artificial intelligence already helping astronauts on the International Space Station is also providing a promising approach for solving crimes. In an era of security concerns across Europe, the smart use of police data is critical for uncovering lead…
Satellites paint a detailed picture of maritime activity
ESA has helped coastal authorities to track up to 70% more ships and pick up nearly three times more ship positions via satellite than was possible before.
Crater Neukum named after Mars Express founder
A fascinating martian crater has been chosen to honour the German physicist and planetary scientist, Gerhard Neukum, one of the founders of ESA’s Mars Express mission.
Columbus: 10 years a lab
In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue… In 2008 another Columbus sailed into space.
Exploring alien worlds with lasers
In everyday life we look and touch things to find out what they are made of. A powerful scientific technique does the same using lasers – and in two years’ time it will fly in space for the first time.
See-through metals
Astronauts on the International Space Station has begun running an experiment that could shine new light on how metal alloys are formed.
How humanity has mastered metallurgy is synonymous with progress, with historians labelling periods such as the B…
ESA’s next satellite propelled by butane
ESA’s next miniature satellite will be its first able to change orbit. Thanks to a compact thruster resembling a butane cigarette lighter, the cereal box-sized satellite will fly around its near-twin to test their radio communications.
Planting oxygen
When resources are limited, you have to work with what you have – especially in the harsh environment of space. Though the International Space Station is regularly restocked by cargo vessels, like today’s Dragon, self-sufficient spaceflight in the fut…
Mars upside down
Which way is up in space? Planets are usually shown with the north pole at the top and the south pole at the bottom. In this remarkable image taken by ESA’s Mars Express, the Red Planet is seen with north at the bottom, and the equator at the top.
Paolo Nespoli returns to Earth
ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli landed back on Earth early this morning after 139 days in space. The ride home from the International Space Station required braking from 28 800 km/h to a standstill in barely three hours.
Galileo launch brings navigation network close to completion
Europe has four more Galileo navigation satellites in the sky following their launch on an Ariane 5 rocket. After today’s success, only one more launch remains before the Galileo constellation is complete and delivering global coverage.
Galileo satellites atop rocket for next Tuesday’s flight
Europe’s next four Galileo navigation satellites are in place atop their Ariane 5, ready to be launched next Tuesday.
Cells in space
Laboratories on Earth hardly make the news, unless they come up with life-saving cures. So why would anyone care about a lab in space? The medicine you take on Earth begins with cell research, and the latest experiments on the International Space Stat…
Visit of President of Republic of Bulgaria to ESA
The President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr Rumen Radev, was welcomed on a visit to ESA’s Headquarters in Paris on 4 December by the Agency’s Director General, Jan Wörner.
Sentinel-5P brings air pollution into focus
Launched on 13 October, the Sentinel-5P satellite has delivered its first images of air pollution. Even though the satellite is still being prepared for service, these first results have been hailed as exceptional and show how this latest Copernicus s…
Space technology to drive autonomous ships
ESA Director General Jan Wörner signed a Memorandum of Intent with Rolls-Royce today, as the two entities agree to investigate how space technology can be used to develop autonomous and remote-controlled ships.
Going green to the Red Planet
ESA’s ground station in Western Australia routinely communicates with spacecraft at far-away places like Mars. Now, it’s using sunlight to generate electricity, significantly reducing energy costs.
Crossing drones with satellites: ESA eyes high-altitude aerial platforms
ESA is considering extending its activities to a new region of the sky via a novel type of aerial vehicle, a ‘missing link’ between drones and satellites.
ESA’s latest technology CubeSat cleared for launch site
GomX-4B, ESA’s latest and largest technology-testing CubeSat, will be launched from China early next year, together with the near-identical GomX-4A. The pair will test intersatellite communication links and propulsion while orbiting up to 4500 km apart.
