European Space Agency

A new European Space Agency-backed study shows that the extreme heatwaves of 2023, which fuelled huge wildfires and severe droughts, also undermined the land’s capacity to soak up atmospheric carbon. This diminished carbon uptake drove atmospheric carbon dioxide levels to new highs, intensifying concerns about accelerating climate change. View the full article

Video: 00:09:09 On 12 November 2014, after a ten-year journey through the Solar System and over 500 million kilometres from home, Rosetta’s lander Philae made space exploration history by touching down on a comet for the first time. On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of this extraordinary feat, we celebrate by taking a look back over the mission's highlights. Rosetta was an ESA mission with contributions from its Member States and NASA. It studied Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for over two years, including delivering lander Philae to the comet’s surface. Philae was provided by a consortium led by DLR, MPS, CNES and ASI. read the article Philae’s extraordinary comet landing relived. View the full article

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On 12 November 2014, after a ten year journey through the Solar System and over 500 million kilometres from home, Rosetta’s lander Philae made space exploration history by touching down on a comet for the first time. On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of this extraordinary feat, we celebrate Philae’s impressive achievements at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. View the full article

12 November 2024 marks the start of a new year on Mars. At exactly 10:32 CET/09:32 UTC on Earth, the Red Planet begins a new orbit around our Sun. View the full article

ESA is taking a significant step towards creating a more digitally inclusive Europe through a new partnership that will bring internet access to the hardest-to-reach areas. Reliable connectivity has become essential in today's digital age, yet for many Europeans in rural villages, mountainous regions, and small islands, dependable internet access remains out of reach. View the full article

Week in images: 04-08 November 2024 Discover our week through the lens View the full article

This compilation of images, captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission, showcases the characteristic hues of autumn in different European countries. View the full article

ESA’s Hera mission has completed the first critical manoeuvre on its journey to the Didymos binary asteroid system since launch on 7 October. View the full article

Image: Snow returns to Mount Fuji View the full article

Space startups and SMEs can meet ESA’s SME Office at Space Tech Expo, a space technology trade fair and conference in Bremen, Germany from 19–21 November. View the full article

Proba-3 is such an ambitious mission that it needs more than one single spacecraft to succeed. In order for Proba-3’s Coronagraph spacecraft observe the Sun’s faint surrounding atmosphere, the disk-bearing Occulter spacecraft must block out the fiery solar disk. This means Proba-3’s Occulter ends up facing the Sun continuously, making it a valuable platform for science in its own right. View the full article

Image: 3D-printed rovers play spot the ball View the full article

Torrential rainfall causing deadly flash floods has hit southern and eastern Spain in regions including the Costa del Sol, where the city of Malaga is located, and Valencia in the east. As these areas struggle to cope with the aftermath, satellite technology has played a crucial role in assessing the damages of the affected areas. View the full article

Image: Moon waves goodbye to Hera View the full article

Week in images: 28 October - 01 November 2024 Discover our week through the lens View the full article

The Space Resources Challenge was launched last week, an opportunity for innovators to pioneer the technologies that will help humankind live and work sustainably on the Moon. View the full article

Image: The icy landscape of Ross Island in Antarctica is featured in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image from 3 February 2024, during the austral summer. View the full article

The 2025 ESA internship opportunities are now live! Positions are open in a wide range of fields, including engineering, science, IT, natural and social sciences, business, economics, and administrative services. This is your chance to launch your career in the extraordinary world of space exploration—don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to gain hands-on experience with one of the world’s leading space organisations! View the full article

When disaster strikes, maintaining communication is critical. Yet, terrestrial (ground) networks are often compromised, leaving civilians stranded and first responders without access to vital information. Limited bandwidth can severely delay crisis management efforts, potentially costing lives. Recent events around the world, including devastating floods and wildfires, underscore the increasing relevance and urgency for advanced disaster response technology. View the full article

Stare deeply at these galaxies. They appear as if blood is pumping through the top of a flesh-free face. The long, ghastly ‘stare’ of their searing eye-like cores shines out into the supreme cosmic darkness. View the full article

Image: Spooky Earths seen by Hera’s HyperScout View the full article

ESA’s solar eclipse-making Proba-3 mission is about to leave Europe, to head to its launch site in India. The mission’s two spacecraft – which will manoeuvre precisely in Earth orbit so that one casts a shadow onto the other – have departed the facilities of Redwire Space in Kruibeke, Belgium. The pair will be flown to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, near Chennai, for the launch campaign to begin. View the full article

Image: Spain is suffering its worst flood in decades after torrential rains struck the eastern province of Valencia. These satellite images vividly illustrate the dramatic transformation of the landscape. View the full article

Video: 00:00:23 Robots in disguise: our Hera asteroid detective plus her CubeSat buddies – Milani the rock decoder and Juventas the radar visionary – dressed up for Halloween! To see them out of costume, watch our The Incredible Adventures of the Hera Mission series! View the full article