European Space Agency

Video: 00:40:18 Watch the replay of the press briefing on space transportation from Paris Air Show 2023. Speakers will share the current status of the Ariane 6 programme, and the next key milestones towards the inaugural flight. Access all the videos from Paris Air Show 2023. View the full article

We are almost halfway through the week of the 54th edition of the Paris Air Show. ESA is taking part with an exhibition in the Space Pavilion alongside with CNES, the French National Space Agency. Throughout the week, the pavilion will host presentations, events and temporary exhibitions from both agencies, while several events will be held in the ESA/CNES shared area. Click the link here to view the full programme of events being held in the ESA-CNES shared area. Here below the photo highlights of Day n.3 from Le Bourget Airport. The event will take place from 19 to 25 June. View the full article

Image: Some of the most severe marine heat increases on Earth are occurring in the seas surrounding the UK and Ireland. Satellite measurements show that water temperatures in certain areas are above average for this time of year. View the full article

The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission has made its third of six gravity assist flybys at Mercury, snapping images of a newly named impact crater as well as tectonic and volcanic curiosities as it adjusts its trajectory for entering Mercury orbit in 2025. View the full article

Video: 00:03:42 Experience the thrill of the Paris Air Show 2023 with our 360VR tour! Join ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer as he guides you through the ESA pavilion, showcasing the Euclid satellite and the incredible journey of Juice to Jupiter. Immerse yourself in the excitement and mysteries of the universe. Don't miss the chance to join us in person during the public days this weekend and get ready for an unforgettable adventure! Access all the videos from Paris Air Show 2023. Please accept the website cookies to see the YouTube version and experience the 360VR tour. View the full article

Video: 00:47:00 Watch the replay of the conference on Europe’s ambitions in human and robotic space exploration, streamed live from Le Bourget. Speakers include ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, CNES CEO Philippe Baptiste and Director General of the German Space Agency Walther Pelzer. ESA astronauts Thomas Pesquet, Samantha Cristoforetti and Matthias Maurer will contribute their views. Access all the videos from Paris Air Show 2023. View the full article

The final two crewmembers of Crew-7, where ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen is the pilot, has been announced. They will fly to the International Space Station (ISS) later this summer. View the full article

Seven CubeSat missions that demonstrate a variety of services including connectivity and secure communications are being developed by small and medium-sized companies and universities in Greece, following an open call and selection by ESA. View the full article

Video: 00:49:44 The Paris Air Show is one the oldest and largest aerospace event in the world and of course ESA is there! Watch the replay of the kickoff press conference attended by ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and CNES CEO Philippe Baptiste. ESA astronauts Thomas Pesquet, Samantha Cristoforetti and Matthias Maurer as well as further ESA Directors are also present. View the full article

With commercial companies playing an increasingly important role in creating a dynamic and innovative space industry, nine New Space satellite data suppliers have joined the Copernicus programme as ‘Contributing Missions’. Today, at the Le Bourget Paris Air Show, ESA and the European Commission further embraced the era of New Space by welcoming these nine companies into the fold and celebrating the contribution they will make in monitoring our changing world. View the full article

The 54th edition of the Paris Air Show has just opened its doors, and ESA is taking part with an exhibition in the Space Pavilion alongside with CNES, the French National Space Agency. Throughout the week, the pavilion will host presentations, events and temporary exhibitions from both agencies, while several events will be held in the ESA/CNES shared area. Click the link here to view the full programme of events being held in the ESA-CNES shared area. Here below the photo highlights of Day n.1 from Le Bourget. The event will take place from 19 to 25 June. View the full article

Video: 00:03:29 ESA’s Euclid mission is designed to bring the dark side of the Universe to light. Based on the way galaxies rotate and orbit one another, and the way in which the Universe is expanding, astronomers believe that two unseen entities dominate the composition of our cosmos. They call these mysterious components dark matter and dark energy, yet to date we have not been able to detect either of them directly, only inferring their presence from the effects they have on the Universe at large. To better understand what dark matter and dark energy may be, we need a mission that can more closely reveal what effects they have had on galaxies, galaxy clusters and the expansion of the Universe itself. Euclid is that mission. ESA’s Euclid mission will create a 3D-map of the Universe, with the third dimension representing time itself. The further away a galaxy is located, the longer its light has taken to reach us and so the earlier in cosmic history we will see it. By observing billions of galaxies out to a distance of 10 billion light-years, scientists will be able to chart the position and velocity of galaxies over immense distances and through most of cosmic history, and trace the way the Universe has expanded during that time. Euclid’s extraordinary optics will also reveal subtle distortions in the appearance of galaxies. From this wealth of new data, astronomers will be able to infer the properties of dark energy and dark matter more precisely than ever before. This will help theorists pin down the nature of these mysterious components and develop a refined understanding of how gravity behaves at the largest distances. View the full article

Week in images: 12-16 June 2023 Discover our week through the lens View the full article

Image: Copernicus Sentinel-3’s wide view captures the eastern edge of the Mediterranean and surrounding countries. View the full article

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Image: As climate change increases the risk of wildfires across the globe, the spate of fires that hit Canada in May and June suggest that 2023 is on course to be the country’s worst fire season to date. These fires not only pose a serious threat to human life, wildlife, the environment and property, they also affect air quality. View the full article

ESA’s pair of Sun-watching Proba-3 satellites have been placed in take-off configuration, one on top of the other, for testing in simulated launch and space conditions at IABG in Germany, ahead of their planned lift-off next year. View the full article

Over 90 participants were up for the challenge to visualise just how much we know and don’t know in the Universe and explain the #CosmicMystery that ESA’s Euclid mission will soon begin to investigate. From songs, crochets and animations to apparel, paintings and baked goods, the creativity of participants amazed the judges. View the full article

The Paris Air Show, one the oldest and largest aerospace events in the world, is back at Le Bourget from 19 to 25 June. ESA is taking part to showcase the Agency’s latest accomplishments, highlight upcoming endeavours and present what’s next in the European Space Agency’s long-term ambitions. There will also be an intense week-long programme of lively panels and sessions, some of which will be livestreamed on ESA Web TV and Twitter. So, whether you are in Paris or not, you can join us at Le Bourget by watching our broadcasts! View the full article

As the current wildfires in Canada show, climate change is increasing the risk and extent of wildfires across the globe. ESA, along with the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts have taken a new approach by using realtime observations from ESA’s Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity satellite mission to better anticipate the outbreak of fires. View the full article

Image: Discharge test for launcher antenna View the full article

The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission is gearing up for its next close flyby of Mercury on 19 June, when it will pass the planet’s surface at an altitude of about 236 km. View the full article

Europe’s Ariane 5 rocket is being prepared for its final flight. You can follow the launch live on ESA Web TV. Flight VA261 will lift off as soon as 16 June at 23:26 CEST, pending suitable conditions for launch.     Broadcast begins 22:55 CEST/21:55 BST on ESA Web TV     Liftoff scheduled for 23:26 CEST/22:26 BST/21:26 UTC/18:26 Kourou View the full article

In March, we announced that 2023 would see the publication of over 300 vacancies at ESA. New vacancies keep being published as we continue our search for talented and motivated professionals to join our teams across Europe and support our mission of the peaceful exploration of space for the benefit of everyone. Could ESA be the next step in your career? Read more to find out! View the full article

A second pair of satellites that use light to communicate with each other has been launched. View the full article