Forty years of Meteosat
ESA’s first Earth observation satellite was launched on 23 November 1977. When the first Meteosat satellite took its place in the sky, it completed coverage of the whole globe from geostationary orbit and laid the foundations for European and world co…
Galileo quartet fuelled and ready to fly
Europe’s next four Galileo navigation satellites and the Ariane 5 rocket due to lift them into orbit are being readied for their 12 December launch from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
Gadgets for Mars
A mini-rover, tools once used on the Moon and lasers for 3D mapping are in the backpack of the explorers of tomorrow. The terrain will be hazardous and it will be dark in volcanic caves, but this equipment could one day help to scout other planets.&nb…
Fracture swarms on Mars
These striking features on Mars were caused by the planet’s crust stretching apart in response to ancient volcanic activity.
Ozone ups and downs
Climate scientists studying three decades of ozone measurements from seven satellites see a positive trend in global recovery thanks to international efforts to curb ozone-depleting substances.
Astronaut meets volcano
An expedition of astronauts, planetary scientists and engineers is off to Spain’s Canary Island of Lanzarote to learn best how to explore uncharted planets. The training will equip space travellers with a geologist’s eye.
The road to Orion’s launch
NASA’s Orion spacecraft aims to send humans further into space than ever before, and ESA’s European Service Module will provide the essentials for keeping the astronauts alive and on course.
A review of the programme by NASA to assess progress is now…
Vega launches Earth observation satellite for Morocco
Arianespace has launched a Vega rocket to deliver an Earth observation satellite into orbit for the Kingdom of Morocco.
Stressed seedlings in space
Life on Earth has a myriad of problems, but gravity isn’t one of them – staying grounded means organisms can soak up the light and heat that enables growth.
Heating ocean moon Enceladus for billions of years
Enough heat to power hydrothermal activity inside Saturn’s ocean moon Enceladus for billions of years could be generated through tidal friction if the moon has a highly porous core, a new study finds, working in favour of the moon as a potentially hab…
Beyond Bitcoin: Leveraging the Blockchain for Space 4.0
ESA’s Strategy Department is investigating the role blockchain technologies could play in adapting the Agency for Space 4.0.
Wanted: a medical doctor for a cold adventure
Want to help humanity’s exploration of our Solar System? Do you have a medical degree and are not afraid of the dark or the cold? ESA is looking for someone to spend over six months in Antarctica running research to prepare for missions to the Moon an…
Wind satellite vacuum packed
With liftoff on the horizon, ESA’s Aeolus satellite is going through its last round of tests to make sure that this complex mission will work in orbit. Over the next month, it is sitting in a large chamber that has had all the air sucked out to simula…
Launch your design with Cheops
ESA is offering graphic designers and artists a unique opportunity to feature their work on the rocket carrying the Cheops satellite.
European Space Week starts today in Estonia
When is the last time you used space technology? Probably a matter of minutes ago, if you took bearings on your phone, checked the weather or withdrew money. Starting today, European Space Week celebrates space for the rest of us – as a source of serv…
Proba-V images Portuguese forest fire
ESA’s Proba-V minisatellite has captured the forest fire raging in central Portugal, revealing blackened scars and columns of smoke as well as pinpointing active fire hotspots.
ESA marks #Asteroid Day
The United Nations has declared 30 June to be International Asteroid Day, and ESA is joining other space agencies, astronauts, scientists and even rock stars for a 24-hour global telethon.
Gravitational wave mission selected, planet-hunting mission moves forward
The LISA trio of satellites to detect gravitational waves from space has been selected as the third large-class mission in ESA’s Science programme, while the Plato exoplanet hunter moves into development.
Return to the blue
How do you prepare for space missions on Earth? One way is to simulate an expedition into space underwater. Yesterday, six aquanauts dived almost 20 m to the sea floor where they will spend 10 days living and working below the waves.
Magnetic space tug could target dead satellites
Derelict satellites could in future be grappled and removed from key orbits around Earth with a space tug using magnetic forces.
Galileo signal team wins European Inventor Award
The invisible signals that Europe’s Galileo satellites are beaming down to the world are officially award-winning: the team behind their design has won the European Inventor Award, run by the European Patent Office.
