Archive | ESA

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Space tech poised to make air travel greener and more efficient

Passengers travelling through busy airports should soon face fewer delays and have a lower environmental impact, thanks to efforts to use airspace more efficiently. The Iris programme seeks to equip aircraft with satellite-based data communication links to help pilots and air traffic controllers to use the shortest and fastest routes, boosting productivity, saving fuel and […]

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Nitrogen dioxide pollution mapped

New maps that use information from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite reveal nitrogen dioxide emission being released into the atmosphere in cities and towns across the globe. To source

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Cleaning Mars parachute

Technology image of the week: A test version of the main ExoMars 2020 parachute being heat treated in an ESA oven to make it sterile enough for the Red Planet To source

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Testing space batteries to destruction for cleaner skies

Engineers descended into bunkers to test space batteries to destruction – through overheating, overcharging, short circuits and even by shooting them with bullets. The three-year test campaign is helping assess the risk of abandoned satellites exploding in orbit due to catastrophic battery reactions. To source

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Gateway to the Moon

The International Space Station partners have endorsed plans to continue the development of the Gateway , an outpost around the Moon that will act as a base to support both robots and astronauts exploring the lunar surface. To source

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Microlaunchers to grow Europe’s economy

Microlaunchers to grow Europe’s economy

A flourishing small satellites market is driving demand for new ways to access space. Recent industry feasibility studies backed by ESA for new microlauncher services, are creating new business opportunities. To source

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ESA helps business fly in space

New ‘cubesat’ technology and falling launch costs mean that businesses, universities and other organisations are increasingly able to launch their own small satellites. Now ESA is offering facilities and know-how to help them fly. To source

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Business with human and robotic exploration

Space is profitable – each euro spent on the International Space Station produces €1.8 added value to European economies. Research in low Earth orbit has already contributed to the economy in health and material sciences. To source

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Space, astronomy and science