Today marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. For Earth-observing satellites, every day is Earth Day. While news of COVID-19 dominates headlines and many of us practice social distancing, there still remains the need for action on climate change – and satellites are vital in providing the key facts on this global issue. To […]
Tag Archives | ESA
COVID-19: Aeolus and weather forecasts
We are all too aware that COVID-19 is a serious threat to health, is putting huge pressure on healthcare systems and it could leave the global economy struggling for years to come. With lockdown measures in force across the globe, the pandemic is also affecting aspects of everyday life that may not be so obvious. […]
Down to Earth
Image: NASA astronaut Jessica Meir rocking her Caves shirt aboard the International Space Station To source
Social distancing app uses space to save lives
A free app that helps people observe social distancing to slow the spread of coronavirus is about to launch. Devised by Lanterne, a UK start-up company supported by ESA, it uses satellite data and artificial intelligence technologies to identify where people are congregating anywhere in the world. To source
Ending global plant tracking, Proba-V assigned new focus
ESA’s cubic-metre-sized Proba-V minisatellite will soon end its nearly seven-year global mission to monitor the daily growth of all Earth’s vegetation. As Copernicus Sentinel-3 takes on this task instead, Proba-V will be free to perform experimental monitoring over Europe and Africa – including co-observations with new companion missions. To source
Live discussion with BepiColombo experts – replay
Video: 01:25:40 BepiColombo experts share their first results from the spacecraft’s 10 April 2020 Earth flyby. Launched in 2018, BepiColombo is Europe’s first mission to Mercury. In the early hours of Friday 10 April, the spacecraft flew only 12 700 km from Earth for its first “gravity assist” on the way to the closest planet […]
Jean-Marie Luton, 1942-2020
Jean-Marie Luton passed away on 16 April 2020 at the age of 77. He was ESA’s fourth Director General, serving from 1990 to 1997. A French aerospace engineer, he held several key positions during his remarkable career and will forever remain an important figure not just for ESA, but also for the wider European space […]
Week in images: 13-17 April 2020
Week in images: 13-17 April 2020 Discover our week through the lens To source
ESA helps analyse untouched Moon rocks
Almost 50 years after the Apollo missions returned lunar material to Earth, ESA experts are helping to uncover the secrets of two previously unopened samples to learn more about ancient processes on the Moon – and to refine and practice techniques for future sample return missions. To source
Space is hard – mission control after Apollo 13
Apollo 13 has been called ‘NASA’s finest hour’. What was meant to have been the third lunar landing in April 1970, 50 years ago, became a struggle to safely return the crew of three when an oxygen tank explosion crippled their Apollo spacecraft. In the end, it was a major success. The interaction between the […]
Montevideo, Uruguay
Image: The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Montevideo – the capital and largest city of Uruguay. To source
Earth from Space: Montevideo
Video: 00:02:39 In this week’s edition of the Earth from Space programme, the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Montevideo – the capital and largest city of Uruguay. See also Montevideo, Uruguay to download the image. To source
Mapping Chernobyl fires from space
With an outbreak of wildfires recently threatening the closed Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukraine, the Copernicus Emergency Mapping Service has been activated and the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite mission has imaged the fires and smoke, and mapped the resulting area of burned ground. To source