Keeping the rhythm in space
Space is an inhospitable environment for the human body but we adapt remarkably well. Within hours, the brain adjusts to the lack of an up or down, as if floating is all it has ever known. Now researchers are learning how our internal clock simil…
Satellites forewarn of locust plagues
Satellites are helping to predict favourable conditions for desert locusts to swarm, which poses a threat to agricultural production and, subsequently, livelihoods and food security.
The future of the Orion constellation
A new video, based on measurements by ESA’s Gaia and Hipparcos satellites, shows how our view of the Orion constellation will evolve over the next 450 000 years.
Galileo grows: two more satellites join working constellation
Two further satellites have formally become part of Europe’s Galileo satnav system, broadcasting timing and navigation signals worldwide while also picking up distress calls across the planet.
Window to a watery past on Mars
This 70 km-wide crater and its surrounds offer a window into the watery past of the Red Planet.
Quantifying the effects of climate change
Last year was the hottest on record, Arctic sea ice is on the decline and sea levels continue to rise. In this context, satellites are providing us with an unbiased view of how our climate is changing and the effects it is having on our planet.
Thomas Pesquet returns to Earth
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet landed on the steppe of Kazakhstan today with Russian commander Oleg Novitsky in their Soyuz MS-03 spacecraft after six months in space. Touchdown was at 14:10 GMT after a four-hour flight from the International Space Stat…
Ariane 5 launches its heaviest telecom payload
The Ariane 5 rocket, operated by Arianespace, has carried its heaviest telecommunications payload ever to deliver the ViaSat-2 and Eutelsat-172B satellites into their planned orbits.
The heat is on for Sentinel-3B
While the Copernicus Sentinel-3A satellite is in orbit delivering a wealth of information about our home planet, engineers are putting its twin, Sentinel-3B, through a series of vigorous tests before it is shipped to the launch site next year.
New Horizons for Alexander Gerst
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Astronauts/New_Horizons_for_Alexander_Gerst
Schiaparelli landing investigation completed
The inquiry into the crash-landing of the ExoMars Schiaparelli module has concluded that conflicting information in the onboard computer caused the descent sequence to end prematurely.
Sentinel-2 captures coral bleaching of Great Barrier Reef
Scientists observed the bleaching of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef early this year using satellite images. While capturing these events from space has been difficult in the past, Sentinel-2’s frequent revisits and its resolution makes it possible.
Exploring underground with a colliding drone
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Caves/Exploring_underground_with_a_colliding_drone
Saving time in space
Working inside the International Space Station is sometimes like assembling complex furniture but with the tools and paper instructions continually floating out of reach. Astronauts also face situations unforeseen by the instructions. Communication de…
Novel use of satnav saves precious water
Water conservation is a growing concern globally, and particularly for farmers in the USA, where decades of irrigating huge fields has depleted vital resources of fresh surface water and groundwater. An ESA spin-off that can help to preserve water sup…
Negribreen on the move
Rapid acceleration of an Arctic glacier over the past year has been detected by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellites.
Winning plans for CubeSats to the Moon
If you could fly a CubeSat to the Moon, what could such a tiny satellite do there? ESA posed this question – and now four proposals will be studied in more detail for possible flight over the coming decade.
Ariane 5’s second liftoff this year
Ariane 5 has delivered two telecom satellites, SGDC and Koreasat-7, into their planned orbits.
Test site for ESA-backed airbreathing engine
Work began today on building the UK’s latest rocket engine test facility, designed for firing the engine core of the ESA-backed SABRE propulsion system within three years.
Printing bricks from moondust using the Sun’s heat
Bricks have been 3D printed out of simulated moondust using concentrated sunlight – proving in principle that future lunar colonists could one day use the same approach to build settlements on the Moon.
Satellites track Antarctic ice loss over decades
Over two decades of observations by five radar satellites show the acceleration of ice loss of 30 glaciers in Western Palmer Land in the southwest Antarctic Peninsula.
