European Space Agency
The European Space Agency is an intergovernmental organization of 22 member states dedicated to the exploration of space. Established in 1975 and headquartered in Paris, ESA has a worldwide staff of about 2,200
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With 26 satellites in orbit and more than two billion receivers in use, Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation system has made a massive impact. But our continent has another satnav system that has been providing safety-of-life services for ten years now – chances are that you’ve benefited from it without noticing. View the full article
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Fluctuations in the carbon-rich biomass held within the world’s forests can contribute to, or slow, climate change. A series of new maps of above ground biomass, generated using space observations, is set to help our understanding of global carbon cycling and support forest management, emissions reduction and sustainable development policy goals. View the full article
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Image: ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet will serve as commander of the International Space Station towards the end of his second mission, called Alpha, currently slated to begin on 22 April this year. The announcement was made during today’s press briefing. Thomas will be the fourth European to hold the post of commander, after ESA astronauts Frank De Winne, Alexander Gerst and Luca Parmitano. During the briefing, Thomas remarked how three back-to-back European commanders underscores the growing role of Europe in space exploration and is a testament to the hard work of ESA colleagues. ‘I am unbelievably humbled and honoured’, said Thomas. Thomas will be the first ESA as…
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Video: 00:00:00 Watch the replay of the virtual press event in which ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet talks about his upcoming ‘Alpha’ mission to the International Space Station. Set to launch on 22 April, Thomas will be the first ESA astronaut to fly on a SpaceX Crew Dragon being launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida, USA. In this event we will also hear from ESA ISS Utilisation Planning Team Leader Kirsten MacDonell, and Head of the ESA Human and Robotic Exploration Strategy & Coordination Group Didier Schmitt. View the full article
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The March Council edition of ESA Impact is online View the full article
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In a series of exciting video stories featuring the Playmobil toy system, the ever-knowledgeable robot host ROBert is assisted by ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano to explain how you can become an astronaut and what it’s like to live in space. View the full article
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In early 2020, data from satellites were used to show a decline in air pollution coinciding with nationwide lockdowns put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19. One year later, as lockdown restrictions loosen in some countries and regular activity resumes, nitrogen dioxide levels are bouncing back to pre-COVID levels. View the full article
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Image: Dynamic dunes View the full article
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This is ESA now also available in Irish and Russian! View the full article
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Video: 00:03:45 French ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet will soon begin his second mission to the International Space Station. Called Alpha, the mission will begin with the second operational flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon, launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA. Thomas will be the first ESA astronaut to fly in this spacecraft, which will remain docked to the Space Station for around six months before returning the crew to Earth. This A&B Roll gives an overview of Thomas Pesquet’s Alpha mission with soundbites in English and French. View the full article
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The Strait of Gibraltar is featured in this false-colour image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission. View the full article
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Image: 3D printing, as long as you like View the full article
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35 years since Giotto met Halley View the full article
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Despite ESA’s GOCE mission ending over seven years ago, scientists continue to use this remarkable satellite’s gravity data to delve deep and unearth secrets about our planet. Recent research shows how scientists have combined GOCE data with measurements taken at the surface to generate a new model of Earth’s crust and upper mantle. This is the first time such a model has been created this way – and it is shedding new light on processes of plate tectonics, which, in turn, are related to phenomena such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. View the full article
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Image: An orange pouch and a yellow cable are paving the way for missions to the Moon. By monitoring space radiation and enabling faster communications, the Dosis-3D experiment and the Columbus Ka-band or ColKa terminal, respectively, are providing the insights needed to enable safer missions father out in space. Orange Dosis-3D pouches are everywhere in the Columbus laboratory on the International Space Station. A series of active and passive dosimeters, they measure space radiation inside the module as well as how it penetrates the Space Station’s walls. Radiation levels in space are up to 15 times higher than on Earth. As soon as humans leave the protective shield t…
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Image: Using reentries to clean up View the full article
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For the first time, an international team of scientists has used magnetic data from ESA’s Swarm satellite mission together with aeromagnetic data to help reveal the mysteries of the geology hidden beneath Antarctica’s kilometres-thick ice sheets, and link Antarctica better to its former neighbours. View the full article
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When spring arrives in southern Mars, a cloud of water ice emerges near the 20-kilometre-tall Arsia Mons volcano, rapidly stretching out for many hundreds of kilometres before fading away in mere hours. A detailed long-term study now reveals the secrets of this elongated cloud, using exciting new observations from the ‘Mars Webcam’ on ESA’s Mars Express. View the full article
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With the need for satellite data to be received more frequently for faster weather forecasting updates in the Arctic, ESA has signed a contract with OHB Sweden to a build prototype satellite for the Arctic Weather Satellite mission. View the full article
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ESA and international toy manufacturer Mattel are taking further steps to raise awareness of the importance of female role models during times of pandemic and beyond. View the full article
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Improvising new stuff from the stuff you have is part of an astronaut’s job description – think Apollo 13’s crew refitting CO2 filters to save their own lives, or stranded Mark Watney in The Martian, feeding himself on the Red Planet. Now plans are underway to manufacture items in orbit, and ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst argues this could make a big difference to living and working in space. View the full article
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On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2021, and as excitement builds for the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) in October, ESA is highlighting women that play an important role in Europe’s contribution to Webb. View the full article
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Webb: seeing farther Webb: seeing farther View the full article
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Week in images: 01 - 05 March 2021 Discover our week through the lens View the full article
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