Monitoring the airways
Astronauts in space are valuable sources of scientific data. Researchers collect blood and urine samples to understand what effects living in weightlessness has on their bodies. For one experiment, investigators are interested in their breath.
ESA boosting its Argentine link with deep space
Thanks to some high-tech improvements, ESA’s radio dish in Argentina will be ready to receive the rising torrent of scientific data beamed back by future missions exploring deep in our Solar System.
Countdown to Cassini’s Grand Finale
After nearly 13 years in orbit around Saturn, the international Cassini–Huygens mission is about to begin its final chapter: the spacecraft will perform a series of daring dives between the planet and its rings, leading to a dramatic final plunge into…
Science record set on Space Station
If anything should break in space, let it be records. The astronauts of Expedition 50 have done just that by setting a new record for most time spent on scientific research on the International Space Station.
Call for a sustainable future in space
With more than 750 000 pieces of dangerous debris now orbiting Earth, the urgent need for coordinated international action to ensure the long-term sustainability of spaceflight is a major finding from Europe’s largest-ever conference on space debris.
When Swarm met Steve
Thanks to social media and the power of citizen scientists chasing the northern lights, a new feature was discovered recently. Nobody knew what this strange ribbon of purple light was, so … it was called Steve.
Satellite service boosting special flight operations
Thanks to ESA, aircraft are using satcoms to share realtime information with other aircraft and ground stations to improve flight operations.
ESA helps faster cleaner shipping
With around 90% of world trade carried by ships, making sure a vessel follows the fastest route has clear economic benefits. By merging measurements from different satellites, ESA is providing key information on ocean currents, which is not only makin…
Exoplanet mission gets ticket to ride
A Soyuz rocket operated by Arianespace from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou will boost ESA’s upcoming exoplanet satellite into space.
Galileo’s search and rescue service in the spotlight
Europe’s Galileo satnav network does more than let us find our way – it is also helping to save lives. Today sees a spotlight cast on Galileo’s Search and Rescue service, which pinpoints people in distress on land or sea.
Crater triplets
At first glance this scene may seem nothing out of the ordinary, but the large elongated crater marks the imprint of an impacting body that may have broken into three before it hit Mars.
Students successfully complete Concurrent Engineering Workshop
From 14 to 17 March 2017, 22 students from 11 different nationalities, including ESA Associate Member Canada, took part in a Concurrent Engineering Workshop.
Astronaut study gives voice to people with disabilities
When his father was diagnosed with a debilitating disease four years ago, it sparked Ivo Vieira into developing a novel means of communication for people coping with extreme limitations, building on technology originally explored to help ESA astronaut…
Final two ExoMars landing sites chosen
Two ancient sites on Mars that hosted an abundance of water in the planet’s early history have been recommended as the final candidates for the landing site of the 2020 ExoMars rover and surface science platform: Oxia Planum and Mawrth Vallis.
Climate at your fingertips
Discover our planet’s changing climate through the eyes of satellites with Climate from Space, a new digital book for iPad and Android tablets featuring interactive maps and video interviews with top scientists.
CryoSat reveals Antarctica in 3D
Around 250 million measurements taken by ESA’s CryoSat over the last six years have been used to create a unique 3D view of Antarctica, offering a snapshot of the undulating surface of this vast ice sheet.
Satellites shed new light on earthquakes
Satellite radar scans of last year’s earthquake in New Zealand are changing the way we are thinking about earthquake hazards in regions where our planet’s tectonic plates meet.
Surviving the long dark night of the Moon
Designers of future Moon missions and bases have to contend with a chilling challenge: how might their creations endure the fortnight-long lunar night? ESA has arrived at a low-cost way of surviving.













































































